商务英语：如何写好英语商务电邮

 　　The Internet has changed a lot of things within the business world, including business correspondence. here once traditional, formal business letters were normal, quick business e-mails now rule the day. The ease and informality of the Internet often makes it seem we can write business e-mails poorly and get away with it; yet, it’s actually the contrary. Because e-mail is so accessible, people receive that much more of it and disregard anything less than perfect. Your business e-mails must stand out from the junk. The following tips will help you to create concise¹, engaging business e-mails for any purpose.

　　网络改变了商务世界的很多方面，商务信函便是其中之一。曾经，传统且正式的商务信件很常见，而今，快捷的商务电邮成为主流。网络的便捷性和随意性常常让我们觉得，似乎商务电邮写得糟糕没什么大不了的。然而，事实恰好相反。因为写一封电子邮件太轻而易举了，所以人们收到那么多之后，便只处理那些写得好的——你的商务电邮必须从电邮堆中脱颖而出才行。以下要点能帮助你写出适用于任何目的的简洁、抢眼的商务电邮。

　　STYLE

　　The human eye reacts differently to a computer screen than a piece of paper, so how you format² your e-mail is vital. Use short, succinct³ sentences that get to the point immediately; remember, your goal here is to dispense⁵ important information, so give that to the reader right up front. Always include a greeting and a signature, and use as many line and paragraph breaks as possible; this makes the e-mail easier to read. And resist the urge to write a book. Business e-mails are better off short; the equivalent of a page or so is sufficient.

　　风格

　　人眼对电脑屏幕和纸张的反应不同，所以如何安排电邮的格式非常重要。使用短小简洁的句子直奔主题；记住，写电邮的目的是为了传达重要信息，所以要让读邮件的人首先看到要点。不管什么情况都要包含问候语和署名，并且尽量多折行多分段——这能使邮件更易读。还有，要抑制长篇大论的冲动：商务电邮最好简短；相当于一页纸左右的量就足够了。

　　TONE

　　For better or worse, the Internet breeds a nasty habit of informality. It’s okay to be slightly informal with your e-mail (people tend to expect it lately), but don’t write as if you’re talking to your mother or best friend. You need to strike a balance between traditional formality and e-mail informality. Think about your recipient⁶ and how they’d most likely write an e-mail. What words would they use? Would slang or jargon⁷ offend your readers? Use these considerations to create a concise, customized e-mail.

　　语气

　　暂不论其好坏，网络滋生了“非正式”交流的恶习。电邮稍微非正式一点没有关系（人们最近开始接受了），但是不要写得好像是在跟妈妈或最好的朋友谈话一样。你需要在传统意义上的正式和电邮的非正式中找到平衡。想想收件人的风格，以及他们最可能怎样写电邮。他们会使用什么词汇？俚语或行话会不会冒犯到读邮件的人？将这些因素考虑在内，才能写出一封有针对性的简洁邮件。

　　GRAMMAR

　　Informality, whatever its root, does not excuse grammatical errors, and these can damage your e-mail. Grammatical errors show that you didn’t put much time into your business e-mail and you probably don’t care much about your message. Go through your e-mail carefully to make sure you have spelled correctly, and you have fixed⁸ all grammar and punctuation⁹ mistakes. Remove all redundancies and get rid of any clichés. Recipients¹⁰, especially professional business people, will appreciate your attention to details and they will respond better to your message when no errors exist in your e-mail.

　　语法

　　不管“非正式”如何发展而来，这都不意味着允许犯语法错误—这些错误会毁了你的电邮。语法错误说明你没有在商务电邮上下多少功夫，而且你很可能不太在乎你所传达的信息。仔细通读电邮，以确定拼写正确，并且修订了所有的语法和标点错误。删除所有的多余信息和陈词滥调。收件人—尤其是那些职业商人—会很欣赏你注重细节，而且，如果你发给他们的电邮里没有错误的话，他们会态度更好地回复你的消息。

　　RESPONSE

　　Since e-mail is an immediate⁴ medium, and a highly accessible one at that, it’s far easier than in paper letters to request a response – and far more likely that you’ll get one! Before signing off with your signature, be clear about what you want the recipient to do. Need a response via phone or with certain information attached? Say so! Your recipient will have a difficult time responding if they have no idea what you want from them. But remember: be polite when requesting action. There’s little worse than an overly forward or pushy¹¹ ending.

　　回复

　　电邮是即时媒体， 也因此是一个高度普及的媒体。和纸质邮件相比，通过电邮要求对方回复更便捷—而且，你更有可能收到回复！在落款之前，一定要清楚你期望收件人做什么。需要电话回复还是附上特定的信息？ 说出来！ 如果收件人不知道你想要什么，他们答复你的时候就会很费神。但要记住：要求回复时一定要客气。几乎没有什么比在邮件结束时过度催促或强求更糟糕了。

1 concise   

adj.简洁的，简明的

参考例句：

• The explanation in this dictionary is concise and to the point.这部词典里的释义简明扼要。
• I gave a concise answer about this.我对于此事给了一个简要的答复。

2 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

3 succinct   

adj.简明的，简洁的

参考例句：

• The last paragraph is a succinct summary.最后这段话概括性很强。
• A succinct style lends vigour to writing.措辞简练使文笔有力。

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 dispense   

vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施

参考例句：

• Let us dispense the food.咱们来分发这食物。
• The charity has been given a large sum of money to dispense as it sees fit.这个慈善机构获得一大笔钱，可自行适当分配。

6 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。

7 jargon   

n.术语，行话

参考例句：

• They will not hear critics with their horrible jargon.他们不愿意听到评论家们那些可怕的行话。
• It is important not to be overawed by the mathematical jargon.要紧的是不要被数学的术语所吓倒.

8 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

9 punctuation   

n.标点符号，标点法

参考例句：

• My son's punctuation is terrible.我儿子的标点符号很糟糕。
• A piece of writing without any punctuation is difficult to understand.一篇没有任何标点符号的文章是很难懂的。

10 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 pushy   

adj.固执己见的，一意孤行的

参考例句：

• But she insisted and was very pushy.但她一直坚持,而且很急于求成。
• He made himself unpopular by being so pushy.他特别喜欢出风头，所以人缘不好。