商务书信写作的基础知识

BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF BUSINESS LETTER WRITING
     商务书信写作的基础知识

Ⅰ. Form and Structure of Business Letters
     商务书信的书写格式及构成

1. Form
     格式

     (1) Full block form 齐头式

     Blyco Textile Group B. V.
     Ossterstra 2,7524DZ Enschede
     The Netherlands
     Tel: 53-8774
     Telex: 45635
     Fax: [phone]

     Your ref: C9246
     Our ref: bwbw

     Date: April 24, 1998

     Xi'an Textile Import & Export Corp.
     108 LianHu Road,
     Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

Dear Sirs,

     Thank you for your letter of April 18, 1998. We are a company that is - for years already - engaged in importing clothing items from your country, although not from Xi'an.

     We are interested in contacts as mentioned by you. Our Purchasing Manager, who is in Hong Kong at the moment, will contact you when he returns.

     With kind regards.

     Yours faithfully,
     Blyco Textile Group B. V.
     (Signed) …
     J.Kistemaker, Manager

     In the Full block form, every part of a letter is typed from the left margin. It is convenient to be typed with a typewriter but the layout is not so beautiful. So some businessmen use a modified block form with indented style.

     (2) Modified block form with indented style 混合式

     Blyco Textile Group B. V.
     Ossterstra 2,7524DZ Enschede
     The Netherlands
     Tel: [phone]
     Telex: 45635
     Fax: [phone]

     Your ref: C9246 Our ref: bwbw Date: April 24, 1998
     Xi'an Textile Import & Export Corp.
     108 LianHu Road,
     Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

Dear Sirs,

     Thank you for your letter of April 18, 1998. We are a company that is - for years already - engaged in importing clothing items from your country, although not from Xi'an.

     We are interested in contacts as mentioned by you. Our Purchasing Manager, who is in Hong Kong at the moment, will contact you when he returns.

     With kind regards.

     Yours faithfully,
     Blyco Textile Group B. V.
     (Signed) …
     J. Kistemaker, Manager

     In the Modified block form with indented style the sender's address is typed (or printed) in the up-middle part. The receiver's address starts from the left margin. The complimentary close as well as the signature are typed from the middle little towards the right. As the business letters are supposed to be simple and clear, so the Modified block form and Simplified form come out. In the Modified block form all the parts start from the left margin, except the date, complimentary close and signature which are positioned same as that in the Modified block form with indented style.

     (3) Modified block form 改良式

     Blyco Textile Group B. V.
     Ossterstra 2,7524DZ Enschede
     The Netherlands
     Tel: [phone]
     Telex: 45635
     Fax: [phone]

     Your ref: C9246 Our ref: bwbw Date: April 24, 1998

     Xi'an Textile Import & Export Corp.
     108 LianHu Road
     Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

Dear Sirs,

     Thank you for your letter of April 18, 1998. We are a company that is - for years already - engaged in importing clothing items from your country, although not from Xi'an.

     We are interested in contacts as mentioned by you. Our Purchasing Manager, who is in Hong Kong at the moment, will contact you when he returns.

     With kind regards.

     Yours faithfully,
     Blyco Textile Group B. V.
     (Signed) …
     J. Kistemaker, Manager

     Simplified form is somewhat like Full block form. But some parts are omitted, such as salutation and complimentary close.

     (4) Simplified form 简化式

     Blyco Textile Group B. V.
     Ossterstra 2,7524DZ Enschede
     The Netherlands
     Tel: [phone]
     Telex: 45635
     Fax: [phone]

     April 24, 1998

     Xi'an Textile Import & Export Corp.
     108 LianHu Road
     Xi'an Shaanxi, China

     Thank you for your letter of April 18, 1998. We are a company that is - for years already - engaged in importing clothing items from your country, although not from Xi'an.

     We are interested in contacts as mentioned by you. Our Purchasing Manager, who is now in Hong Kong at the moment, will contact you when he returns.

     J.Kistemaker, Manager

     The above four forms are popularly used nowadays. Which form a sender likes to choose depends on his or her preference. The main aim of designing a letter is to make the letter not only pleasing to the eye, but also convenient to be typed.

2. Structure
     构成

     (1) Parts of the business letter

     a. letterhead 信头
     b. reference and date 编号和日期
     c. inside name and address 封内地址
     d. attention line 注意事项
     e. salutation 称呼
     f. subject line 事由
     g. body 信文
     h. complimentary close 结尾敬语
     i. signature 签署
     j. enclosure 附件
     k. carbon copy notation 抄送
     l. postscript 附言

     The following letter is designed to illustrate the position of each part mentioned above:

     a. Chiwan Petroleum Supply Base
     Chiwan, Shenzhen, China
     Tel: [phone]
     Oil Patch Tel: [phone]
     Tlx: 446834 AAOTS CN
     Fax: [phone]
     Cable: 6987

     b. Your ref: Our ref: BW/bw 3 May, 1998

     c. Messrs. J. Brown & Co.
     234 East cheap
     London, E.C.3.

     d. Attention: Import Dept.

     e. Dear Sirs,

     f. (Oil Tools)

     g. We thank you for your letter of April 4.

     In compliance with your request, we are sending you herewith a copy of our latest price list for your reference.

     All prices are understood to be CIF European Main Ports, subject to our final confirmation. Payment is to be made by irrevocable Letter of Credit available by draft at sight.

     As there is a heavy demand for the goods, we would suggest that you advise us by telex in case of interest.

     We are looking forward to your early reply.

     h. Yours faithfully,
     Chiwan Petroleum Supply Base

     i. (Signed) …
     Wang Da Wei
     Manager

     j. Encl. as stated

     k. cc. our Branch Offices

     l. P.S. Your letter of April 22 has just come to hand. As requested, we will airmail you two samples tomorrow.

     (2) The ways of writing parts

     a. Letterhead 信头

     Letterhead includes the sender's name, postal address, telephone number, telex number, fax number, cable address, and E-mail address, etc. Usually letterhead is printed in the up-center or at the left margin of a letter writing paper.

     Chiwan Petroleum Supply Base
     Chiwan, Shenzhen, China
     Tel: [phone]
     Oil Patch Tel: [phone]
     Tlx: 446834 AAOTS CN
     Fax: [phone]
     Cable: 6789
     E-mail: [email protected]#p#副标题#e#

     In some countries the letterhead contains other details. For example, in the U.K. the directors' names of a company is given.

     Directors R. B. North, M. W. Beevers
     W. D. J. Argent D. A. F. Sutherland
     MACDONALD & EVANS LTD
     Estover Road Plymouth PL6 7PZ
     Telephone: [phone]
     Cable address: MACEVANS PLYMOUTH
     Telex: 45635
     E-mail: [email protected]

     b. Reference and Date 编号和日期

     In business communication, when a firm writes to another, each will give a reference. The reference may include a file number, departmental code or the initials of the signer followed by that of the typist of the letter. These are marked "Our ref:" and "Your ref:" to avoid confusion:

     Your ref: JBD/WM
     Our ref: WDW/LP

     They are typed immediately below the Letterhead. If desired, the reference initials can also be placed at the lower left margin two lines below the name of the signer.
     The date should always be typed in full and not abbreviated (e.g. December for Dec.). And the -th, -st, -nd, and -rd that follow the day can be omitted (e.g. 5 May for 5th May, June 1 for June 1st). Don't write 97 instead of 1997 for the year.
     The forms of dates are as follows:

     15 August, 1997
     August 15, 1997

     Avoid typing dates in figures (e.g. 10/2/1997), since it could easily be confusing. Because English form follows the order of day, month and year while the U.S. practice is to write in the order of month, day and year. So 10/2/1997 could be taken as either October 2 1997 or February 10 1997.

     c. Inside Name and Address 封内名称及地址

     The name and address of the receiver is typed at the left-hand margin about two to four spaces below the date. It appears exactly the same way as on the envelope.
     Mr., Mrs., Miss., and Ms -- the ordinary courtesy titles are used to address to one person. Mr. for a man, Mrs., Miss., and Ms for a woman.

     e.g. Mr. C. E. Eckersley, Ms. M. C. Mar.
     After the name, his or her official position should follow, if there is any.
     e.g. Mr. C. C. Eckersley, Director
     Ms. M. C. Mar, President

     Messrs. (abbreviation of Messieurs) is, also a courtesy title, used for partnerships whose firm's name includes a personal element, as in Messrs. Macdonald & Evans. It is not used, where there is no personal element in the name, as Utility Furniture Co. when the name already carries a courtesy title, as Sir William Dobson & Sons, or when the word "The" forms part of the name, as The Grayson Electrical Co.
     The following are the two examples to show the way of writing an inside name and address:

     e.g. 1 Messrs. William & Werner
     36, Tower Street
     North York, Ont.
     M2H 1W8, Canada
     e.g. 2 Mr. C. E. Eckersley
     The London Export Corporation
     6 and 7 Clifford Street
     London, W. 1, England

     d. Attention Line 注意事项

     Attention line is used when the writer of a letter addressed to an organization wishes to direct the letter to a specific individual or section of the firm. It generally follows the inside address.

     e.g. Attention: Mr. Smith Attention: The Sales Manager

     e. Salutation 称呼

     Salutation is the complimentary greeting with which the writer opens his letter. Its form depends on the writer's relationship with the receiver. The customary formal greeting in a business letter is "Dear Sir" or "Dear Madam" used for addressing one person; and "Dear Sirs", "Dear Mesdames", or "Gentlemen" (always should be in plural form and never write "Gentleman") for addressing two or more people. If the receiver is known to the writer personally, a warmer greeting "Dear Mr. Sb." is then preferred.
     Salutation is usually typed three spaces below the inside address or the attention line, and followed by a comma for "Dear Sir", "Dear Sirs", and a colon for "Gentlemen".

     f. Subject Line 事由

     Subject line is actually the general idea of a letter. It is inserted between the salutation and the body of the letter either at the left-hand margin for fully-blocked letter form or centrally over the body for other forms. It calls the receiver's attention to the topic of the letter.

     g. Body of the Letter 信文

     This is the main part of the letter. It expresses the writer's idea, opinion, purpose and wishes, etc., so it should be carefully planned. When writing, pay attention to the following:

     (a) Write simply, clearly, courteously, grammatically, and to the point.
     (b) Paragraph correctly, confining each paragraph to one topic.
     (c) See that your typing is accurate and the display artistic.

     Aim at an attractive and pleasing appearance for your letter. Margins especially are important, since they serve to "frame" your letter.
     For very short letters you may adopt double line-spacing except for your correspondent's name and address for which single line-spacing should always be used.
     If there has been previous correspondence, the reply letter will refer to it in the first paragraph. The writer's plans, hopes and expectations will be expressed in the last paragraph.

     h. Complimentary Close 结尾敬语

     Complimentary close is merely a polite way of ending a letter. It is in keeping with the salutation. The most commonly used sets of salutation and complimentary close are:

     Formal:
     Dear Sir(s), Yours faithfully,
     Gentlemen: Truly yours,
     Less formal:
     Dear Mr Henry, (:) Yours sincerely, (or Sincerely Yours,)

     As the salutation and complimentary close are merely a matter of courtesy and don't mean anything to the message, they can be omitted in the simplified form used nowadays.
     The complimentary close, when it is used, must never be separated from the substance of a letter by carried to a separate sheet. If through faulty judgment this becomes necessary, the letter must be scrapped and retyped -- leaving narrower spaces to retype the letter within one sheet of paper or rearranging the letter with some portion of the body carried over to the next sheet.
     When using continuation sheets, plain paper of the same quality as the letterhead must be used and typed with a heading to show:

     (a) the number of the sheet (in the center of the page)
     (b) the name of your correspondent (on the left-hand side)
     (c) the date of the letter (on the right-hand side)

e.g.
     __________________________________________
     | --2-- |
     | |
     | L. A. Brizier & Co. 1 March, 1998 |
     |________________________________________|

     i. Signature 签署

     It is common to type the name of the writer's firm or company immediately below complimentary close. Then the person who dictating the letter should sign his name, by hand and in ink, below it. Since hand-written signatures are illegible, the name of signer is usually typed below the signature, and followed by his job title or position.
     Never sign a letter with a rubber stamp.
     The following are examples of signing a business letter:

     (a) Yours faithfully,
     THE NATIONAL TRANSPORT CO.
     (Signature)
     Wang Da Wei
     Manager
     (b) Yours truly,
     for The Overseas Co. Ltd
     (Signature)
     W. Black
     President

     j. Enclosure 附件

     If something is enclosed, note it below the Signature.
     Enclosures 4 samples
     Encl. Price List

     k. The Carbon Copy Notation 抄送

     When copies of the letter are sent to others, type c.c. below the signature at the left margin.
     c.c. The Osaka Chamber c.c. Mr. G well

1. Postscript 附言

     If the writer wishes to add something he forgot to mention or for emphasis, he may add his postscript two spaces below the carbon copy notation:

     P.S. The samples will be mailed to you tomorrow.

     Try to avoid using P.S. since it may suggest that the writer failed to plan his letter well before he typed it.

     (3) Model of a Business Letter

     TRITON

     October 17,1997

     Mr. Zhao Jun
     Shenzhen Far East Oil Tools Ltd.
     Chiwan Petroleum Supply Base
     Shekou, Shenzhen

     Ref: Provision of Drill Tools
     Service Order No. CHI-SO-001

Dear Sirs,

     Please find attached Service Order No. CHI-SO-001 for the above referenced service.

     Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

     Sincerely yours,

     Melvin D. Johnson
     Materials and Contracts Coordinator

3. Addressing Envelopes
     信封的写法

     Business Envelopes ordinarily have the return address printed in the upper left corner. The receiver's name and address should be typed about half way down the envelope.
     The postmark or stamps should be placed in the up right-hand corner, while the bottom left-hand corner is for post notations such as "Confidential", "Secret", "Printed Matter", etc.

     _________________________________________________________
     | China National Chemicals (stamp) |
     | Import & Export Co. |
     | Beijing, China |
     | Overseas Trading Co. |
     | 153 Market Street |
     | London, E.C.3 |
     | Registered |
     |_______________________________________________________|

     It is important to include the postcode (zipcode in the U.S.A.) in order to facilitate mechanical mail-sorting.