商务英语写作目前在生活中有越来越广泛的应用,每个人都有必要了解商务英语的一些写作知识和规范。但目前很多英语学习者并没有系统接触过商务英语写作的教材或者资料,对商务英语可能比较陌生。今天在这里推荐一本教程:《商务英语写作实例精解》。
Business English writing is becoming more and more widely used in daily life, and it is necessary for everyone to understand some writing knowledge and norms in business english. However, many English learners do not have access to the materials or materials of business English writing systematically, which may be unfamiliar to business english. Here today to recommend a course of business English Writing: "example".
《商务英语写作实例精解》的作者雪莉泰勒(Shirley Taylor)是资深的现代商务英语写作专家,拥有几十年的教学和培训经验。目前市面上关于商务英语写作的书不少,但写得好的却不多。大部分书给人的感觉都过于模式化——无外乎列出一堆句型和模板,然后再给出一些不痛不痒的建议。但《商务英语写作实例精解》并不局限于介绍句型和模板这些细枝末节,而是更进一步从读者的角度出发来介绍一篇好的商务写作应该具有的基本原则。
"Business English writing examples of" author Shirley Taylor (Shirley Taylor) is a modern business English writing of senior experts, with decades of experience in teaching and training. There are quite a few books on business English writing on the market, but there are few good ones. Most of the book feels formulaic -- nothing more than a list of patterns and templates, and then give some advice neither painful nor itching. But "business English writing" is not limited to the examples of patterns and templates but further from these all the minor details, the reader's point of view to introduce basic principles of a good business writing should have.
在20世纪中叶,商务往来与今天相比要更为冷淡和正式,这导致当时的文书写作也很正式。人们经常使用一些一本正经的繁文缛词,例如:
In the middle of the twentieth Century, business dealings were more cold and formal than today, which led to official writing at that time. People often use some poker-faced red tape, for example:
(1) Kindly furnish us with this information soon.
(1) Kindly, furnish, US, with, this, information, soon.
(2) Please find enclosed herewith a copy of our new catalogue for your reference and perusal.
(2) Please, find, enclosed, herewith, a, copy, of, our, new, catalogue, for,, your, reference, and, perusal.
(3) The above-mentioned goods will be dispatched to you today.
(3) The, above-mentioned, goods, will, be, dispatched, to, today., you
与几十年前相比,今天的商务活动已经不再那么正式和刻板,但很多人的商务写作仍然在沿用半个世纪前那种古板的风格。为此,作者在书中花了大量的篇幅来教导读者如何写好现代商务英语:忘掉教科书上那些正确而无用的套话,从读者的角度出发以轻松、自然和友好的语言来完成沟通。作者在书中重点阐述了下面这几条商务英语写作原则:
Today's business activities are less formal and rigid than they were a few decades ago, but many people still follow the old-fashioned style of business writing half a century ago. To this end, the author spent a lot of time to teach the reader how to write modern business English: forget the correct and useless words in textbooks, from the angle of reader to communicate in a relaxed, friendly and natural language. In the book, the author focuses on the following principles of business English writing:
1.用现代商务语言去替代过时或陈旧的表达
1. use modern business language to replace outdated or outdated expressions
商务邮件的目的在于传达信息或者说服对方,而不是参加作文竞赛评选,一定要让对方赞叹你的写作水平不可。为了达到沟通的目的,商务写作做到简洁自然,不说空话套话,用现代商务语言去替换过时或陈旧的表达。
The purpose of a business email is to convey information or persuade others rather than participate in a composition contest. Make sure that you praise your writing. In order to achieve the purpose of communication and business writing do simple and natural, not empty cliches, with modern business language expression to replace outdated or obsolete.
举个例子,对于上面提到的三个例子:
For example, for the three examples mentioned above:
(1) Kindly furnish us with this information soon.
(1) Kindly, furnish, US, with, this, information, soon.
(2) Please find enclosed herewith a copy of our new catalogue for your reference and perusal.
(2) Please, find, enclosed, herewith, a, copy, of, our, new, catalogue, for,, your, reference, and, perusal.
(3) The above-mentioned goods will be dispatched to you today.
(3) The, above-mentioned, goods, will, be, dispatched, to, today., you
我们可以将其替换为更为自然的说法:
We can replace it with a more natural one:
(1) Please let us have this information soon.
(1) Please, let, US, have, this, information, soon.
(2) I’m pleased to enclose our new catalogue, and I hope you find it interesting.
(2) I, m, pleased, to, enclose, new, catalogue, and, I, hope, our, you, find, it, interesting.
(3) These goods will be sent to you today.
(3) These, goods, will, be, sent, to, you, today.
2.使用自然、口语化的方式写作
2. write in a natural and colloquial way
商务邮件虽然是书面体,但它与一般的书面体(比如学术论文)不同。现代商务邮件写作提倡语言自然、流畅,就像面对面的口语交谈一样。我们可以在写作中融入一些自己的想法、个性和情感,让读者感觉到作者是一个活生生的人,而不是一台毫无感情的公文机器。
Although commercial mail is written, it is different from ordinary written forms (such as academic papers). Modern business email writing advocates language as natural and fluent as face-to-face conversation. We can incorporate some ideas, personality, and emotions into the writing, so that the reader feels that the writer is a living person, not an impersonal document machine.
我们在日常商务邮件中可能经常会见到类似下面的句子:
We often see similar sentences in our daily business mail:
(1) Appreciate if you could help to process this claim at your earliest.
(1) Appreciate, if, you, could, help, to, process, this, claim,, at, your, earliest.
(2) Kindly advise which course of action you would like to take and we will proceed accordingly.
(2) Kindly, advise, which, course, of, action, would, like, you, to, take, and,, we, will, proceed, accordingly.
(3) Could I please request your kind assistance in filling out the below survey for us.
(3) Could, I, please, request, your, kind, assistance, in, filling, out, the,, below, survey, for, us.
这样的句子过于正式,读起来也很费解。这实际上会给读者造成距离感,影响商务沟通的效果,它们可以改为更加自然的说法:
Such sentences are too formal and difficult to read. This can actually give the reader a sense of distance and influence the effectiveness of business communication. They can be changed to a more natural version:
(1) Please process this claim soon.
(1) Please, process, this, claim, soon.
(2) Please let us know what you would like to do.
(2) Please, let, US, know, what, you, would,, like, to, do.
(3) I hope you will take a few minutes to complete this survey for us.
(3) I, hope, you, will, take, a, few, minutes, to, complete,, this, survey, for, us.
值得注意的一点是,虽然商务邮件写作提倡口语化的写作方式,但这并不意味着我们可以使用俚语和非正式的口头语。因为这些俚语和口头语只用于非正式的社交场合,不适合出现在商业场景中,例如:Keep your shirt on. 这样的非正式说法要改为 Please be patient.
It's important to note that while business email writing promotes colloquial writing, that doesn't mean we can use slang and informal spoken language. Because these slang and colloquial words are only for informal social occasions, they are not suitable for commercial situations. For example, informal phrases like Keep, your, shirt, on. are changed to "Please be patient."
同时我们也要避免在商务邮件中出现非正式的缩写(例如把you缩写成u,把are缩写成r,把because缩写成cuz),因为这样会给人造成懒惰或者不够严谨认真的印象。
At the same time, we also need to avoid informal abbreviations in business emails (e.g. the you abbreviated u, are abbreviated R, because abbreviated cuz), because this will give people a false impression is not serious or lazy.
3.使用主动语态
3. use the active voice
一般情况下,在商务邮件中使用被动语态会显得语气生硬、官腔官调,使用主动语态则会更加有趣有力。试比较下面这几个例子:
Under normal circumstances, the use of the passive voice in the business mail will be blunt, bureaucratic regulation, use the active voice will be more interesting and powerful. Compare the following examples:
(1) The new system was developed by our staff.
(1) The, new, system, was, developed, by, our, staff.
(2) Our staff developed the new system.
(2) Our, staff, developed, the, new, system.
(3) These notes should be read carefully before completing the form.
(3) These, notes, should, be, read, carefully, before,, completing, the, form.
(4) Please read these notes carefully before completing the form.
(4) Please, read, these, notes, carefully, before, completing, form., the
看得出来使用主动语态重点会更加突出,同时句子也会更为简洁。
I can see that the emphasis on the active voice will be more prominent, and the sentences will be more concise.