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1、外貿英語函電Objectives of learning this course1.Know the writing principles of business letters;2.Master the special/technical terms in international trade;3.Master and be able to use the commonly used expressions in international business letters;4.Be able to write different business letters in specific

2、situations;5.Know the language features of international business contracts and be able to draft them by yourselves. Final examinationvI.Fill in the blanks with proper prepositions .vE.g. We learn from your enquiry letter that you are in the market for Chinese textiles.v We sent a sample book to you

3、 under separate cover yesterday.vII. Fill in the blanks with proper words .vE.g. Enclosed please find our catalogue and the pricelist. We sustained a great loss of $5,000, for which we have to lodge a claim against you.vIII. Special term translation (CE) .vE.g. 保兌的不可撤銷的即期信用證confirmed, irrevocable si

4、ght L/CvIV. Special term translation (EC) .vE.g. despatch money 速遣費vV. First arrange the following sections in a proper layout, as they should be set out in a business letter, and then write an envelope for the letter.vVI. Write a reply to the following given letter.vVII. Translate the following sen

5、tences into English (CE).vVIII. Translate the following passage(excerpts from contracts) into Chinese (EC) .Chapter One: Business Letter Writing Writing business letters is one of the most important means of communication with other companies, either in the same country or abroad because letters can

6、 present some details which can not be done by other means of communication. It serves two main functions- to convey a message and to provide a permanent record for future reference and also valuable proof in the event of legal disputes.1 Writing principles of business letters ：7Cs 1. Courtesy 2. Co

7、nsideration 3. Completeness 4. Clarity 5. Conciseness 6. Concreteness 7. Correctness 1.1 Courtesyv1. Try to avoid irritating(惹人生氣的) and offensive（得罪人的） statements in your letters; Compare the following sentences:v1a:Why didnt you read the instruction（說明書） before using the machine?v1b:You are request

8、ed to read the instruction before using the machine.v2a: In a company as large as ours, we seldom take an order of less than 2000 pcs（件）.v2b: Please note that it is not our common practice to take an order of less than 2000 pcs.v2. Even if you receive a rude letter, try to write a reply courteously（

9、禮貌地）;v3. In addition, to write back promptly（迅速） is also a matter of courtesy.1.2 Consideration v1. Using you-attitude instead of we-attitudevYou-attitude means that you are from the other partys point of view and put his/her interests in the first place. We-attitude is self-centered. Compare the fo

10、llowing two sentences and two letters:v3a: We regret to say that we have to cancel your order because of your failure to open the L/C in time.(we-attitude)v3b: Please let us know if there is something in the way that precludes（阻止，妨礙） you from establishing the L/C.(you-attitude)Conclusion: you-attitu

11、de sentences and letters show more respect and consideration for the other party.v2. Using positive tone（肯定的、積極的語氣） instead of negative tone（否定的、消極的語氣）vCompare the following two pairs of sentences and letters:v4a: We cannot supply in packs of less than 10.(negative tone)v4b: To keep packaging costs

12、down and to help our customers save on postage, we supply in packs of 10 or more.(positive tone )v5a: You failed to include your credit card number, so we cant mail your order. (negative tone)v5b: Well mail your order as soon as we receive your credit card number. (positive tone )Conclusion: sentenc

13、es and letters with positive tones are more easily accepted than those with negative tones though they convey almost the same message.1.3 Completeness v1. A complete sentence must include all the relevant information. Compare:v6a: Our Sales Manager will contact you soon.v6b: John Smith, our Sales Ma

14、nager, will contact you soon.v7a: My flight is to arrive at 6:30 on Wednesday.v7b: My flight BA121 from London Heathrow should arrive at Beijing International Airport at 18:30 on Wednesday, 12 June.Conclusion: incomplete information may bring about unnecessary trouble. v2. A complete letter should i

15、nclude whatever details are needed to generate the effect you want. vOmission of anything the receiver wants to know may cause suspicions, and may make you lose an important customer. 1.4 Clarity You should convey（傳遞） exactly what you wish to say and avoid any misunderstanding. v1. Avoid using words

16、/expressions which have different meanings or understandings or ambiguous meanings or make it clear with further explanation; Compare: 8a: This contract will come into effect from Oct. 1. 8b: This contract will come into effect from and including Oct. 1, 2009. 9a: Our offers by fax are open for five

17、 days. 9b: Our offers by fax are open for five days inclusive of the date of dispatch.v2. Paragraph the letter carefully and properly. Short paragraghs rather than long paragraghs are recommended. Generally if there are several points to make clear, be sure to follow the principle: “one point, one p

18、aragraph”. Look at specimen letters:1.5 ConcisenessvFollow the principle: KISS keep it short and simple in writing business letters.v1. Avoid using wordy or redundant （冗余的）expressions and use short and simple words instead;v2. Avoid unnecessary repetition;Compare:v10a: The letter you wrote on the fi

19、rst day of the month of May has been received by me with many thanks.v10b: Thank you for your letter of May 1.v11a: We confidently believe that you will have a good turnover, and that you will be able to place repeat orders with us in the near future.v11b: We are confident/sure that you will have a

20、good turnover（營業(yè)額）, and that you will be able to place repeat orders（續(xù)訂單） with us in the near future.v3. Use simple and plain words and short sentences;v4. Use words to replace phrases or clauses.1.6 Concreteness The message should be specific, definite and vivid. So use words with definite and spec

21、ific meaning instead of abstract words. Compare:v12a: We have drawn on you as usual under your L/C.v12b: We have drawn on you our sight draft No.1234 for the invoice amount US$7 000 under your L/C No.4567.v13a: We have already received your invoices No.123 and 456 and will make payment shortly.v13b:

22、 We have already received your invoices No.123 and 456 and will make payment on or before Nov. 25.v14a: We will amend the L/C as soon as possible.v14b: We will amend the L/C on Dec. 12.1.7 Correctnessv Sometimes business letters can be used as proofs. So correctness refers not only correct spelling,

23、 grammar and punctuation, but also the accurate figures（數(shù)字） and correct use of technical terms or commercial jargons（商業(yè)行話）.2 Main sections in a business letterv1. Letter head or heading（信頭）;v2. Date;v3. Inside name and address（封內地址）;v4. Salutation（敬稱）;v5. Subject line or caption（標題、事由）;v6. The body

24、of the letter;v7. Complimentary close（結尾敬語）;v8. The writers signature and his job title or position or designation（職務、職位）;v9. Enclosure（附件）;v10. Postscript（附言）. NOTE: The following seven sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 are indispensable parts of a business letter whereas sections 5, 9, and 10 are o

25、ptional. 2.1 Writing of each section and their respective positions in a business letter2.1 Letter head or headingvIt refers to the senders name, address, telephone number, fax number etc. Usually it is written in the upper right hand margin of the writing paper. Most business firms and other organi

26、zations use stationery with a center-printed letterhead that includes the name, the address, the postcode and the telephone number of the firm. 2.2 Date It refers to the date on which the letter is written. The date consists of the month, day and year. In writing dates, please note that “month” can

27、be abbreviated, but “year” can not be abbreviated and it must be written in full. It is put two spaces below the letter head or put in the left-hand margin two spaces below the letter head.2.3 Inside name and addressv It refers to the receivers name and address. It is written in the left-hand margin

28、 about two spaces below the date. It appears exactly the same way as on the envelope. It is important to include the postcode in order to facilitate mechanical mail-sorting（信件的分揀）.2.4 SalutationvIt is the polite greeting with which the writer starts his letter. The use of salutation depends on the w

29、riters relationship with the receiver.vThe customary formal greeting in a business letter is “Dear Sir” or “Dear Madam” for addressing one person and “Dear Sirs” or “Dear Mesdames” or “Gentlemen” for addressing two or more persons. If the receiver is known to the writer personally, a warmer greeting

30、 is preferred, such as “Dear Mr. ” or “Dear Ms. ”. vSpecial attention should be paid to the punctuation used after the salutation: after “Dear Sir”, “Dear Madam”, “Dear Sirs”, “Dear Mesdames”, “Dear Mr. ” and “Dear Ms. ”, a comma is used instead of a colon as in a Chinese letter. However, after “Gen

31、tlemen”, a colon is generally used. In addition, the first letter of each word in the salutation should be capitalized.vSalutation is usually written two spaces below the inside name and address.2.5 Subject line or captionvSubject line is actually the main topic of the letter. It is inserted between

32、 the salutation and the body of the letter. It is expressed as “Re:”. For instance, if the letter is mainly concerned with the L/C No.1234, then the subject line can be written as “Re: L/C No.1234”.2.6 The body of a lettervThis is the most important part of the letter. It contains the actual message

33、 of the letter. It states the writers idea, opinion, purposes and wishes, etc. vIt generally consists of three sections: the opening paragraph, paragraphs containing main points and the ending paragraph. The first section is the opening paragraph, introducing yourself if it is the first letter betwe

34、en you and the receiver, or referring to the previous letters if there were some correspondences. The second section contains the main points and it may consist of several paragraphs (Note: one point, one paragraph). The third section is the ending paragraph, indicating the writers plan, expectation

35、s, wishes etc. 2.7 Complimentary closev It is merely a polite way of ending a letter. vThe most commonly used complimentary closes are:The formal ones are “Yours faithfully” or “Faithfully yours” and “Yours truly” or “Truly yours”. The less formal ones are “Yours sincerely” or “Sincerely yours”.v Th

36、e punctuation used after these complimentary closes is a comma, and only the first letter of the complimentary close should be capitalized(大寫). Generally the complimentary close is put in the right hand margin two spaces below the body of the letter.2. 8 Signature and job designation or job titlevIt

37、 is common for the writer to sign his name immediately below the complimentary close. vIf the writer represents his company, the companys name should come first, and then the writers signature. Under the signature, generally comes the writers printed name for easy identification. Below the writers p

38、rinted name is his or her designation. For example ABC Company (Signature) John Smith Sales Manager Some people prefer to put the name of the company under their job titles instead of putting it above their signatures, like this: (Signature) John Smith Sales Manager ABC Company2.9 EnclosurevIf somet

39、hing is enclosed in the letter, note it below the designation to draw the receivers attention to find the enclosure(s) like “Encl: a pricelist” or “Encl(s): a catalogue and a pricelist”. It can be put in the left hand margin two spaces below the designation of the writer.2.10 PostscriptvIf the write

40、r wishes to add something he forgot in the body of the letter or for the sake of emphasis, he may add a postscript two spaces below “Encl.”. It is abbreviated as “P.S.”. e.g. P.S.: The samples will be mailed to you tomorrow.3 The layout of the above 10 sections in a business letter 4 Different style

41、s of business letters vThere are three different styles for business letters according to the writers preferences. They are blocked style, indented style and blended style.4.1 Blocked stylevIt is a modern style and increasingly adopted now.vIts main feature is that all typing lines, including those

42、for the heading, the date, the inside name and address, the salutation, the subject heading (sometimes in the middle), the body of the letter, the complimentary close, signature and designation, enclosure and postscript begin at the left-hand. vThat is, every line of the business letter starts from

43、the very left margin. 4.2 Indented stylevIndented style is a traditional style. The second and succeeding lines of heading, inside name and address, the beginning of every paragraph in the body of the letter are all indented several spaces. vNote that for one letter, the indented spaces should be th

44、e same, say, four spaces. 4.3 Blended stylevThis style is the one combined with the full blocked style and the indented style. vWhen this style is adopted, the heading and the inside name and address are typed in blocked form, but the first line of paragraphs forming the body of the letter are all i

45、ndented four or more spaces. 5 Writing envelopesvEnvelopes for business letters ordinarily have return name and address (writers name and address) printed in the upper left corner of the envelope. The receivers name and address should be written about half way down the envelope. vSpecial attention s

46、hould be paid to the fact that the receivers name and address in the envelope should be in exact agreement with the inside name and address in the letter. The stamp is generally put in the upper right hand corner of the envelope. vOf course, it can be written either in block or indented style.Chapte

47、r Two: Establishing Business RelationsvTo establish business relations with prospective dealers is the base of starting and developing business. It is very important for both new firms and old ones. For a newly established firm, it can serve as the basis for starting business, while for an old firm,

48、 it can help expand business and increase its turnover. 1 Sources of information about prospective dealersv 1. The advertisements in the mass media;v 2. The introduction from its business connections;v 3. The introduction from its subsidiaries or branches, or agents abroad;v 4. The market investigat

49、ions;v 5. Attending exhibitions and trade fairs;v6. Visit abroad by trade delegations and groups;v7. Self-introduction or enquires received from the merchants abroad;v8. The banks;v9. The Commercial Counselors Office;v10. The Chambers of Commerce both at home and abroad;v11. Commercial directories o

50、f various countries and regions;v 12. Internet.2 The outline for letters to establish business relationsvThe following points can be covered : v1. Inform the receiver the source of your information, that is, where you got his name and address;v2. State your intention of writing the letter;v3. Give a

51、 self-introduction, such as the nature of your company, the business scope of your firm, etc.;v4. Provide the reference as to your firms financial position and credit standing;v5. Express your expectation of their cooperation and an early reply.v In addition, if you intend to import goods, you may a

52、lso ask for catalogues, samples, pricelists, etc. If you intend to export goods, you may send the catalogues, samples, pricelists, etc. This kind of letters should be written cordially, sincerely and courteously.3 The outline for the reply to a letter of establishing business relations After receivi

53、ng a letter requesting to establish business relations with you, you should write a reply promptly. The following points may be covered:v1. Thank the receiver for his letter of intending to establish business relations with you;v2. Express your interest in building up business relations with his com

54、pany;v3. State your further actions, that is, the specific actions to take.Chapter Three: Enquiries and Reply1 An introduction to enquiriesvIn international trade, there are several steps before business is concluded: enquiry, offer（報盤）, couteroffer（還盤） and acceptance. An enquiry is a request for in

55、formation. In international business, enquiry letters are often written by importers to exporters. vEnquiries can be classified into two kinds: general enquiries（一般詢盤） and specific enquiries（具體詢盤）. vIn a general enquiry, the writer may ask for catalogues, pricelists or samples in order to get a gene

56、ral understanding of the products handled by the exporter. A specific enquiry letter is written when the writer is interested in a particular item or product. And it is written to get some more detailed information about the product(s) he wants to buy right away. The writer may ask the exporter to m

57、ake an offer or a quotation for particular item or items.2 The outline for enquiry letters When making an enquiry, begin with the questions you want to ask, that is, keep your enquiry short and to the point. An enquiry letter may include the following points:v 1. Tell the receiver the source of your

58、 information about him or thank the receiver for his previous letter;v 2. State what your enquiry is about;v3. State your specific requirements such as quantity, quality, specifications, date of delivery, terms of payment, etc. v 4. Emphasize that the price to be quoted should be competitive;v 5. Ex

59、press your expectation for receiving an offer early. 3 The outline for replies to enquiry lettersvAfter receiving a letter, make a reply promptly. This kind of letters should be written helpfully and courteously and cover all the relevant information asked for. The following three points can be incl

60、uded :v1. Thank the receiver for his enquiry;v2. Provide all the information asked for and may enclose some necessary materials, if possible;v3. Express your expectation for an order at an early time.Chapter Four: Offers1 The definition of offervAn offer refers to conditions given by the seller or t

61、he buyer for making a contract. It can be given by either the seller or the buyer. The one, who volunteers to give conditions, is called the offeror（報盤人）. The one, who accepts the conditions, is called the offeree（受盤人）.vThe conditions mainly include the name of the commodity, Art No.（貨號）, specificat

62、ion（規(guī)格）, quantity, price, packaging, terms of payment and delivery time（交貨時間）, etc. 2 Classification of offervIn international trade, offers can be classified into two types: firm offers（實盤） and non-firm offers（虛盤）.2.1 Firm offersvDefinition: A firm offer is one by which the offeror promises to sell

63、 particular goods（特定商品） at a stated price（特定） within a stated period of time（特定時間段內）. vOnce the firm offer has been accepted within the specified period, it cannot be withdrawn. A firm offer has binding force （約束力）upon the offeror, ensuring that the content of the firm offer cannot be changed or rev

64、oked within the specific valid period. But after the valid time, the offer will become invalid. The offeror is no longer responsible for the obligations stipulated in the offer. Even if the offeree accepts the offer, the offeror has the right to refuse. The valid period of the firm offer is very imp

65、ortant. Otherwise, it will be regarded as a non-firm offer. vTwo apparent features of firm offers:v1. Th terms and conditions in the offer must be complete and definite. It should include a specified quantity with complete specifications at a fixed price and under stipulated conditions;v2. The valid

66、ity is clearly stated in the offer. The length of validity depends on the nature of the product and market conditions. Price-sensitive products（價格敏感商品） such as cotton always have a short validity period because their prices fluctuate sharply while some products such as art and handicraft articles may have a longer validity because their prices are more or less stable. vThe common expression to be attached in a firm offer is: “We offer you firm subject to your reply reaching here before oclock, (