淺談商務英語函電在對外貿(mào)易中的作用英語論文

1、1 IntroductionThe early years of our new century have been a period of unprecedented technological advancement. From cell-phones to 3G online, from test massaging to PC faxing, our communications tools and techniques are becoming ever more sophisticated. Today we are able to organize, transmit, and

2、use information at speeds unimaginable only a few years ago and we anticipate future developments that are equally unimaginable today. Nevertheless, the “information superhighway” notwithstanding, communications technology has not supplanted communications know-how. We still require information and

3、ideas to be expressed in clear, completely, and the person who can compose such information is a part of business organization. Therefore, business correspondence language still continues to be a highly marketable skill in todays workplace.From the perspective of linguistic carrier, business corresp

4、ondence should be used in a business environment. It belongs to ESP (English for special purposes, the English need by a particular group of learners could be identified by analyzing the linguistic characteristics of their specialist of work or study.), and emphasizes the special communication in th

5、e specific circumstances. It is a comprehensive discipline which is combined with English writing and foreign trade practice with content, difficulty and practicability of nature. It has a very difference from the nature of ordinary English or other specialized English in content or formally. It inv

6、olves foreign trade practices each part. Mainly includes: Establishing business relations; Enquiries and Replies; Quotations, Sales Letters, Offers and Counter Offers; Orders, Acceptances; Sales confirmation and Purchase contract; Payment; Packing; Transport and Insurance; Complaint, Claim and Settl

7、ement etc. Thus it can be seen although the business correspondence is not the foreign trade practice lesson, but involves the operational method in the foreign trade. This paper will from the linguistic features, the textual structure, and the lexis three parts to analyze the characteristics of bus

8、iness correspondence.2 The meaning of Business English Correspondence2.1 The meaning of Business English CorrespondenceBusiness English correspondence is Electronics letters that help people communicate in the field of foreign trade working language in writing , In the foreign trade knowledge as the

9、 background , Language as a carrier of foreign trade。Business English correspondence is one of the main ways of foreign business communication 。But, In today's highly developed information technology ，The letters are not limited to paper, or it can be E-mail, fax or MSN 。It is a letter issued to

10、 encoding and decoding process of the receiver 。Smooth encoding and decoding process is using the correspondence communication process。The most commonly used include ：The purpose of establishing business relations、enquiries、An offer、reply、The contract of sale、Packing、insurance、compensation、arbitrati

11、on ect .2.2 The characteristics of business English correspondence Business English correspondence is frequently used in international business contacts，Is carry out foreign trade business and related business activities of the foundation and important tool 。Therefore, Be familiar with the use and C

12、orrect understanding of the new characteristics of business English correspondence，Is premise and condition of business activities smoothly . 2.2.1 Linguistic features of Business CorrespondenceLanguage is a means of communication. This may seem like a foolishly simple observation to make, but remem

13、ber that for communication to be completed successfully a sender must convey his or her message so that the receiver not only receives, but also understands, the message. If language is not used clearly and accurately, the communication process cannot be successfully completed.A simple rule to remem

14、ber is that the English you use in your everyday business should be the same good English used by people in all walks of life. Granted, there may be terms intrinsic to your industry, but there is not a special type of business English to be learned and used when writing business letters. Good Englis

15、h is good English.Business correspondence is one of the common styles in the international business activities. Because of its production and service in various commercial business scopes, reflecting the professional and business-related content. Therefore, the wording, syntax, expression style, mea

16、ning and content has the style of the business. Cooperation and competition, rights and obligations, faith and claim, goods delivery and payment will always be topics for the business people. Each expression should be tried to be concise and accurate, strong and mild, firm but not tough, rigorous an

17、d without losing humorous. It is usually to be used strictly “7Cs” principles of writing, that is Clear, Complete, Concise, Concrete, Constructive, Conversational and Correct. l ClearThe goal of clarity is that the reader understands precisely what you are saying. The language of your correspondence

18、 should be adapted to the recipient. This means that you write in a matter-of-fact, conversational tone. Use specific examples the reader can relate to. Dont assume that your reader understands the jargon of your trade. Remember, most letters will be read by people other than the recipient of the le

19、tter. These people may be unfamiliar with the technical language or jargon you use. Clarity also means organizing your correspondence or letter so each paragraph deals with only one main idea and presenting your ideas in a logical order. Your letter should not be a collection of random ideas. It sho

20、uld be single-minded in its purpose.This is the cornerstone of effective communication and requires considerable effort on the writers part. It includes writing to the readers level of understanding, but not down to the reader. It means using language, words, and phrases that reader understands, whi

21、le avoiding all jargon and unfamiliar words and phrases. It involves coherently and logically ordering thoughts and ideas structuring paragraphs so that each idea has its own place in the correspondence. Good narratives are designed to make the desired impact. Remember, it is writers obligation to c

22、learly communicate so that the reader can understand, not the other way around. Be clear and straightforward in correspondences. Write what you mean. Dont write in circles, making reader guess what you mean. Take the following example of a writer who wants to tell a customer about an important organ

23、ization:My correspondence was initiated to inform you of the high caliber of programs and activities of an organization in which I have enjoyed being involved over the past few years. The County Business Association has served to keep me informed of, and actively involved in, the current political a

24、nd economic issues affecting small businesses through its monthly breakfast meetings with interesting and impressive speakers, its newsletter on legislative activities in Washington, and several other programs outlined in the attached letter.There are many problems with this example. Lets start by e

25、xamining the clarity and directness of the statement. Since the writer of the letter wants to inform the reader about an important organization, why didnt the writer come right out and do so by writing:I am writing to you about the high-caliber programs and activities offered by the County Business

26、Association, an organization in which I have been involved for the past few years.In the writers version of the letter, it is not until the second sentence of the paragraph that we even learn the name of the important organization. If you are writing about a particular subject, and that subject happ

27、ens to be an organization, why not get its name right up front so the reader might enjoy learning about it throughout the rest of the letter instead of being left in suspense?Instead of using many words (my correspondence was initiated to inform you of . . .), why not say simply, I am writing to you

28、 about . . .? If you come right out and say what you mean instead of beating around the bush, not only are you going to grab your readers attention right away, but you also stand a stronger chance of convincing your reader that he or she should go on reading and find out more about what you have to

29、say.l CompleteGood writing includes all the information necessary to make the point and promote whatever the correspondence requests. The data must be designed with a purpose in mind. Random details and thoughts however colorful and interesting, only confuse and the reader if they are not relevant t

30、o the issues being raised. Stay on track and make sure you have provided the reader with enough information to encourage the action you seek.Make sure all the information what the reader needs to know. (Do not include details that are interesting but not relevant.) The biggest problem with leaving o

31、ut information is that the reader has to make assumptions. For example, do not say, “When we last spoke about the situation,” when you can say, “When we spoke on June 8 about hiring a new administrative assistant.”Remember that the reader cannot read the writers mind. The reader can only guess at wh

32、at the writer left out.To write business correspondence should pay attention to the information of the other party needed, and whether you have completely answered the question. If the buyer accepts the offer, the seller should be quoted in the relevant content by buyer to write the correspondence o

33、f accepting the offerGenerally speaking, use 5Ws ( who, what, when, where, why) and “1h”( how) to check what you wrote letters is complete, who orders, and what the ordered goods, when the shipment should be effected, and goods be shipped to where, what terms of payment, if you have special request

34、should also explain why. That can be list as follows:Dear Sirs:Re: SweatersWith reference to your letter of May 8, we are pleased to accept your offer as per your Quotation Sheet No. 1/ 01/ 2005 for the follow:50 doz. Cashmere sweater, small, CIF Hamburg US150.00 per doz.70 doz. Cashmere sweaters, m

35、edium CIF Hamburg US180.00 per doz.50 doz. Cashmere sweaters, large CIF Hamburg US200.00 per doz.Packing: Each Sweater to be packed in a poly bag, per dozen in a tin lined carton, with 10 dozen to a wooden case.Payment: 100 % by irrevocable letter of credit and drawn at sight.Delivery: May/ June.We

36、trust you will give this enquiry your prompt and careful attention.Yours Trulyl Concise A concise letter eliminates all unnecessary words. Why use four words, “in as much as,” when you can use one word, “because”? This is not to say that you cant write long letters, but the longer the letter, the mo

37、re ineffective it becomes. It is better to write a short letter with attachments than a long, detailed one. Short letters are read and remembered; long letters are skimmed and filed.“Brevity is the soul of wit.”William Shakespeare once wrote. Plainly put, keep letters short and to the point. Do not

38、pad your communication if the padding does not address the main point or contribute to the correspondences goal. Readers will be annoyed, not impressed, by verbiage that obstructs rather than expedites the communication process.Be concise, direct, and unambiguous in your correspondence. Some- times

39、when you think you are communicating clearly in a business letter, the reader receives a different message from the one you intended. If such ambiguity is present in your letters, you can never be sure that the reader will understand your message. Ambiguous language is another problem with the examp

40、le paragraph above. The writer wrote:The County Business Association has served to keep me informed of, and actively involved in, the current political and economic issues affecting small businesses through its monthly breakfast meetings with interesting and impressive speakers, its newsletter on le

41、gislative activities in Washington, and several other programs outlined in the attached letter.The writer did not mean to suggest that the current political and economic issues were affecting small businesses as a result of the County Business Associations monthly breakfast meetings. Because of care

42、less wording, however, the sentence could be read to mean exactly that. The writer may be defensive and quip, Well, you knew what I meant, and in this case would be correct. But if we have to read something twice to make sure of its meaning, then the chances are that it was not written clearly in th

43、e first place. The writer could have written:Through monthly breakfast meetings with interesting speakers, a newsletter on legislative activities in Washington, and several other programs, the County Business Association has kept me informed of and involved in the current political and economic issu

44、es affecting smaller businesses.This version leaves little doubt in the readers mind about the writers intended meaning. The meaning of an ambiguous passage often cannot be detected as easily as in the above example. A classic example is the following:The loan officer approved the loan for David Mar

45、shall because he was obviously of superior moral fiber.From what is written above we cannot tell who is of superior moral fiber, the loan officer or Mr. Marshall. The pronoun he can refer to either the loan officer or Mr. Marshall. To avoid ambiguity, the sentence could be written:Because David Mars

46、hall was obviously of superior moral fiber, the loan officer approved the loan.Or: Because the loan officer was of superior moral fiber, he approved the loan for David Marshall.3 Function and superiority of business English correspondence in foreign trade3.1 The function of business English correspo

47、ndence in foreign trade “The traditional foreign trade activities ，Every transaction includes: buyer、seller、bank、transport、The tax、customs、The commodity inspection and so on，Business operation process is very complicated，The efficiency is low，and Cycle is long，More and more not adapt to the need of

48、the rapid development of foreign trade business ”。 Business English correspondence becomes an organic whole repeatedly will involve all parties through the Internet，and among them some or all of the business process to the Internet .Corresponding with the traditional foreign trade activities, The ba

49、sic function is as follows ：3.1.1 Looking for trade partners Looking for trade partners is the premise to develop foreign trade。Under the traditional way，weather buyer or seller have to pay a high price for finding suitable trading partners。Moreover, Use of business English correspondence looking fo

50、r trade partners, not only can save a lot of manpower and material resources, but also is not limited by time and place。On the one hand ，Enterprise can through the establishment of their own website or with the help of relevant foreign trade business English correspondence platform to provide potent

51、ial customers worldwide supply and demand information relating to the products and services, attract relevant trade customers ；On the other hand ，Enterprises can take the initiative to get to the Internet search all kinds of economic and trade information ,and find the ideal trade partner .3.1.2 Con

52、sultation and negotiation “Consultation and negotiation are a foreign trade business necessary procedures, are also a key link in the process of trading success ”. Under the traditional way ，As a result of the limitation of time and space ，Consultation and negotiation process was long and not econom

53、ic 。The Internet is not only a convenient and low cost communication function, and has high efficiency, large capacity of information processing ability. And the Internet is a very important function on international business consultation, negotiation activities。Buyers and sellers can use email, new

54、sgroups, and discussion groups to understand real-time market and commodity information, negotiate trade transactions, And if you have further requirements, available online whiteboard meeting to exchange instant graphical information .Carries on the consultation and negotiation can through the Inte

55、rnet across the face to face discuss the restrictions, offers a variety of convenient different communication way 。3.1.3 Order online and pay E-mail interactions in business English correspondence can use website online ordering, can be realized through the participation of Banks and credit card com

56、panies and online payment. Order online is usually provided in the product introduction is very friendly interactive frame format of the order ，When the customer after we received your purchase order ，System will use transaction confirmation form to ensure that the order thank you for your informati

57、on ，And Ordering information encryption methods may be adopted to make customers and merchants business information from leaking 。Foreign trade online payment is very convenient that it can directly pass through the Internet for delivery of the software, video, intangible products such as consulting

58、 services trade ，And can save a lot of overhead 。In addition，With the continuous development of network security technology ，The advantages of online payment in foreign trade will be more obvious .3.1.4 Transaction managementForeign trade business activities involving the multiple functions of gover

59、nment departments and numerous facilities, such as finance, insurance, transportation services, the management of the foreign trade transactions includes regulations on the market 、Tax collection and administration、Customs, trade disputes to arbitration and so on .In the process of traditional operation ，Enterprises must alone to deal with all relevant units, must spend a lot of manpower and materia