Writing Business Letters Across Languages: A Guide to Writing Clear and Concise Business Letters for Translation Purposes 1443877158, 9781443877152, 9781443883504

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Writing Business Letters Across Languages

Writing Business Letters Across Languages: A Guide to Writing Clear and Concise Business Letters for Translation Purposes By

Said M. Shiyab and Sonia Halimi

Writing Business Letters Across Languages: A Guide to Writing Clear and Concise Business Letters for Translation Purposes By Said M. Shiyab and Sonia Halimi This book first published 2015 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2015 by Said M. Shiyab and Sonia Halimi All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-4438-7715-8 ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-7715-2

To our families and students, we dedicate this book

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface ........................................................................................................ ix Chapter One ................................................................................................. 1 The Process of Writing 1.1 Writing as a Process 1.2 Writing as an Art 1.3 Qualities of Good Writing 1.4 Concerns About Writing 1.5 Checklist and Exercises Chapter Two .............................................................................................. 19 The Nature and Significance of Business Correspondence 2.1 Business Communication 2.2 Business Correspondence 2.3 Importance of Business Correspondence 2.4 Good Characteristics of Business Letters 2.5 Inner and Outer Qualities of Business Letters 2.6 Business Letters across Languages 2.7 Checklist and Exercises Chapter Three ............................................................................................ 33 Types of Business Letter Format 3.1 Letter Formats 3.2 Checklist and Exercises Chapter Four .............................................................................................. 47 Components of Business Letters 4.1. Letter Components 4.2 Letter Spacing 4.3 Letter Fonts 4.4 Layout in Arabic 4.5 Checklist and Exercises

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Table of Contents

Chapter Five .............................................................................................. 59 How to Write Business Letters 5.1 Pre-Writing Stage 5.2 Checklist and Exercises Chapter Six ................................................................................................ 73 Types of Business Letters 6.1 Writing Stage 6.2 Types of Letters 6.3 Checklist and Exercises Chapter Seven.......................................................................................... 113 Promotional Material 7.1 What is Promotional Material? 7.2 Use of Advertisement in Promotion 7.3 Language of Advertisement 7.4 Figures of Speech 7.5 Decoding Abbreviations 7.6 Direct Solicitation 7.7 Transfer and Public Failure 7.8 Borrowing and Calques 7.9 Use of Business to Business Self-Promotion 7.10 Self Promotion Glossary ................................................................................................... 141 References ............................................................................................... 157

PREFACE

This book came as a result of a discussion during a department meeting about the need to assign textbooks for all of our translation, English and linguistics students. One of those suggested textbooks was a textbook on writing business letters across languages in which the aim is to help students of English, translation and linguistics write business letters effectively. In fact, the more I thought about the content, the more I realized that this book is suitable not only for the three categories of students listed above, but for all university students and professors around the world. Taking the very few textbooks available in this area that deal, not only with English but also with foreign languages, this book is regarded as a useful handbook or a practical guide to students and English teachers and its aim is to help them write business letters more effectively across languages. The languages this book deals with will be English and Arabic. Dealing with these two languages does not mean that the book is not suitable for teachers and students of other languages; on the contrary, it is helpful to them in the sense that it demonstrates how writing business letters differs across languages. So this book is designed to be an aid to students, university teachers, administrators, secretaries, and business people interested in mastering the art of writing business letters. It is also suitable to anyone else who writes business-related correspondence. The book provides comprehensive guidance on various topics dealing with business correspondence. It is intended to help writers master the art of writing and achieve succinct, clear and effective communication through the letters they write. Samples of business letters and various formats are presented in different languages. The book is divided into 7 chapters; each of the above chapters examines in details areas significant to understanding business correspondence. Each chapter has its own outline listing the various topics included in it. Cross references are provided on every page to help readers follow the subjects examined. A glossary is also provided at the end of the book that includes all significant terms relevant to business correspondence.

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Preface

The overall organization of the book is to take the reader from learning and understanding the basic skills of writing to the actual method of writing an effective business letter. This means that the book starts with the process of writing in general and then moves into the more complicated issues of writing a business letter, such as tone, style, language, etc. Chapter (1) introduces the process of writing. It also discusses the art of writing, qualities of good writing, along with some concerns about writing. A checklist and set of exercises are provided at the end of the chapter to ensure that readers understand the topics examined. Chapter (2) examines the nature and significance of business correspondence. It looks at the meaning of business correspondence and its importance in everyday life. This chapter also includes a section on the characteristics of business letters, highlighting their inner and outer qualities along with examples from a variety of languages. As for Chapter (3), it presents the format types of business letters, along with their templates. It demonstrates the differences between full block, modified block, modified indented and a hanging paragraph, and the circumstances in which these types of letters are used. This chapter includes drawings and illustrations which supplements and enhances the understanding of the topics examined. Chapter (4) introduces the components of business letters. It deals with issues which have to do with modern gender related problems associated with heading, date, inside address, salutation, body, complimentary close, signature block, enclosures and copies. Some further points relevant to the topics are discussed such as letter spacing and fonts, layout in Arabic, followed by a checklist and exercises illustrating the issues involved in the individual parts of business letters. Chapter (5) introduces compositional aspects of writing business letters. It provides information about the pre-writing stage in which collecting information, using the right approach, clarity of the goal, care for culture, simplicity and conciseness and completeness are all studied. Chapter (6) examines the writing stage which introduces opening, main body, and ending. Types of letters are also introduced, and this includes job application letters, request and thank you letters, congratulatory and acknowledgement letters, among other types of letters. This chapter also introduces the meaning of memoranda, and exemplifications are provided to illustrate the textual, structural and compositional aspects of these types of business letters.

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Chapter (7) introduces an area in writing business letters which has not been undertaken by scholars, and that is promotional material. It defines promotional material and examines the use of advertisement for promotional purposes and examines the language of advertisement such as argumentative, declarative and incentive. This chapter also discusses the figures of speech such as metathesis, alliteration and allusion. This is followed by an illustration of what is meant by decoding abbreviation, direct solicitation, transfer and public failure, borrowing and calques, and the use of business to business self-promotion. The final section of this chapter examines the elements of brochures, advertisements, resumes, biographies and tenders, along with their definitions, types and functions. Examples are given to demonstrate the importance of form and function and exercises are given to ensure the understanding of terms and concepts. The last section of this book is a glossary. It consists of definitions of specialized terms and concepts in the field of business correspondence, along with explanatory notes. It also contains working vocabulary and frequently used idioms or metaphors pertinent to each subject area.

CHAPTER ONE PROCESS OF WRITING

1.1 Writing as a Process Writing is a process that requires knowledge and resourcefulness. It requires knowledge of the subject matter and the skills of writing. It also requires resourcefulness in the sense that it necessitates creativity and imagination. Arranging words into sentences and sentences into paragraphs and paragraphs into texts can be considered an artistic form of creating a complete piece of writing appreciated by its form and style. Writing a business letter or any other type of letter is considered a writing exercise. It all boils down to our ability to express ourselves persuasively and elegantly. In everyday work, students as well as teachers may or may not be required to write lengthy compositions on a variety of subjects. However, practicing the art of writing will definitely help students, as well as teachers, develop their ability of expression, which will definitely be an extremely important tool in writing business letters. The essential elements of writing effectively and clearly normally include good use of the mechanics of writing, spelling, grammatical structures, etc.. Such elements are no more than helping tools to perform the function for which they exist. The use of good English in writing business letters goes far beyond the writers’ ability to come to grips with the technical forms of the language. It is their lucid and cogent transfer of ideas and thoughts that counts most. Here is a representation of what is involved in writing a business letter:

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Business Letter (Concept)

Diagram (1) above clearly shows the stages through which a business letter goes through. It involves generating ideas before writers make their first draft, followed by assessing the generated ideas and the format. Then the first draft is written to be followed by reassessment of the ideas and the format. Once the draft and its ideas and format are examined, the letter is linguistically edited and revised, followed by a second stage of editing and revising to finally produce the final draft. Just like any piece of writing, it is obvious here that writing a business letter is a rigorous and arduous process. It requires linguistic and nonlinguistic knowledge and excellent use of the language. To this effect, writing becomes significant in the sense that it is an expression of the self and what goes inside it. It is extremely significant that writers express themselves clearly and logically and in a way where the intended message is understood in an orderly manner. In what follows, an attempt will be made to provide tips on writing. The objective is to help writers, whether they are students or teachers, understand the fundamental issues involved in the writing process before they embark on the task of writing. These tips

Process of Writing

include monotony, redundancy, clarity, straightforwardness, knowledge and objectivity.

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cohesion,

coherence,

1.1.1 Monotony One of the negative aspects of effective writing is lack of variation within the text. Choice of appropriate words and word variations can make the writers’ job easy and at the same time can make reading enjoyable. Biber (2006) condemns lack of word variation by stating that young writers should not use the same word twice within a sentence simply because it makes the text awkward. Schonig (2011) gives the following example to demonstrate his point: The Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century had both negative and positive consequences. The Industrial Revolution caused child labor and poor working conditions. The Industrial Revolution then led to reforms that amended these injustices.

Schonig writes these three sentences only to spare the reader’s agony of reading further. He clearly states that this short paragraph is not written well (i.e. repetition on the phrase “Industrial Revolution”). Despite the fact that the three sentences above are grammatical, the information is factual, the writing is clear, and the vocabulary is appropriate, the problem remains with lack of word or sentence variation. While repetition may be tolerated in some languages (i.e. Arabic), it violates the writing convention of English and some other languages. Unless writers are writing to a person whom they have some acquaintances, they should pay special attention to their readership. There is no need to write about something that is not of value to readers or of interest to them. Readers always look for useful and interesting information. As Elmore Leonard states in his story Get Shorty (2011) that he tries to leave out the parts that people skip. Here Leonard believes that writers should provide readers with useful information, and it is only through this strategy that writers can maintain readers’ interest or attention.

1.1.2 Redundancy Redundancy involves the unnecessary provision of information. It also involves the repetition of meanings, using different or similar words. Redundancy should be avoided in academic writing, particularly in writing business letters because it leads to boredom and monotony. Examples such as really, extremely, indeed, very much, and actually, can be disturbing

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and even annoying if they are used frequently within a letter or text. Some believe that using such expressions may make the letter more convincing, but the fact of the matter is that such expressions can seriously get in the way and affect meaning. Although redundancy is a form of repetition, there is a fine line between repetition and redundancy. If repetition is used well, it can be a good tool to use in writing. Repetition can also be regarded as a form of emphasis as to what writers are trying to say. Redundancy, on the other hand, is regarded as a bad thing. It involves the use of the same word over and over again without adding anything new to the previous usage. In other words, redundancy involves writers restating what has already been said; it takes space and gets in the way without adding meaning (Jobe and Sophia 2009). In a report on “Writing Readable Sentences”, the FAO Organization (2006: 4) published a report about writing effective reports, indicating that clarity in writing is not enough. Business men and women who make the decisions want economy in writing. The report indicates that writers should say the same thing in fewer words without making their writing too dense. Emphasis should be placed on unnecessary descriptive words, colloquialism and bureaucratic jargon. The following example, taken from Jobe and Sophia (2009: 16), demonstrates the problem of redundancy: If we are going to see the movie on opening night, we will have to get there early. We have to get to the movie early, because it’s opening night.

As Jobe and Sophia indicate, both sentences articulate the meaning by using different words. This is only one form of redundancy, and like repetition, there are different types of redundancy such as rhetorical tautology (i.e. repeating the meaning using different words, a variety of different phrases, added bonus, unconfirmed rumor, etc). The second type of redundancy is called RAS syndrome, which stands for Redundant Acronym Syndrome. RAS involves acronyms or initials that are followed by a word that uses a word within the acronym. For example, the word Machine and Number are redundant in the following two examples: Automated Teller Machine (ATM Machine) Personal Identification Number (PIN Number) The examples demonstrate that the final word, be it machine or number, is redundant simply because it was used within the acronym itself. Jobe and

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Sophia argue that there are many types of redundancy, but the ones illustrated above are the most common.

1.1.3 Clarity According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, clarity is regarded as the quality or condition of being clear so readers find the sentence or text easy to follow and understand. Any successful communication must be based on clarity of message and clarity of purpose. La Roque (2013) wonders why young writers have a tendency to use pretentious mumbo jumbo in which the communicated message is seriously ambiguated. She states that one of the attributes of good writers is their ability to write clearly and effectively. She argues that effective and clear writing is neither using long and complicated words nor using the most complicated-sounding synonyms for the simplest words. La Roque wonders why writers use “utilized” for the word “used” or “ambulate” or “locomote” for the word “walk”. In this connection, La Roque (2013: 6) states: I’ve always wondered what is so attractive about using gargantuan words. Why is it that we writers often feel the urge to use “fuzzy but importantsounding language”? Why are we often tempted “to impress rather than to communicate clearly”?

Based on the above, one may point out that one of the cornerstones of clear writing remains in clarity of purpose, clarity of organization and clarity of well construed sentences. Therefore, skillful writers use various forms of sentences to make their writing lively, clear and more effective. It is also important that in order for writers to be successful communicators, they should have the ability to craft sentences and write stories with clarity, efficiency and focus. This applies not only to teachers and students, but also to business men, women, secretaries and administrators.

1.1.4 Cohesion Linguistically speaking, cohesion is the unity that exists or created in a written text; it is how the text or parts of the text are put together. According to Halliday and Hasan (1976), cohesion is seen as a nonstructural semantic relation between a pronoun and its antecedent in a preceding sentence, expressing at each stage in the discourse the point of context with what has gone before. A cohesive device is the interpretive link between a pronoun and its antecedent, or two lexically linked NPs. A

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series of such ties (having the same referent) is referred to as a ‘cohesive chain’. In clarifying the notion of ‘cohesion’ and ‘cohesive device’, Halliday & Hasan (1976: 1) present the following example: Wash and core six cooking apples. Put them into the fireproof dish.

According to Halliday & Hasan, it is clear that them in the second sentence refers back to the six cooking apples in the first sentence. This anaphoric function of them establishes a cohesive link between the first sentence and the second one and as a result gives cohesion to the text. Therefore, we can interpret these two sentences as a unified whole. The two sentences may constitute a text, or they may form part of a text, and there may be more of that text to follow. However, the cohesive tie between them and six cooking apples lies in the fact that they refer to the same thing. Thus, the two items are identified through ‘reference’; they are co-referential. Halliday & Hasan believe that language must be approached as a unified and systematized whole; it cannot be looked at in terms of scattered words or sentences. A text is any piece of language, spoken or written, that forms a unified whole. In writing, cohesion is the quality in writing which makes a text connected. Each part of the text is connected with another and therefore creates unity among the parts of the text. When sentences relate to one another, it is because of the unity that exists among them. In Contrastive Rhetoric: Cross-Cultural Aspects of Second-Language Writing, Connor (1996) defines cohesion as the use of explicit linguistic devices to signal relations between sentences and parts of texts. These cohesive devices are phases or words that help the reader associate previous statements with subsequent ones.

1.1.5 Coherence For the purpose of writing, there is a difference between cohesion and coherence. While cohesion is about the unity of the text created by the use of linguistic devices, coherence is about whether or not such unity makes sense. For example, the sentence “pigs fly” is a cohesive sentence as it is a grammatical sentence, but it is not coherent as it makes no sense. When sentences or texts make sense to the reader, they do so because of their coherence. Therefore, coherence is a semantic property, created by the

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interpretation of each part of a sentence relative to the interpretation of other sentences. According to Conner (1996), a text may be cohesive without necessarily being coherent. Therefore, cohesion does not give rise to coherence. Conner argues that cohesion is determined by lexically and grammatically overt inter-sentential relationships, whereas coherence is based on semantic relationships.

1.1.6 Straightforwardness and Simplicity One of the characteristics of good writing is straightforwardness and simplicity. At the spoken level, straightforwardness and simplicity can help listeners follow the speaker. At the writing level, it can lead to effective communication, which does not come from vagueness and ambiguity, confusing words and phrases or technical jargon, but it often results from the use of simple words. In her book The Art of Non-fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers (2001), Rand believes that one can add clarity to his thoughts by focusing on general forwardness in expressing his or her ideas. Good writers should always read over their sentences to make sure they have communicated their ideas clearly and straightforwardly. Readers come from all walks of life and we cannot assume therefore that only educated individuals are the ones who are interested in our writing. One must remember that while readers may have the ability to understand what is written, it is the writers’ responsibility to ensure that the reader does not struggle with the concepts or ideas.

1.1.7 Common Knowledge Common knowledge can be defined as the information assumed by the community. This may include information about one’s university or institution, family, city, country, and other countries’ values and traditions as well. It is erroneous to assume that readers share the same kind of information with the writer. Therefore, when writing about a particular subject, writers should assume that readers may or may not have knowledge of what they are writing about. It is the responsibility of writers to write clearly, assuming no prior knowledge on the part of the reader. This does not mean the text should be written in a way where it sounds boring or childish. On the contrary, being informative and thorough can make a whole world of difference when it comes to the reader.

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I should note here that what is common to one person may not be common to another. For example, in the legal profession, the language used by lawyers is not easily understood by the ordinary man or layman. It can only be understood by those who practice the legal profession such as judges, lawyers, etc. While the legal profession may be an exception, writers should always provide whatever information helpful to the readers, without assuming that readers are familiar with that sort of language. Good writers are those who know when to be more informative or be less informative for their readers.

1.1.8 Objectivity vs. Subjectivity Objectivity is when writers look at a specific topic from an objective viewpoint. Objectivity does not involve writers’ feelings about a topic. Instead, writers state the facts or report on what they see, without injecting their personal opinion on the topic. Subjectivity, on the other hand, is when writers comment on what they say. Many emotive expressions are attributed to their writing such as “poor John”, “this is amazing”, “she was pretty”, etc. These are all expressions used to express a subjective point of view. While both subjectivity and objectivity are useful ways of expressing what we see or think, writers should be very selective when using them. There is nothing right or wrong with being objective or subjective, but the determining factor would be the situation. In most professions, however, it is very difficult for writers to be objective, simply because they want to express their feelings about what they think or see (i.e. journalism). Therefore, competent writers are those who know when to exclude their personal opinion or when to inject their emotions or feelings into their writing.

1.2 Writing as an Art Writing can be regarded as a form of communication. It is an open-ended means of expression, aimed at creating a lasting impression on the reader. It is the art of creating an effect, and a way of expressing ideas and feelings. In order for writing to be effective, a writer has to be motivated to write about someone or something. It is an intelligent way of making the invisible to others visible. It is the art of conviction, which makes people believe in the unbelievable. Such an art makes writing powerful in a sense that it creates an interest among readers. One cannot imagine writing a

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complaint letter without incorporating an element of conviction, such as careful planning, choice of words, knowledge of the subject matter, style, and ability in using words. Even when a complaint is presented indisputably, it may not get the favored results, simply because it lacks one, a few, or all the elements listed above. To this effect, writing is an art and at the same time therapy. It is an art in the sense that it requires a lucid arrangement of words, thoughts and facts in an orderly manner. It is therapy as the writer finds refuge in it from everyday headaches and problems. For example, in the medical profession certain types of patients are often asked to keep a journal to record their feelings from day to day which enables them to vent their anger or frustrations. Morphologically speaking, writing is about mastering the skills of using words and thoughts effectively. It is about the process of arranging, not only words, but also thoughts, artistically to create a lingering effect. In addition to possessing the faculty of words, a writer has to possess the ability to creatively and imaginatively play with words. Writers should also have the ability to add spice to the letter just like a master chef preparing a sumptuous meal. Furthermore, recognizing that writing is not easy, writers’ interests and their love for it can make their job easy. Writers have to love writing in order to excel and do wonders through it. They should also have the skill of convincing in the sense it avoids any sort of contradiction and allows the reader to connect to the ideas clearly.

1.3 Qualities of Good Writing Writing can be classified into poor, good, weak, unclear, vague, etc. In order for writing to be effective, it should have the ingredients of good writing. This includes style, language, content, and organization.

1.3.1 Style The study of style has been an object of interest for many years. In ancient times, Aristotle and his much-defamed Sophist rivals studied the relationship of grammar and rhetoric to style. Recently, style has again become an object of interest for literary and linguistic studies, but there is no general consensus on what constitutes it or how it should be defined. From an academic perspective, style displays awareness, and even incorporates the fact that previous pronouncements entail many different

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meanings of the word. It is the writer’s personal manner of expressing him or herself. It is the way in which something is articulated, expressed, or even performed by an individual. It is the image of the author, or in short, ‘style is the individual’ (Gibbon, 2013). An English historian noted for his The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibbon argues that style is just the outside of content, and content is the inside of style. Style is like the outside and the inside of the human body-both go together; they cannot be separated. The confusion of contradictory definitions is not clarified if we look at The Read Me First (2003) book, which, discussing style from a writing perspective, states that style is fundamental to literary writing and understanding it is essential. If content is what we communicate, then style is how we communicate that content. Writing style is determined by all the decisions one makes while creating a document, such as the type and tone of information being presented, choice of words, language and format consistency, use of technical terms, and so forth. Style is part of the unique value that writers add to the product. In the literary world, style is judged in part on artistic grounds, which may be highly subjective. In the field of technical documentation, however, experience and practice have provided practical criteria for evaluating style. So, commercially, good style is synonymous with effective communication, which is not some abstract academic goal to be achieved for its own sake. From a business letter perspective, documents that communicate effectively reduce a company’s cost and increase customer satisfaction, both effects resulting in increased profits. Customer satisfaction increases when accurate and functional documentation enables the customer to use a product quickly and efficiently. A document written in a style responding to the requirements of its readers also results in fewer revisions, fewer calls to customer support, reduced training needs, and easier to translate into other languages, if required. Style involves the writer’s choice of language, organization of a story, classification, tense, perspective, and myriad of other considerations. While style constitutes a significant factor in writing, it entails some problems. Style differs from one person to another. For example, some instructors may focus on word choice, while others may focus on tense. Still others may think that style has to do with passives vs. active voice. While differences among writers exist, they are all in agreement that writers should express their ideas or thoughts convincingly, straightforwardly, and elegantly.

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1.3.2 Language Of all the forms of writing, writing a letter requires a good command of language. Good writers use language clearly and effectively. In business letters, writers must learn how to be brief in expressing their thoughts or ideas. This requires writers to have knowledge of grammar, excellent command of the vocabulary, and good knowledge and understanding of the importance of form and style. Put differently, writers should have the ability to write grammatically, clearly and accurately. When writers write poorly, it says much about who they are. This will definitely leave a bad impression about them and can affect their reputation. With the advent of text messaging, people are getting lazy. While sentences are used ungrammatically, the use of abbreviations and lack of capitalization do not translate well in a business letter setting.

1.3.3 Content Within the context of writing a business letter, writers should say exactly what needs to be said clearly and precisely. No matter how good one’s writing is, readers always look for new and valuable information. While style and good command of the language are extremely fundamental, skillful writers always have the ability to say something interesting to the reader. Just like any profession, writing requires raw materials, and writers’ raw materials are their thoughts, the ideas they have, and the information they collect from the outside community such as books, brochures, pamphlets, magazines, newspapers, etc.

1.3.4 Organization Organization is defined as the logical progression and completeness of the writers’ ideas and thoughts in a particular text. It is the structural framework in which writing is manifested. Organization in writing is significant simply because it helps readers to follow the writers’ patterns of thinking. It also helps fulfill readers’ expectations. Organization centers around two areas: structure of the text, focusing on words, sentences, phrases and paragraphs, and cohesive devices, which connect sentences, clauses and paragraphs together. Within the context of writing a business letter, organization requires knowledge of how to collect information from outside sources. Writers use

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such information to make an outline, which enables them to think about what they want to write. Ideas have to be jotted down on a piece of paper as they come without focusing on the order in which they occur. Ideas should be grouped in a way where one group naturally leads to another. Ideas are communicated through different methods. Sometimes, writers discuss the cause of something without examining its effect. Other times, they discuss a general idea about a specific topic without going into the particulars. Still other times, writers present the particulars according to their worth. Writers should seriously think about the organizational pattern they might use, and consider the reason for their writing, and the kind of readership they are writing to. They should also think of the best way to present information. The amount of new terms or concepts and the factual information presented in any text can sometimes be daunting. Therefore, organizational patterns can easily and usefully present a number of ideas that fit together to make sense. Following are some common organizational patterns that writers may find useful: Chronological pattern General–specific order Cause and effect Comparison and contrast Reason and result While there are other organizational patterns that could be used by writers, the above list is most commonly used in academic writing. Through the use of signaling words, writers can communicate their ideas to the reader clearly and more effectively and understand the intricacies and the subtle details within the text.

1.4 Concerns about Writing Just like any other profession, writing has some common pitfalls writers should avoid. In order for writers to improve their academic writing or their writing of business letters, the following issues should be avoided as much as possible:

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1.4.1 The Use of the Pronoun “I” Unless writers relate personal experiences, any composition should avoid using the pronoun “I” as much as people. In business letters, writers may use the pronoun “I” as they are personally writing to conduct business. However, if writers are writing to entertain, convince, inform, or persuade their readers, they should avoid using the pronoun “I” simply because readers may not be interested in the writers themselves as much as they are interested in the ideas and thoughts behind their writing. Therefore, in such contexts, skillful writers keep themselves in the background and allow their thoughts and ideas to speak on their behalf.

1.4.2 Repetitiveness As indicated in section 1.1.1, lack of variations can create a problem in academic writing. Selecting the right word can make a world of difference. The monotony created by using the same word can have a chilling effect on readers and may well diminish their interest. Skillful writers can avoid monotony by varying the length of sentences and creating a different form of sentences. Monotony can also be avoided if writers can mix simple sentences with compound ones and alternate the normal order of a sentence. The style in which the writer chooses to communicate with his audience can also have a good or bad effect on the reader. Therefore, the style of writers can say something about their disposition and individuality. It can also show the way in which they feel about their audience. To this effect, changing the words or introducing various syntactic structures along with proper use of the mechanics of writing can achieve an optimal effect on the reader. From a different angle, writers have to understand that different purposes and different situations require different styles. Two people may write to one reader about the same subject but use two different styles. This depends on whether the letter is a thank you letter, an apology letter, etc. If it is not a letter, then the purpose of writing to the reader may be to entertain, convince, instruct, etc.

1.4.3 Tenses One of the significant aspects of writing is consistency in which regularity or uniformity among the use of verbs is maintained. If writers switch between past and present within the same paragraph, their style of writing

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will be considered weak, unless they are relating a past experience. In this regard, Asker (2006: 29) states: A sacred language is the one that embodies religious beliefs that elevate it to the status of “truth giving”. In my use of semi-sacred, I am thinking of “colonial languages” like English and French that are given particular status in authority and (initially at least) have a restricted membership.

In the above excerpt, all the verbs used are expressed in the present form. One cannot imagine the above excerpt would have been as strong had the verbs been expressed in the past and present tenses. Therefore, writers need to be consistent when using tenses.

1.4.4 Exaggeration Exaggeration involves overstating the obvious for the purpose of amplification or embellishment. Although exaggeration can sometimes give taste and color to novels or stories, writers need to be careful not to exaggerate. The example, “I will strangle you if you do this”, is a form of exaggeration, which weakens the effect of the statement if used frequently. In literature, exaggeration is called “hyperbole”, and it is regarded as a figure of speech. Hyperbole can be good or bad, and it simply consists of representing things to be either greater or less, better or worse than they really are. Its object is to make the thought more effective by overstating it. Hyperbole depends on the context and frequency in which it is used. The following examples demonstrate how exaggeration can be presented: Sentence I will kill you if you fail the exam. I saw a gigantic bug. I have a terrible feeling about this man. My colleague is intolerable these days. Loosing this football game is a disaster. Her face was glowing. I told you hundreds of times.

Exaggerated Form Kill you

Regular Use

Gigantic bug Terrible feeling

A huge or big Bad feeling

Intolerable

Disturbing or annoying Loss

Disaster Glowing Hundreds of times

Punish

Bright, …. Several times

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While exaggeration or hyperbole can be useful in certain situations, overusing it, particularly in business correspondence or promotional material and using it unnecessarily, can be perceived negatively by readers.

1.4.5 Inflated Language Inflated language refers to a bloated, oversized, and overblown statement. According to Merriam Webster (2001), inflated language or style is defined as a statement elaborated or heightened by empty means. Such a statement is expanded to an abnormal or unjustifiable level. Writing naturally, therefore, can be perceived as one of the good traits of successful writers. An ornately or artificially expanded statement can give false impressions and weaken the effect of the statement on the reader. Careless writers can fall into a trap when using high-inflated phrases that often litter business letters or promotional materials. They can also be trapped when using difficult words which have a tendency to ambiguate or mislead rather than clarify. Skillful writers use simple words and adverbs sparingly; they also use adjectives only when they want to make their message exact and lucid. There is no need to litter statements or sentences with words or phrases that would throw us into abstraction.

1.4.6 Slang and Awkwardness Slang and awkwardness involve the use of jargon, clichés and quotations. In any form of writing, slang and awkwardness affects the writing style negatively. Using slang and awkward words can make readers uncomfortable and difficult to follow. In a paper entitled “Writing Style”, Peter Lipton (2014: 2) states that “style is the feather in the arrow, not the feather in the cap”. On awkwardness, he points out: Awkward writing makes the reader uncomfortable. It is ungrammatical, unclear, choppy, or just too difficult to follow. One cause of awkward writing is not using your own words. Instead, you rely on the phrases and the constructions of the author you are discussing. The resulting mixture of your author's style and your own is almost always awkward. Even if you are describing someone else's views, use your words. The most general and important cause of awkwardness, however, is simply the failure to revise. Most writers produce awkward sentences the first time around.

According to Lipton, good writers take the time to revise their writing and identify ways on how to recognize slang and awkwardness and how to do

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away with them. They should also assume that the first draft of each sentence text or letter will have to be edited and revised. It is only through constant revision and editing that a letter or text can be as effective as it should be.

1.4.7 Beating Around the Bush One of the problems of academic writing is the tendency for writers to be circumlocuted. Not only do they waste their time beating around the bush, but they also express their thoughts and ideas indirectly. As indicated earlier (see section 1.1.6), one of the characteristics of good writing is to be straightforward. It can help readers follow the writer and lead to effective communication. It should be noted that readers come from all walks of life, and writers cannot assume that their writing will only be read by the knowledgeable and the learned. It is the writers’ responsibility to ensure that everyone understands what is written and that there is no difficulty following their logic and patterns of thinking.

1.5 Checklist and Exercises Read the following questions very carefully and then answer them in the spaces provided. Make sure you write an eight line paragraph, taking into account the issues discussed in the chapter. 1. In a short paragraph, explain how people maintain fitness.

Process of Writing

2. Describe a successful teacher.

3. Explain how technology is important in everyday life.

4. Explain why people learn English.

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CHAPTER TWO THE NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

2.1 Business Communication Communication is the act of exchanging messages through given channels between one person, a transmitter and another person, a receiver. Correspondence is one of these channels. It is a written mode distinctive from the telephone, for example, through which communication is realized. However, when talking about communication, one can mean the verbal type conveyed by a spoken or a written mode, or the non-verbal type consisting of body language, facial expressions, gestures, inter-alia. The main interest in this chapter is the written mode of communicative activities within the business community. Business correspondence appears to be the most common communicative activity in commercial transactions and the most important means of written business communication despite modern technological advancements in the electronic age. Consequently, writing business letters has become a high competence to be mastered by members of the business community because of their central importance in international transactions. There is no exaggeration saying that a company can flourish and succeed, or stumble and fail, depending on the successful handling of its correspondence. In addition to achieving its direct objective of giving or seeking information, business correspondence contributes, to a large extent, to preserving the good image of the company and enhancing its public relations. Indeed, business correspondence also establishes formal and cordial relation of communication between two or more parties, usually between businesses and their customers, suppliers or employees. It must be noted too that business correspondence includes internal and external documents through which various business views and ideas are expressed. For example, in its every-day business activities, a company

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circulates in-house documents to send out information via memos, meetings minutes, communiqués, etc. However, since a company is bound by transactions with the external environment that entails exchanging information and ideas or concluding deals, it has to communicate through letters and other means of transmission such as brochures or reports in order to achieve its objectives of persuasion, information or setting goodwill relationships.

2.2 Business Correspondence The language of business correspondence is often described as a set form of recurrent words that are invariably performed featuring some aspects that are shared worldwide for pragmatic reasons. Business correspondence represents the communicative activities that reflect the several stages by which a commercial transaction goes through, i.e. making enquiries, providing information, placing orders, establishing contracts, asking for payment, etc. A business letter therefore can serve all parties in a transaction from various perspectives ranging from a simple request of information to the launch of a business transaction, passing by addressing courteous messages of thanks or congratulations. Consequently, business letters are a written means through which information or views are communicated in business operations; each business letter has a specific purpose. Another feature characterizing business letters is that a business letter differs from a personal letter by its presentation and style. We write personal letters to express our feelings and ideas and share information with people close to us. We do so by using straightforward, relaxed, and sometimes intimate language. However, in business letters, the style is more elevated, formal, and meets specific writing standards. Effective business correspondence therefore is the ability to write good business letter in good form with high communication standards (layout, language, tone, etc.) recognized and shared internationally. A well-structured letter written in a good language is the key for effective communication. This is reached when the quality of the content and the physical appearance of the letter are guaranteed according to essentials of effective communication in the business world, as explained in the following sections.

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2.3 Importance of Business Correspondence Written correspondence is a pivotal component of business and administration. This frequent means of communication is of high reliance within the international business environment where constant and regular face-to-face communications are not possible. That is why businessmen are more and more inclined to develop and enhance their business writing skills. Written correspondence not only reflects the transmitter’s professionalism and competence but also gives an idea about the working standards of a business and its internal culture (ABAHE, n.d.). No matter the size or geographical location, good business communication practices are critical to any company in order to attain customers and maintain good relations with them. Carefully written letters can provide good business opportunities and stimulate business. Many managers write goodwill letters, for example, to their colleagues or customers on different occasions such as promotions, thanks, congratulations on a wedding, condolence on a death, etc. These are appropriate occasions to strengthen existing relations or develop new business opportunities through correspondence with net added value. At the internal level, this endeavor creates a motivating work environment, trustful and friendly relations and encourages personnel to work towards achieving the company’s goals. At the external level, such letters give a touch of intimacy and personal interest between the sender and the receiver, and these interests can be established anytime through business correspondence. In addition, suppliers, businessmen, executives, customers or ordinary people may write letters seeking information about a product, applying for a job, requesting a refund, or just asking for a catalogue. This comprehensive range of operation is dealt with through hundreds of types of letters; each has its own style, format and specific aim that one should know and master to communicate effectively within a business community.

2.3.1 Reaching Customers A good business letter can add an invaluable touch of courtesy, attention and personal interaction to a mere business transaction based on interests. By corresponding with their customers, businesses humanize the transaction and put forward their personal presence. They can establish a relationship of trust and give the feeling that the requested information or

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service is handled personally with special attention. Successful businesses must show they are playing a participative role in a business relation by actively listening to their customers. Through the exchange of letters, businesses are more aware of what their targeted customers need and then be able to answer their requests more effectively.

2.3.2 Cost-effective Means of Communication Despite the expansion of communication means (i.e. email), letters remain an efficient means of obtaining and transmitting information in an economical way. Asking for a favor or making a request between colleagues is almost an everyday activity in the business world. However, when this request is made through a letter instead of a telephone call, for example, it makes the request more important and gives the receiver time to reply. Business people prefer to articulate their messages through letters because written and carefully planned documents could act as permanent records that might imply future business operations. In this case, a letter can go beyond its informative nature to acquire a more legally-binding value. It becomes a sort of commitment on the part of the sender. Unlike telephone calls or telexes, letters still remain and will continue to be an inexpensive means of communication.

2.3.3 Staying Connected with the Outside World As the world grows wider and faster, business letters become a strong means of contact with the outside world. For business people, who are generally busy and frequent travelers in today’s world, letters remain a convenient way to send and receive information. They enable business travelers to take time to collect relevant information and tailor a message that fits their customers’ needs, interests and feelings. The importance of international commerce practices requires business managers to have a generic competence in this area and to know the rules and conventions that govern communication in both their native language and English.

2.4 Good Characteristics of Business Letters The same way a simple, clear and effective letter can enhance the company’s image and promote good relations with the external world, an unclear and confusing letter can lead to misunderstandings and poor relations between the concerned parties.

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As said before, effective correspondence can promote good relations. The most important aspect of what is written and the way it is expressed for whichever purpose, is to be clear, simple and consistent. Therefore, the language in a business letter should be proactive, consistent and written in a natural way (for more details, see Ashley, 2003; Hutchinson & Hutchinson, 1985; Fitzgerald, 1999).

2.5 Inner and Outer Qualities of Business Letters A good letter is first and foremost the correspondence that attracts the receiver’s attention, leaves a good impression on his mind and most importantly, moves him to act. These qualities are quasi guarantees for the good execution of the letter’s purpose. In an article entitled “Business Correspondence”, the National Institute of Open Schooling (2011) indicates that there are some salient qualities that characterize effective business letters which can be classified into two categories: inner and outer qualities.

2.5.1 Inner Qualities Inner qualities here refer to the essential components and characteristics that make up what one calls a business letter. Inner qualities include, but are not limited to, language clarity, style, tone, cohesion and coherence, etc. Without such inner qualities, a business letter becomes obsolete, ambiguous, ineffective and nonsensical. 2.5.1.1 Simplicity of Language The purpose of a letter is to communicate a message that the receiver understands easily and correctly. Therefore, simple language should be used when communicating with another person, avoiding all pompous expressions and styles that traditionally prevail in business correspondence. For example, it is preferable to use simple wording such as “Thank you for your letter” instead of a complicated and old-fashioned phrase like “I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter”. Writing effectively means communicating in a simple language avoiding exuberant wording or convoluted style and without giving the impression that its content is insincere. The letter reader should be spared the effort of searching for the real meaning of an obscure rhetoric each time he receives a letter. Therefore, difficult words or verbose style should be strictly avoided (Hutchinson & Hutchinson, 1985).

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2.5.1.2 Accuracy of Language It is an absolute condition of communication that a statement should be written in an accurate and correct language. This means the use of proper and precise language free from any grammatical mistakes or spelling errors. Any element that may distort the communication of the message should be eliminated. 2.5.1.3 Clarity of Purpose The aim of the letter should be stated clearly. The sender should avoid the use of ambiguous wording, connotative phrases or words with double meanings so that the idea is as clear for the receiver. The reader should clearly understand the “what” of the message. He should not be led to make assumptions that go beyond the intended message expressed in the letter. An opaque message creates confusion and is, in fact, a missed business opportunity. 2.5.1.4 Completeness of Message Every informational element that makes a message complete in terms of facts, dates or figures, must be given in order to guarantee proper feedback from the receiver. An incomplete message leaves the receiver doubtful about the purpose of the message and may lead to a failure in communication. For example, in a letter regarding a complaint, the complainant must describe the item, give an order number and date, and explain what is expected to be done to rectify the situation. When writing a letter of enquiry, for example, the sender must be specific with details such as delivery information and terms of payment. Therefore, all relevant details must be included. 2.5.1.5 Conciseness of Message A message should be complete but not overloaded with unnecessary information. In order for communication to be effective, it must be concise and to the point. The sender should be brief and clear, and focused in his intention. He must keep sentences short, use simple expressions and avoid any redundant elements that may distort the communication or create a diversion (Hutchinson & Hutchinson, 1985).

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2.5.1.6 Coherence of Message An effective letter is a letter that is consistent in its message and logical in the presentation of its information. The structure of the message should follow a logical progression of ideas according to a definite plan. The letter should start with an introduction, followed by a body, which develops the main ideas into a coherent and well-structured text, and end with a conclusion, which states the action required along with some recommendations. An appropriate one-liner with typical phrases closes the letter. When structuring a message, the sender should present information by the careful use of linking devices paying special attention to key words in the message and the way he refers to them along the progression of ideas and thoughts (Ashley, 2003). 2.5.1.7 Sincerity of Tone The tone of the message reflects the impression the sender wishes to convey. Good written communication is achieved when the sender succeeds to say exactly what he wants to say using an appropriate tone. When the tone is sincere, the reader believes what the sender says. Additionally, the message sounds genuine when the sender writes the message in his own style and uses natural language. Therefore, it is essential to choose the right words to transmit the impression intended without exaggeration; words such as greatest, fantastic, extraordinary, etc. are to be avoided. A sincere tone also means using natural language without vague expressions and old-fashioned jargon. A sincere business relationship implies that the writer acknowledges a problem and apologizes for it in a simple and direct way. In the following example: “We are extremely distressed to learn that an error was made pertaining to your esteemed order”, the recipient of the letter would have probably liked to read straightforward words that reflected more understanding from the sender such as: “I am very sorry to hear about the mistake made with your order”. Genuine communication avoids the use of passive forms in the case of a problem and the recourse to a true and direct style of speech. For example, choosing a straightforward statement that should be more personal, shows responsibility and clearly indicates action was taken such as “I have arranged for another order to be sent to you today, and I hope this meets your requirements” instead of confusing and impersonal language such as: “Arrangements have been made for another order to be dispatched to you

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immediately and this should leave our warehouse later today”. The use of frozen old expressions and passive forms in business correspondence is not proactive but rather creates distance between the supplier and his customer. 2.5.1.8 Courtesy As mentioned in section 2.5.1.7, the congruency between what is said and how it is said is essential in communication and how it is perceived by the receiver. Therefore, the reader’s reaction is influenced by the politeness and courtesy of the language and voice chosen by the sender. Courtesy means showing consideration and respect towards the correspondent. In addition to the usual phrase of politeness such as “Please let me know…, Thank you for your interest…, I am pleased to tell you …” etc., the adoption of a courteous attitude for example implies the use of a “YouAttitude” that gives the impression the writer is directly addressing his correspondent. Specifically, this attitude puts the customer ahead and shows the businessman’s interest in his client’s needs or enquiries. For example, an informative sentence like “We have received your letter dated …”, can be put in a more interesting tone towards the reader as follows: “Thank you for your letter dated …”, or, instead of the common formula “We have sent you your camera in …”, the writer can say in a more direct way: “Your camera should reach you in …” (ABAHE, n.d). A courteous style also implies that a customer avoid all words that may denote anger or cause offence to his correspondent even if the message is a complaint. On the other hand, a businessman has an obligation to remain tactful and considerate towards his customer trying not to use an offensive tone or reply as if his correspondent is wrong. Whatever the problem, good correspondence should be written with restraint not assuming that either the customer or the supplier is at fault. A business letter writer should remain diplomatic and avoid expressions such: “I am writing to complain about …; This problem would not have happened if you had …; You have ignored; You should not expect …; etc.”. Such phrases can ruin a business relationship for good and leave no hope for future dealings. Business correspondence is about an engagement of a mutual beneficial transaction between two parties. Therefore, both the sender and the receiver should keep in mind that they are dealing with a person and a specific situation and consider the best respectful language and tone to

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address any matter that comes to surface whether it be a problem or bad news. 2.5.1.9 Persuasion Persuasion does not mean adopting an offensive marketing attitude. It means having excellent knowledge of goods or performances and being able, through appropriate persuasive language, to attract the reader’s attention to what you have to say, or to give sound advice and guidance when requested from customers. An effective letter is, after all, meant to influence its reader. It succeeds to do so when all the claims stated by the writer, for example, are supported by facts, opinions, numbers, etc. 2.5.1.10 Care for Culture Since today’s business operations are not necessarily restricted to a certain area or country but may expand beyond national borders, the message sender should pay cautious attention to diverse cultural backgrounds. Any word or idiomatic expression that might be ambiguous to the receiver’s understanding should be avoided. One should not forget that business correspondence is about communicating business information which has to be transmitted in a neutral language, universally understood, and not culture-oriented.

2.5.2 Outer Qualities According to the National Institute of Open Schooling (2011), the quality of a business letter lies in the quality of its outer appearance too. The paper used, its color, size, the arrangement of its content, the way it is folded and the envelope chosen, are all outer physical features that the receiver, consciously or unconsciously, pays attention to (Krizan et al., 2011). An attractive presentation of the letter leaves a good impression on the receiver’s mind and expresses the personality of the sender, be it a company or private individual. 2.5.2.1 Quality of Paper From a business perspective, and depending on who the letter is being sent to, the use of high quality paper is recommended for original documents but not necessarily for a duplicate. However, a wide range of high quality paper is available nowadays at affordable prices. Consequently, a

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company should not refrain from using expensive material regardless of its economic status particularly if using such material brings good business to a company. A reader will appreciate its true worth. 2.5.2.2 Color of Paper Paper color should remain discreet despite its attractive appearance. However, the presentation of colored charts, designs, diagrams and fancy enclosures are commonly used nowadays and would reflect not only professionalism but a kind of aesthetic taste too. As indicated earlier, depending on to who the letter is being sent, the letter sender should be sensitive to the economic situation of his correspondents; if the recipient is a company with small capital or a government organization with a low budget, an attitude of arrogance or lack of concern towards the needs or culture of the counterpart should be avoided. 2.5.2.3 Size of Paper The international standard size (A4 paper) is acceptable in many different countries and should be selected for practical reasons. 2.5.2.4 Folding of Letter For a standard size (A4) piece of paper, it can be folded once or two times depending on the envelope. When a letter is folded twice, it results in three sections. In this case, the top of the letter should be folded downward so that it becomes the top folded section and kept over the other folds. Reverse trifold is an international common practice too. It is conventional to have the top of the letter facing outwards. If an envelope with a transparent window is used, it is important to position the letter correctly inside the envelope so that the address appears through the window. 2.5.2.5 Envelope The envelope should typically be the same as the paper color and quality, and its size should fit the size of the letter. Generally, a standard size (A4 paper) fits very well into a (C4) envelope.

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2.6 Business Letters across Languages Addressing the issue of identifying the structure of business letters across languages would not be complete without making reference to the works of Swales (1990), Bhatia (1993), and Dos Santos (2002). Such works have grown to be a form of classical literacy and considered to be of the highest form of literary excellence. Following studies of genre analysis as in the work of Al Ali (2004, 2006), researchers reveal cultural variations despite the fact that writers of the same type of professional genre share the same communicative purpose (Bhatia, 1993). Studies conducted on generic components of letters from distinct cultural backgrounds showed that they contain rhetorical preferences of sequences or frequencies dependent on cultural constraints. Pragmatic strategies related to politeness or self-promotion, for instance, could be used differently in the composition of letters with the same communicative purpose. Some strategic moves were found to be more salient in commercial correspondence within the Arab business community where it has been noticed that, in a job application for example, the Arabic native speaker tends to glorify the institution of his/her future employer whereas an English applicant would produce lengthy arguments to support and promote himself/herself (Al-Ali, 2004). An English applicant would provide more information about his/her qualifications and try to persuade the prospective employer for an interview. The Arab applicant, on the other hand, would strive to create sympathy as a persuasive means and would content himself/herself by referring to enclosed documents. However, in spite of cultural variations in genre structure, there is a recurrent schematic discourse structure commonly used by the business community. It seems that job application correspondence has a similar communicative function reflected by a generic schema of texts: opening, referring to the source of information, offering candidature, promoting candidature, enclosing documents, soliciting response, and ending politely (Al-Ali, 2004). Therefore, in order to write in an acceptable way to native speakers of the target language, translators must be conscious of crosscultural preferences and pay attention to aspects of cultural transfer and not only of linguistic effects.

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2.7 Checklist and Exercises Read the following questions very carefully and then answer them in the spaces provided. 1. Based on your reading of this chapter, define the concept of business correspondences and demonstrate its importance.

1. What are the characteristics of a good business letter?

2. Define inner and outer qualities. Make a list of these qualities.

The Nature and Significance of Business Correspondence

3. What is persuasion? How is it important in business letters?

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CHAPTER THREE TYPES OF BUSINESS LETTER FORMAT

The letter formats adopted in this chapter are based on the commonality of what is used these days. This includes letter formats used in business organizations, companies and agencies, as well as academic and nonacademic institutions. These days, there has been a tendency for the selection of letter formats to be based on personal preference. Many business organizations use a specific letter format and then standardize its use throughout the whole organization. Of course, organizations or company managers, CEOs and administrators give clear instructions to all employees who deal with issuing or writing business letters, and instruct them to follow their particular letter format and be aware of all the issues to be included in it such as margins, spacing, paragraph arrangement, placement of date, name and address, and references. This letter format becomes an expression of the organization’s personality. Some organizations allow each section or department within the organization to create or adopt their own business letter format so they can express their own unique characteristics. Such formats will more likely be based on personal preference.

3.1 Letter Formats Letter formats are important in business correspondence or business communication, and selecting a business letter format is just as important as writing the letter. Letter formats are letters that are communicated among companies, organizations, and even among customers. The overall format of the letter, sometimes called letter style, can largely depend on the relationship between a company or organization and another. When writing a letter, business organizations usually use several communication formats because they may want to reach a larger audience. Each type of format may have advantages or disadvantages, and all of this depends on the message conveyed and the person receiving it. However, using so many letter formats by the organization can be confusing to the customers simply because they may not like or be aware of all letter formats.

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Therefore, business letter writers working for business organizations should be consistent in using one or two formats. They should also always ensure that messages conveyed to involved organizations are clear, accurate, less confusing and consistent. In order to create a positive impact on the parties involved, and in order to be taken seriously, a business letter format should be attractive, appealing to the reader and very effective (Yate, 2003). Most business letters include important information such as return address, name of the writer, address, telephone numbers, date, salutation, introduction, body and closing paragraphs, among other relevant things, but the way letters are presented to the receiver can have an interesting or devastating effect. They can give readers a sense of comfort, just seeing and reading the letter’s content. Writers trust their eyes more than their ears and this is only clear in reading business letters. Letter formats can also have an adverse affect on the reader. They can give an impression about the organization as being old fashion or up-to-date and professional organization. These issues, of course, matter to an organization or company that would like to be successful in doing business with others. Having said this, there are several ways in which a business letter can be formatted. These formats include, but are not limited to, full block, modified block (modified or indented), and simplified. Many corporate or business organizations put together a mixture of more than one, but consistency in writing and formatting business letters may ensure better results and give a professional image about the company. The few examples presented below are only illustrative of the types of formats used by various companies and business organizations. The formats fall into three main classes: full block, modified block, and modified indented block. Explanations are given to demonstrate the special characteristics of each format, and brief comments are provided after each letter. There are, of course, other formats, but for time and consistency reasons, this book will only discuss these three types and provide clear and illustrative exemplifications.

3.1.1 Full Block Full block letters are most commonly used among companies, simply because they are friendly and easy to use. They are also less confusing. In this block format, all parts of the letter begin at the left margin. The text is

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flushed against the paper’s left-hand margin, and the text content is all justified to the left. Many companies use double spacing in a full block letter format and others may use single spacing. A single spaced letter is the most common way of presenting a letter simply because it is formal, and writers use it when they feel they do not need to worry about when to indent and when not to. Many people regard this type of format as appealing because it is has a business-like appearance. The absence of indented paragraphs usually and more often saves time and effort while typing. This type of format appeals to the less conservative audience, who likes to see clear cut paragraphs with no indentation. Full block format also represents newness and change and most of those who like this type of letter format are the young generation and revolutionists. Of course, one cannot deny that different companies require different formats, and therefore, it would be beneficial for the writer to check and see which format the company he is dealing with requires. However, consistency, friendliness and proper formats in writing letters can always guarantee customer satisfaction. Furthermore, full block format letters have balance and uniqueness. When justified on both sides, they appear well organized and more appealing to the reader. This suggests a light touch as each paragraph is clearly presented. The following example shows exactly what is meant by a full block letter:

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Your Name Address Phone Number E-mail (optional) Date Name of Receiver Title Company Name Address Dear Sir/Madam: I am very pleased to write this letter of recommendation for Mrs. Eisner who has been working over the past ten years in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences as an Administrative Assistant in the Dean’s Office. For many years, and on a number of occasions, I had ample opportunity to know Mrs. Eisner in depth. She is a truly dedicated person who takes pride in what she does. She has excellent work ethics such as confidentiality, impartiality, collegiality, and above all, loyalty to her work. Mrs. Eisner is a genuine person and a hard working individual. She is methodical and a good articulator. She also has an excellent command of both German and English at all levels. Armed with these skills and qualities, Mrs. Eisner has the capability to carry out any task assigned to her without any problem. At the personal level, Mrs. Eisner is a warm-hearted person, amiable, and an excellent communicator. If given the opportunity, I am sure she would be an asset to any community. Mrs. Eisner has my highest praise and recommendation. Should you require any additional information about Mrs. Eisner, please let me know. Sincerely, Your Signature Your Name Your Title

Full Block Letter

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As we can see from the example above, the three paragraphs begin at the left margin. All are also flushed against the paper’s left-hand and righthand margin. Some writers or business organizations do not prefer to justify the right side of the letter for reasons they only understand, and it could be that it is a matter of personal preference. However, we believe that justifying the left-hand and the right-hand margins gives a professional look to the letter.

3.1.2 Modified Block This type of letter format is a little bit different from the full block format in the sense that the return address, date, closing statement, and signature are all slightly placed to the right of the center of the letter. The other components of the letter are flushed to the left. This includes the name of the person, his or her address, greeting or salutation, and body of the letter. If there is a reference subject used in the letter, it is typical that it is typed or placed two lines under the address before salutation. Terms such as ‘confidential’, ‘important’, ‘personal’, etc. should be used at the left, above the inside address. Writers of business letters use this type of format when writing a thank-you letter, and introduce an item or a product, cover letter for a job application, etc. It should be noted here that there are no rules indicating the way or method in which letter components are indented. This also applies to letter spacing. Whichever format one uses, it is recommend that 1.5" margins be used as they create a good frame around the letter and will be more alluring to the audience, whether is an individual or an organization. The example on the following page demonstrates the modified and/or indented block letter:

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3.1.3 Modified Indented Block This type of format is not much different from the previous two. The only difference is that the paragraphs are indented to the right. As indicated in section 2.2, letter components such as the name of the person, his or her address, greeting or salutation, and body of the letter are all flushed to the left. Also, the reference to the subject used in the letter is placed under the date. Many people consider this letter format to be the most attractive of all letter formats, simply because it is exact, tidy and organized. The compactness of the letter components and the clarity of its presentation give an appealing look to the letter. However, this type of format appeals to the more conservative readers, who like to see paragraphs indented, something they are familiar with because of their long history reading printed material. The example on the following page is a representation of the modified indented block format:

Types of Business Letter Format

Name of Sender Address Phone Number E-mail (optional) Date Name of Receiver, Title Company Name His or Her Address Dear Sir/Madam, I am very pleased to write this letter of recommendation for Mrs. Eisner who has been working over the past ten years in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences as an Administrative Assistant in the Dean’s Office. For many years, and on a number of occasions, I had ample opportunity to know Mrs. Eisner in depth. She is a truly dedicated person who takes pride in what she does. She has excellent work ethics such as confidentiality, impartiality, collegiality, and above all, loyalty to her work. Mrs. Eisner is a genuine person and a hard working individual. She is methodical and a good articulator. She also has an excellent command of both German and English at all levels. Armed with these skills and qualities, Mrs. Eisner has the capability to carry out any task assigned to her without any problem. At the personal level, Mrs. Eisner is a warm-hearted person, amiable, and an excellent communicator. If given the opportunity, I am sure she would be an asset to any community. Mrs. Eisner has my highest praise and recommendation. Should you require any additional information about Mrs. Eisner, please let me know. Sincerely, Signature Name and Title

Modified Indented Block Letter

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Name of Sender Address Phone Number E-mail (optional) Date Name of Receiver, Title Company Name His or Her Address Dear Sir/Madam, I am very pleased to write this letter of recommendation for Mrs. Eisner who has been working during the past ten years in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences as an Administrative Assistant in the Dean’s Office. For many years, and on a number of occasions, I had ample opportunity to know Mrs. Eisner in depth. She is a truly dedicated person who takes pride in what she does. She has excellent work ethics such as confidentiality, impartiality, collegiality, and above all, loyalty to her work. Mrs. Eisner is a genuine person and a hard working individual. She is methodical and a good articulator. She also has an excellent command of both German and English at all levels. Armed with these skills and qualities, Mrs. Eisner has the capability to carry out any task assigned to her without any problem. At the personal level, Mrs. Eisner is a warm-hearted person, amiable, and an excellent communicator. If given the opportunity, I am sure she would be an asset to any community. Mrs. Eisner has my highest praise and recommendation. Should you require any additional information about Mrs. Eisner, please let me know. Sincerely, Signature Name and Title

Modified Block Letter

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3.1.4 Hanging Paragraph A hanging paragraph is a paragraph in which the first line is set to the left margin, but all succeeding or following lines are indented to the right. This type of letter format is the most unstudied format in the English language. Despite their infrequent use in paragraph writing, hanging paragraphs are stylistic and a useful means of presenting information. They are more or less used in bibliographies. Because hanging paragraphs are visual cues, they show the reader where each separate entry starts. Due to their obscure nature, writers who like to use hanging paragraphs should know the proper way to set a hanging paragraph and when and how to include them in their writing. The following letter demonstrates what is meant by a hanging paragraph:

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Name Address Phone Number E-mail (optional) Date Name of Receiver, Title Company Name His or Her Address Dear Sir/Madam, I am very pleased to write this letter of recommendation for Mrs. Eisner who has been working over the past ten years in the CHSS as an Administrative Assistant in the Dean’s Office. For many years, and on a number of occasions, I had ample opportunity to know Mrs. Eisner in depth. She is a truly dedicated person who takes pride in what she does. She has excellent work ethics such as confidentiality, impartiality, collegiality, and above all, loyalty to her work. Mrs. Eisner is a genuine person and a hard working individual. Armed with these skills and qualities, Mrs. Eisner has the capability to carry out any task assigned to her without any problem. At the personal level, Mrs. Eisner is a warm-hearted person, amiable, and an excellent communicator. If given the opportunity, I am sure she would be an asset to any community. Mrs. Eisner has my highest praise and recommendation. Should you require any additional information about Mrs. Eisner, please let me know. Sincerely, Signature Name Title

Hanging Paragraph

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3.2 Checklist and Exercises Read the following questions very carefully and then answer them in the spaces provided. 1. In a short paragraph, explain how format or style is important in writing a paragraph.

2. Compare between full block and modified block letter formats.

3. What is the most important factor is adopting a letter format?

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4. What letter format appeals to you and why?

5.

Examine the following letter format and explain whether or not it appeals to you. Explain how your reader may have difficulty following your ideas. Once you finished examining the letter, rewrite it in the blank page below, correcting the letter and its format.

Asking about a Company’s Financial Standing

NAME, COMPANY AND ADDRESS Said M. Shiyab COMPANY Inc. 17 Sam Street, Hawwash, Dear [NAME] Our manager has received a large order for lab equipment from your HTC Technologies Company, located in Toronto, and has given us your name as a credit reference. Therefore, we would be grateful if you could provide us with information about the aforementioned company's financial standing. We would appreciate your prompt reply. Thank you:

Sincerely, Signature

Types of Business Letter Format

Rewrite the letter here:

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CHAPTER FOUR COMPONENTS OF BUSINESS LETTERS

4.1 Letter Components The layout of business letters may differ from one language to another but the letter structure is often arranged the same way. Thus, there are generally three main paragraphs in a business letter that obey a sequence of ideas : an introductory paragraph, explaining what the letter is about; then a nucleolus paragraph, presenting important points to be known by the addressee; and finally a concluding paragraph, mentioning what is solicited from the addressee. That being said, English and Arabic each have a typical formal beginning and ending parts that depend on styles of expression and cultural background. A complete business letter with all components is structured in such a way as to present the following integrated elements no matter what the drafting language is: heading, date, inside address, salutation, body, complimentary close, signature block and complementary components (Palmer, 2010).

4.1.1 Heading The heading corresponds to a letterhead address of an institution with its name and logo or the sender’s contact details: name, full address (street and city names, postal abbreviation (i.e. post office box), zip code, name of the country in capital letters), email address and telephone and fax numbers (for the sender to be reached easily if necessary). The heading is generally displayed at the middle of the top or bottom of the letterhead.

4.1.2 Date The date comes under the address and months are spelled out in full.

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4.1.3 Inside Address The inside address includes the name and address of the recipient. The complete name of the intended recipient is set out, at the left margin, preceded by a courtesy title (Mr., Ms., and Mrs.). If professional titles (Professor, Doctor, etc.) are known, they are included with the name. Addressing a person by his/her professional position is often appreciated. As for the address, it should be complete and include the name of the recipient’s department or section with the institution’s full name. These details ensure the letter is sent to the right person. Complete and accurate details are appreciated by the recipient even when the letter is not solicited. In case the gender of the addressee is not known, the full name can be used, with or without the professional title. The expression ‘To Whom it May Concern’ is also acceptable when there is an uncertainty about the gender and/or name.

4.1.4 Salutation A salutation starts with the polite greeting formula ‘Dear’ followed by the same courtesy or professional title used in the address and his/her name. If the name of the correspondent is known, it is used after the greeting: ‘Dear Mr. X’ or ‘Dear Mrs. X’. If the name is not known, the formula used is ‘Dear Sir’ or ‘Dear Madam’. If the gender is also not known, it is correct to address the correspondent using the formula ‘Dear Sirs’. Formal titles of the addressees are naturally repeated in the salutation too.

4.1.5 Body As mentioned before, the body of the letter consists of three main paragraphs: the first sentence outlines the motive of the letter by stating the main point, followed by an explanation expounding the importance of that main point with background information and relevant details if necessary, then the conclusion by emphasizing what is expected to be done by the addressee. It ends with a courteous close, such as ‘I look forward to hearing from you’. Sentences should be short and clear and the information specific and useful. A business letter should conform to its purpose; an overflowing text creates confusion and distracts the reader. If the letter is two or more pages long, the addressee’s last name, the date and the page number should appear at the top right margin of each subsequent page.

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4.1.6 Complimentary Close The complimentary close is expressed by formal conventional formulae such as ‘Yours sincerely/Yours faithfully/Cordially/Respectfully yours/Best regards’, etc. If the name of the correspondent is mentioned at the beginning of the letter (Dear Mr. X ; Mrs. X), the ending will correspond to ‘Yours sincerely’ or ‘Sincerely’. If the name is not known and the salutation begins with ‘Dear Sir/Dear Madam’, then the ending should be ‘Yours faithfully’.

4.1.7 Signature Block The signature block precedes the name and the title of the sender. Underneath the name, his/her position in the institution (Manager, Personnel Manager, Secretary, etc.) is indicated. Signature block includes the signer’s name and title at the same point as the complimentary closing. Blank spaces should be left between the complimentary closing and the first line of the typed signature block.

4.1.8 Enclosures In this section, additional documents may be enclosed or attached to a letter; they are called attachments or enclosures. They are referred to by the abbreviation (enc) at the left margin at the bottom of the page in lowercase letters.

4.1.9 Copies Sometimes a letter may involve more than one person and is sent to many correspondents. The list of the correspondents’ names (cc Mr. /Ms. /Mrs.) often appears in alphabetical order and is typed at the left margin of the page.

4.2. Letter Spacing Some computer programs are equipped with Letter Wizard that can be used to facilitate the formatting of business letters and define spacing. However, its templates do not conform to every setting and its automatic functions can be a serious time waster. Therefore, it is recommended to comply with some basic format indications that are easy to apply. The following table summarizes the important spacing guidelines.

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Components Entire letter

Spacing Indications 2.5 cm (one inch) at the left, right and bottom margins and 5 cm (two inches) at the top margin 5 cm margin (two inches) from the top of the page (if no letterhead) Right after the sender’s address One blank line after the date One blank line after the inside address One blank line after the salutation One blank line after the body Three blank lines after the complimentary close In two lines

Sender’s address (Letterhead ) Date Inside address Salutation Body Complimentary close Signature block Name, title and position

4.3 Letter Fonts To guarantee consistency in content and layout throughout the entire letter, some guidelines related to the most used font size and font style in business letters are recommended. Firms generally tend to use Times New Roman for business letters (FBLA, 2010). Font names Times New Roman Arial Calibri

Indications Size 12 Size 10 Size 11

The following sample demonstrates a standard business letter according to Hutchinson & Hutchinson (1985: 22):

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ABC COMPANY, INC. 123 MAIN STREET CENTREVILLE, IL 66666 March 17, 1991 ›››››››› Date John S. Waters, President XYZ, Inc. ››››››››Address with company title 890 Broadway Metropolis, NY 11111 Re : 1991 Fleet Lease ›››››››› Subject Dear Mr. Waters : ›››››››› Salutation Our fleet lease agreement with your company expires on December 31, 1991. It is time for us to get ready for the next leasing period. ›››››››› Body : purpose of letter and previous reference Enclosed are our specifications for our fleet needs for the next two-year lease period, beginning January 1, 1992. Please note that these specifications call for fifteen (15) automobiles, ranging from mid-size to luxury models. ›››››››› Discussion We would really appreciate a quotation for our consideration. We will make our decision about the 1992/94 lease on June 15, 1991. We would appreciate having your quotation no later than June 1, so we can study it adequately in comparison with others. ›››››››› Request or summary I have been very pleased with the service your company has given us during the past two leasing periods. I look forward to the possibility of a continued relationship. ›››››››› Personal comments With all good wishes, I am ››››››››Transition (Complimentary close ) Sincerely, ›››››››› Complimentary close Roger F. Brown ›››››››› Name, title President RFB : amc ›››››››› Typist’s initials (signature) Enclosures : 1992/94 Lease Specifications ››››››››Enclosures CC : Michael Konrad Alicia Montara Peter D. Schaeffer

Standard Business Letter According to Hutchinson & Hutchinson (1985: 22)

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4.4 Layout in Arabic There are no strict formats for Arabic business letters. Layout and content arrangements are not as strict as English formats. Concerning the date, for instance, there is no established rule; it can be typed in the bottom margin. It can also appear at the left or right side at the top of letter. Paragraphs, too, can be indented or not, without being part of a particular format (block or modified block format). It is left to the discretion of each letter writer to decide whether to indent the paragraphs or not. The letter content is often displayed 3 cm from the left and right margins and the bottom of the letter. Usually, the Arabic font used is Traditional Arabic or Al Mateen (Police 16) (Fajjal, 2010). Main specifications of Arabic business letters in relation to each letter component are presented below.

1991/9/5 ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍ 1991/2/ρ :Ϣϗήϟ΍

ϥΎϤϋ / ΔϴϨσϮϟ΍ ΔΒΘϜϤϟ΍ ϡήΘΤϤϟ΍ ϒϳήη ΔϣΎγ΃ Ϊϴδϟ΍ 833 .Ώ .ι ΪΑέ΍ ˬΪόΑϭ ΔΒϴρ ΔϴΤΗ

.ϖϴΛϮΘϟ΍ ϢδϘΑ ΔϔϴυϮϟ΍ ιϮμΨΑ 1991/8/27 ˰Α ΔΧέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΘϟΎγέ ΎϨΘϠλϭ ΪϘϓ ˬ1991/9/15 ϦϴϨΛϻ΍ ϡϮϳ ϢϜΘϠΑΎϘϣ ΪϋϮϣ έήϘΗ Ϫϧ΃ ϢϜϤϠόϧ ˬΎϨόϣ ϞϤόϟΎΑ ϢϜϣΎϤΘϫ΍ ϢϜϟ ήϜθϧ Ϋ΍ ΎϨϧ΍ϭ Ϣ΋΍Ϊϟ΍ ΔΒΘϜϤϟ΍ ήϘϣ ϰϟ΍ ΩΪΤϤϟ΍ ΪϋϮϤϟ΍ ϲϓ ˬϢϛέϮπΣ ϮΟήϧ ΍άϟ .ΪόΑ ΎϤϴϓ ΐγΎϨϤϟ΍ έ΍ήϘϟ΍ ΫΎΨΗϻ .ϩϼϋ΍ έϮϛάϤϟ΍ ϥ΍ϮϨόϟ΍ ϰϠϋ ϢϜϴϠϋ ϡϼδϟ΍ϭ ˬΔΒϴρ Δλήϓ Ϛϟ ϮΟήϧ ϖϴΛϮΘϟ΍ Ϣδϗ ήϳΪϣ ϥ΍ΪϤΣ ήϛΎη

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4.4.1 Heading (ΔδϳϭήΘϟ΍ ) Official letters in Arabic often start with the fixed invocative expression: (ϢϴΣήϟ΍ ϦϤΣήϟ΍ ௌ ϢδΑ) “Bismi Allah Arrahman Arrahim” (In the name of Allah (God), the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate). However, there is not a set rule about the use of the invoking formula and its use can be sporadic or more regular, depending on geographic contexts and addressees. If the invocation is used, it is usually set out in the middle of the page and before the heading, as in the following example (Abu Sharifa, 1998: 148). As for the heading, it follows the letterhead address with the institution name and logo or the sender’s address. The sender’s name and address may be displayed at either the right or left margins. Note that the classical model of Arabic letters does not, generally, include the sender’s address in the letter. Therefore, it is not uncommon to read letters without including the sender’s address as shown below. However, literature on Arabic business letters proposes guidelines in line with English or French formats (Abu Sharifa, 1998; Fajjal, 2010). Presently, there is a prevailing tendency to apply common international standards.

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Components of Business Letters

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4.4.2 Date (ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) The date is set out at the top left margin of the first page. It may appear at the right side margin below the closing part of the letter. In Arabic letters, the Gregorian calendar is fundamentally used and, sometimes, concurrently with the Hijri date. However, in some geographic contexts (Gulf region, essentially), the date is presented according to the Hijri calendar. It is sometimes displayed in conjunction with the Gregorian date as shown at the top of this page.

4.4.3 Inside Address (ϲϠΧ΍Ϊϟ΍ ϥ΍ϮϨόϟ΍) The name of the recipient is set out at the right margin, with indication to courtesy titles (ΓΩΎδϟ΍ ˬϲΗΪϴγ ˬϱΪϴγ) followed by praising adjectives such as ‘Dear, Virtuous, Respectful’, ex. ( ˬήϗϮϤϟ΍...ϱΪϴγ ˬΔϠοΎϔϟ΍ ϲΗΪϴγ ˬΰϳΰόϟ΍ ϱΪϴγ ˯΍ΰϋϷ΍ ΓΩΎδϟ΍) and professional titles (ήϳΪϤϟ΍ Ϊϴδϟ΍ ˬΫΎΘγϷ΍ ΓήπΣ ˬέϮΘϛΪϟ΍). The courtesy title may be preceded by the preposition (ϰϟ·) (to) (i.e. Ϊϴδϟ΍ ϰϟ· ΰϳΰόϟ΍ (To the attention of Mr.). There is no specific rule for the position of the inside address, since the recipient’s name, title and address are set out at the left margin (see diagram above on page 53). As one can see in Section 4.4, there is unfortunately a lack of knowledge in the Arabic method of education, particularly in the area of writing business letters. If and when Arab writers write business letters, they write them based on their knowledge and experience in writing business letters in English. Those who have never learned the proper way of writing business letters or have never studied English or lived or worked in the Western world have no choice but to use whatever layout they like as there are no binding rules or conventions that would prohibit them from using one layout or another. We hope that through this book, and since we live in a fast-paced age which requires everyday communication, our educational institutions can take a serious look again at how our students communicate with the outside world, even with the help of the internet (i.e. emailing, texting, etc.). Such institutions should acknowledge that business and personal letters are still important for students at all stages to learn. They are essential venues to students’ success and future careers, regardless of the disciplines they pursue in their lives.

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4.5 Checklist and Exercises Read the following questions very carefully and then answer them in the spaces provided. 1. List the main components of a business letter. You may discuss with your teacher whether or not some of these components are optional.

2.

How important is letter spacing and fonts? Discuss this with your classmates and demonstrate the significance of using proper spacing and fonts.

3.

Having examined the layout of business letters in English, how can the layout of business letters in Arabic be different from other languages you are familiar with? Please provide examples, if possible.

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4.

On a separate piece of paper, write any of the business letters you examined in this chapter, and demonstrate its main components. Be prepared to discuss this letter in front of the classroom.

5.

Study the following letter, and in a logical and appropriate way, rearrange its components, adding the missing components that are present in a professional business letter.

Asking a Company’s Financial Standing Dear [NAME] NAME, COMPANY AND ADDRESS Said M. Shiyab COMPANY Inc. 17 Sam Street, Hawwash,

Our manager has received a large order for lab equipment from your HTC Technologies Company, located in Toronto, and has given us your name as a credit reference. Therefore, we would be grateful if you could provide us with information about the aforementioned company's financial standing. We would appreciate your prompt reply.

CHAPTER FIVE HOW TO WRITE BUSINESS LETTERS

5.1 Pre-Writing Stage Typically, writers think before they write. They spend a lot of time collecting information about the subject matter. They may listen or jot down notes relevant to the topic. All this is a form of preparation and good writers do this before they embark on writing. There are those writers who think while writing. At this stage, writers want to think about the response before they have it on paper. Others, particularly literary writers, would like to think about a theme or the plot and then gather the facts. All this could be a form of habit and writers overall use different strategies to write about topics. Having said this, we believe that writers use different ways of writing to draw readers’ attention to a specific topic, keep them anxious as to what comes next, convince them of the idea, justify the use of humor and show them their interest in other people’s cultures.

5.1.1 Collecting the Right Information Every letter has a different plan, depending on the type of letter. However, whatever letter we have in mind, we have to know the facts. It is axiomatic that writers know for whom the letters are going to be written, and at the same time think about what they intend to write. If one is writing a letter to a university requesting information about admission, he must know all the facts about the university. He should know the university’s bylaws and rules and regulations. He should be aware of all the facts and figures that may have an impact on the requested information. One of the most important issues a writer should know about a university is the previous correspondences relevant to the matter at hand, cost and tuition, calendar, important dates, beginning and end of semesters, faculty members, kind of students, kind of school, etc. If, for instance, the letter is one that requests information, one should know the nature of the request, whether or not the request is possible, and if it is

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possible, who is responsible, and what steps need to be taken to address the issue. Only when writers know these things, can they write a request letter than can please and assure the requester. If a writer wants to congratulate a friend, for example, he should know all the facts about the kind of occasion, i.e. what and when did that happen, what warrants congratulations, and/or what did the friend accomplish that requires this congratulatory letter. If one is writing about a training organization, he must know all the facts about it and this includes what type of training it offers, requirements for interns, location, history of the organization, kind of people working there, and the people in charge of training.

5.1.2 Using the Right Method Unlike the old days, one has to admit that much of today’s business is done using the internet. However, business letters are still widely used as an effective means of communication. Whether business is done through the use of phones, internet or business letters, they must be conducted in a way where misrepresentation or misunderstanding is avoided. More often than not, business correspondence is still the only means of communication in which social, formal or informal relations are maintained. Therefore, customers’ impressions are always important. As they say “the Customer is always right” and this saying implies that in order to maintain a good business, customers must be satisfied. This attitude towards customers is very significant as it allows the company or any organization to impress customers and in turn attract business. Within a business letter, cultivating the art of writing good letters is worth the effort as it is one of the best ways to attract business. When it comes to the impact of using good language, one must not forget that language is a good tool for creating a positive impact on the customer. Joseph Addison and Steele in the The Spectator, No. 416 (cited in Johnson 2012) state that “Words, when well chosen, have so great a force in them that a description often gives us more lively ideas than the sight of things themselves”. Therefore, the method or the tone in which the letter is written has a detrimental- rounded individual. The letter’s grace can also be the mark for a well-reputable and prestigious organization. If this tone is overlooked, it may cause hostility, indiscretion or even disrespect. Therefore, we cannot emphasize enough that a letter using the right tone can create a positive psychological impact and warrants a sense of tolerance and thoughtfulness which promotes good interpersonal relations among business partners, whether it be individuals, companies or

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organizations. From a business perspective, the letter tone can be very effective. The writer more often than not can say what he needs to say in a more cordial and effective manner which would warrant a good business relationship. As for the purpose for which the letter is written, writers have to understand that every letter must have a purpose. The letter can only be functional when there is a purpose. Also, it cannot function unless writers are clear in their message, which leaves no doubt about their intention or what goes on in their mind. To achieve this goal, writers must construe their sentences in a logical arrangement, include all pertinent details, and write the letter using language that is unquestionably clear, straightforward and to the point. Also, the manner or method in which the letter is written and the tone embodied within it must be expressed in an orderly manner. They should think of ways and means to create a positive impact on their audience. The tone must suit both the circumstance and the purpose, i.e. informative, persuasive, apologetic, etc. If these crucial issues are not taken into account, the letter may create an impact different from that which was anticipated. Here is an example of a letter, which demonstrates a boring routine business letter. The letter is an answer to a request by a customer for a catalogue and price list of computers. Here, the writer failed to seize the opportunity to write an effective sales letter:

Dear Sir/Madam: Your letter of February 9, 2014 has been received. I have enclosed the sales brochure and the price list as you requested. We look forward to receiving your order you may place with us, and we think you will be satisfied with the type and quality of our computers.

Notice here that the letter has no promotional value, and the writer failed to seize the opportunity to capture the interest of the customer. Here is the same letter written from the point view of the manufacturer who emphasized the promotional value of the letter:

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Dear Sir/Madam: Thank you very much for your letter dated February 9, 2014 in which you enquired about our catalogue and list of prices for computers. As you can see, our catalogue is the latest and we spared no effort to make it easy to read, informative and attractive. Our catalogue is clearly illustrated and contains a wide range of quality computers and everything a customer may need. Let me assure you that cheaper computers are available on the market. However, our annual sales have proven that we sell computers more than any other competitor in the area. This indicates that the public prefers quality computers that are reliable. I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to visit our shop and allow us to show you our computers where you would see for yourself the high performance, quality and the work put into them. Should you require any further information, please let me know. I thank you again for your interest, and look forward to hearing from.

One can easily see that the second type of letter is friendly, attractive and more convincing. It easily captures the customer’s attention by focusing on the quality and reliability of their computers. The letter also arouses the customer’s interest and creates a sense of belief that buying quality computers is better than buying cheaper ones, hoping that by putting emphasis on computer reliability and quality, they win the customer’s business.

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5.1.2.1 Clarity of Goal One of the key elements for any successful businesses is clarity with regard to the writer’s goals. Clarity means a clear message, a defined purpose, well-structured language, and accurate choice of words. All these qualities with logical organization make up what is called a clear written letter. While emails have decreased the need for paper and snail mail, they still necessitate writers to express their thoughts or intentions clearly and appropriately, in line with the rules and principles of writing a good business letter. As indicated earlier, a business letter is a proper way of communication among people, representing different organizations and institutions, and its function is to do businesses, be it requesting information, informing clients, proposing a deal, making an appointment, applying for a job, thanking a manager, etc. According to Drucker (2008), once people move up within their career, their success or effectiveness within the organization depends heavily on their ability to clearly express their ideas and thoughts in writing. So, good writers are those who do their utmost to express their ideas or thoughts clearly so their message cannot be misconstrued. Therefore, clarity of ideas and clarity of goals or purpose should be the main goal of business writing style. Establishing clarity in one’s writing can also win over unhappy customers. Clarity can also be used to warn workers or employees regarding their behaviors. If writers are not clear and their readers are unable to understand the message, they (writers) should not have written at all. Good ideas do not count for much if writers cannot express themselves correctly and clearly and their insightful opinions will not have any credibility if their ideas cannot be understood. 5.1.2.2 Attention to Culture One of the key elements in business communication is the element of culture. In order for business communication to be effective, including business letters, writers need to understand the cultural, linguistics, and stylistic differences existing among languages (Kaplan 1966; Campbell 1995). Lack of awareness on cultural and linguistic sensitivities and attitudes towards them can affect communication. Therefore, good writers adjust their business letters based on their customers’ background and the culture to which they belong. This includes being familiar with the

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customer’s cultural background, religion, traditions, habits and customs. To this effect, we believe that business professionals who deal with people from different parts of the world require skills of interpersonal and intercultural communication, simply because they typically exchange information with people around the globe. Without awareness and knowledge of customer’s cultures, writers may make embarrassing notes, or write offensive letters. The following is an example of an American who would like to conduct business with an Arab who had visited the US. The Arab expressed some interest in buying some products from the American businessman, so the American is writing the following letter to the Arab who comes from a different linguistic and cultural background.

Dear Sir: Just to let you know that your name and address were given to me by a friend who informed me that you showed interest in my product and would like to receive some information about the product. As you can see, I have enclosed the information you requested, hoping that my products would meet your demand. I will be more than happy to provide you with any further information you may need. Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely yours,

A thorough examination of the above letter indicates that the letter is written in accordance to how business letters are written in English. It is a straightforward letter with a purpose. The writer unfortunately was not aware of the Arabic cultural conventions and linguistic and rhetorical patterns of thinking. Therefore, he should not expect this letter to bring him any business, simply because it violates the Arabic cultural patterns of thinking and the style of writing a business letter. If we compare this letter with the one that follows, one can see a big difference. Here is a more effective business letter which shows understanding and awareness of the Arabic cultural and linguistic conventions:

How to Write Business Letters

Dear Rhami, (I hope you do not mind me calling you by your first name) I hope you had a wonderful time during your visit to the US and hope that you are now having a wonderful time back with your family. The area you visited in the US is still cold and sometimes freezing, but we love to see rain and snow because this is part of our life. I would also like to thank you for your visit to our company and hope that you were impressed with our computers. As you may know, our company is situated in the heart of town, and enjoys a strategic location in linking all businesses together. We have a long history of selling our computers, not only locally but internationally because customers tried our computers and liked what they bought. We also have good trade relation with most countries in the Middle East, including yours. So, our company is wellknown for its excellent, reliable and quality computers. For example, in 2012, our company sold over 1, 2345 computers to countries in the Middle East. We would like to continue to have these trade relations with your country and other countries in the region. Therefore, we would like to know if our computers interest you and would benefit your company. I am enclosing all the information you may require, along with their prices, hoping that you take advantage of our quality computers. I thank you again and wish you and your company all the success. Sincerely yours,

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The above modified letter shows that the first paragraph establishes a warm relationship between the American and the Arab. It makes them closer to one another in spirit although they are thousands of miles away from each other. The second paragraph thanks the customer for his interest in the products and draws him closer to the writer by focusing on the history of the company, the trade relationship between him and other companies in the reader or customer’s country or region, and the number of computers sold. Only after providing the customer with this significant information, the writer was able to offer more information about his computers and promotes them to the customer/reader. Taking the above into account, it is always incumbent upon the writer to be aware of the linguistic and rhetorical differences among cultures, and how to establish common ground between him and the customer so a successful business deal may be reached. 5.1.2.3 Simplicity The term simplicity has to do with the choice of words. Words or sentences that are short are always preferable in writing business letters. Short sentences and simple words draw the reader’s attention and enables him to focus on the ideas presented. It is in this context that lexical terms are important elements in style. Long difficult words or phrases could be viewed as a way of showing off and, if used frequently, may distort the writer’s image and lose any credibility with the reader or customer. Such words also indicate superficiality, arrogance and vanity, demonstrating a lack of good taste. For example, instead of using the expressions to give preference for, take into consideration, to make a decision, as a way of demonstration, one may simply use prefer, consider, decide, demonstrate, etc. We should note here that it is a mistake to believe that long words or phrases and complicated sentences are a sign of intellectual capability. On the contrary, they indicate that the writer is showing off and disrespectful. Another mistake is the idea that short sentences and phrases are signs of impoliteness and that politeness and respect require simple facts to be expressed using fancy language. These are fallacies that are taken for granted and writers need to be aware of these issues before they embark on writing business letters. Writing business letters involves stating the facts in a much simpler style, a style that is clear and easy to comprehend. For

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the sake of clarity and exposition, here is a short list of words which demonstrates the difference between simple words and difficult words. Difficult Word Acculturate Apropos Cogitate Endeavor Emolument Miniscule Procure Procrastinate Rejuvenate Remunerate Reimburse Scrutinize Terminate

Easy and Simple Word Change Suitable Think Try Payment Little or Small Buy Delay Revive Pay Repay Examine End

It should be noted that simple and easy words communicate the message more clearly than longer ones. They can be more effective and easy to understand. So the language of business is essentially important and only through simplicity and clarity can the message be communicated effectively. Having said this, the above list of words should be carefully used. While the main goal of writing a business letter is to use simple and clear words, such words should not be used at the expense of other issues such as cohesion, coherence, use of concrete and specific words. For example, the word ‘ask’ is synonymous with words such as ‘enquire’ or ‘demand’, but the latter words have shades of meaning that do not exist in the verb ‘ask’. However, ‘to ask for a computer’ is not synonymous with ‘to demand a computer’, and the same thing applies to ‘to enquire about a computer’. The main point here is that if the purpose of the letter along with its intended meaning can be expressed by using simple words, then so be it. However, if simple and shorter words lead to confusion, which is not the case most if not all the time, then they should not be used. The rule of thumb here is that longer words should be used just for the purpose of impressing the customer.

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5.1.2.4 Conciseness and Completion The terms conciseness and completion refer to the writer’s ability to say a lot in just a few words. A language that is concise and complete is a language that is free of repetition. This means that the writer needs to make sure that his sentences are short, straightforward and to the point. The main goal, according to Clark (2006), is to prune the big limbs and shake out the dead leaves later. According to Clark, accomplishing conciseness and completion can be done through the following: a) Cut any passage that does not support your focus. b) Cut weakest quotations, anecdotes, and scenes to give greater power to the strongest. c) Cut passages written to satisfy a tough teacher or editor rather than the common reader. d) Don't invite others to cut. You know the work better. e) Mark optional trims. Then decide whether they should become actual cuts. In his letter to D. W. Bowser, Twain (1988: 68) comments on the best way to write English by stating to Bowser that: I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English--it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them--then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice.

5.1.3 Revising the Letter Revising a business letter is a significant key to the letter’s success and effectiveness. Not all writers can write an effective letter simply because it requires knowledge of letter protocols, conventions, appropriate and convincing style, good language, and after all a clear perspective. Malinowski (1930: 331) argues that people use language to convey both referential information and create and sustain expressive meanings. He asserts that writers in academic texts do not write their text to present a continuous stretch of words, but rather to offer a credible representation and acknowledgment of their work as well as to exchange and discuss

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social relations with their readers in different cultures. This can be accomplished by using specific strategies in which the objective is to guide and direct readers of all sorts. As a result of using such strategies, target readers can understand not only the form but the function of the letter. From a business perspective, writers can give an impression about their personality, the company they are affiliated with, their character and credibility. Of course long letters can be a daunting experience as they require the logical arrangement of ideas, appropriate pattern of thinking, commensurate with the target reader, among other things. However, short business letters can be easily written with a little bit of revision. For the sake of clarity and effectiveness, writers should always revise their business letter sometimes slightly and other times substantially to ensure an appropriate manner and the exact intended message. There are other important reasons for revising a business letter. Instead of wasting the reader’s time, revising a letter can provide the reader with a good favor. Reputable and successful companies must ensure that customers are satisfied, and the only way to guarantee their satisfaction is to write clearly and professionally. Only through revision can a writer guarantee the reader or customer is neither misinterpreting the message nor confused about its purpose. There are times when revision can bring a different focus to the letter. Writers must distance themselves from what they have written for a day or two so they can read, edit and respond objectively. Writers must assume the reader’s role so they can change position or shift focus. Unless writers get away from the letter they have written for a while, they will see only what they think they are saying, not what they actually want to say. In order to ensure appropriate detail, good language, tone, organization, appropriate and correct use of the mechanics of writing, the following questions are key factors to systematizing the revision of a business letter or report: a) b) c) d) e)

Is my letter logically and linguistically clear to the reader? Does the letter have a clear purpose? Is it easy for my reader to understand the purpose of my letter? Does my letter provide the reader with all the information they needed to accomplish this? Does my letter answer all the questions the reader has in mind?

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f)

Is it clear for the reader as to how they should respond?

Once the writer answers all these questions, and is able to see the clarity, effectiveness, tone, appropriate manner or style of his letter, he will realize that whatever time he allocated for revision was worth the effort.

5.2 Checklist and Exercises In order to put theory to practice, the following opening paragraphs are taken from actual business letters. Teachers should ask their students to read the opening paragraphs critically, discuss possibilities and correct opening paragraphs clearly. a)

Application for a Job

To reply to your advertisement, I would like to tell you that I am willing to offer my services for the post you advertised.

b) Reference Letter Answering your letter yesterday, I have to say that Ms. Jala was a stupid and conniving person. I do not trust her in any task assigned to her.

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Letter of Appointment

In regard to your phone call yesterday, be informed that we have decided to appoint you to the advertised position. However, this is subject to your referees if they are positive.

d) Reply to a Complaint Just to let you know that we have received your letter in which you were complaining about our services. I believe you were unfair in your assessment of the situation, and inaccurate in stating your facts.

e)

Thank you Letter

This is to let you know that I read your letter and would like to thank you for it. I will respond to your thank you letter very soon as I am extremely busy.

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f)

Reply to a Request letter

I have looked at the sample you sent me and I believe the sample was good. However, the sample you sent me was not really complete. Can you give me few days to respond to you?

CHAPTER SIX TYPES OF BUSINESS LETTERS

6.1 Writing Stage There are rhetorical preferences and recurrent sequences that articulate the communicative purpose of each type of business correspondence. The identification of the letter purpose facilitates the use of the most frequent stylistic and linguistic items that characterize such correspondence such as requesting information, applying for a job, addressing a complaint, etc. In fact, awareness of written conventions and stylistic features that prevail in professional correspondence provides tools to the acquisition of linguistic skills and speech forms, especially for translation students. The quality of their reproduction in the target language depends on their knowledge of contextual specificities and the extent to which they are able to apply the appropriate verbal variations and rhetorical expressions for each specific context. As translation of content goes beyond the mechanical transfer of grammatical and lexical structures, it is important to draw students’ attention to some language determinants and cultural dynamics in business correspondence. Students should know that formulaic expressions of beginning or ending English business letters cannot be translated or duplicated by a simple reproduction of a linguistic equivalent in Arabic. Expressions such as “Yours sincerely” or “Yours faithfully” do not serve the same purpose in Arabic. On the other hand, using intensifying expressions such as “Very much welcome”, “Great honor”, “Respectfully yours” that are common in Arabic for expressing a high degree of politeness does not fit well in writing letters in English. In the same way, some expressions with religious reference “essalamu alykum” (Peace be upon you) or “bismi Allah arrahman arrahim” (In the name of Allah (God), Most Gracious, Most Merciful), which are frequently used as starting formulas in Arabic letters, cannot be reproduced or duplicated in English, simply because they represent a pattern of thinking that is peculiar to English.

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Additionally, the request for information in English business letters using the interrogative modal verb “could”, for example, has an affirmative equivalent in Arabic. Therefore, the request “Could you please send your current catalogue and price list?” would correspond in Arabic to “Thank you for sending …” (ΓήϴΧϷ΍ έΎόγϷ΍ϭ ΕΎΠΘϨϤϟ΍ ΔΤ΋ϼΑ ϲΗΩΎϓΈΑ ΍ϮϠπϔΘΗ ϥ΃ ϮΟέ΃). Finally, the name and address of the writer are left at the end of the letter in Arabic unlike the English format. However, for pragmatic reasons, some aspects of business correspondence are generally culturally common, whatever the linguistic background. Their content maintains general standards recognizable internationally whether in their format or structure. In addition to that, while the use of culturally derived words or colloquialisms is not recommended, writing in simple words which are universally understood is essential in effective business letters. Another salient feature of business correspondence that applies to Arabic documents is the “You-Attitude” style. In other words, the writer views correspondence from the receiver’s perspective and shifts the focus from “I” and “We” to “You” and “Your”. This is noticed in linguistic signals that characterize situations such as requesting, apologizing, applying for a job, etc. For example, (ϦϜϤϣ Ζϗϭ Ώήϗ΃ ϲϓ ΩήΑ ΎϨΗΎϓ΍Ϯϣ ϮΟήϧ) instead of ( ήψΘϨϧ ϦϜϤϣ Ζϗϭ Ώήϗ΃ ϲϓ ϢϜϨϣ ΍Ωέ), or (ϲϓ ΓήΒΨϟ΍ ΖΒδΘϛΎϓ ΓήϴΜϛ ϡΎϬϣ ϲϟ· ΖϠϛϭ΃) instead of (ϲϓ ΓήΒΨϟ΍ ΖΒδΘϛ΍ϭ ϡΎϬϤϟ΍ Ϧϣ ΓήϴΒϛ ΔϋϮϤΠϤΑ ΖόϠτο΍). In this way, communication emphasizes a courteous relationship and involves the receiver directly in the transaction on the basis of mutual benefit. Before giving some examples on standard expressions that characterize specific types of correspondence, a general presentation of the structure of a business letter is elementary. For a letter to be complete in its structure there must be four basic elements: opening + main body (referring to the source of information, presentation of the matter and conclusion) + ending + signature (Ashley, 2003; Hutchinson & Hutchinson, 1985).

6.1.1 Opening The standard phrases for determining the addressee(s) in formal correspondence are:

Dear Sir or Madam, Dear Sirs, Dear Sir Dear Ms., Dear Mrs., Dear Mr.

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6.1.2 Main Body a) Referring to the source of information: useful phrases introduce letters to specify how, where and when the information was obtained.

I read with interest your ad dated … (publication) I refer to your letter dated … regarding I was interested to see your ad Further to our telephone conversation on (date) Thank you for your letter dated … concerning My neighbor told me

b)

Matter presentation: It is the heart of the letter. It consists of introducing the purpose of the correspondence which can range from informing, claiming or apologizing to expressing satisfaction, regret or sadness.

We are committed to ensuring we do our very best to We are deeply concerned about Would you be so kind as to let us know whether To complete our records, will you please fill out

c)

Conclusion: This is a short sentence which provides closing remarks that can identify what action should be considered or what the writer wants to do with the information in the letter.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require further information Your prompt reply would be greatly appreciated Please let us know if When replying, please also include

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6.1.3 Ending This is the final section in a business letter. In addition to the usual expressions of courtesy, closures of business letters may consist of a simple thank you. However, it is crucial to take into account the nature of the relationship between partners. The writer may also mention his/her disposal to provide more information or wish to get a prompt reply.

I look forward to hearing from you I hope to hear from you soon I trust that you will give this matter your urgent attention Thank you for giving this matter your consideration Please accept our most sincere thanks Yours sincerely With best wishes Kindest regards

6.2 Types of Letters For each communicative purpose of a letter, there are linguistic preferences that introduce the body of the letter and its closure. Characteristic phrases that can be used alternatively in different situations are illustrated with their equivalent in Arabic in the following practical examples. The following templates are elaborated on the basis of hundreds of letters checked for the purpose of this book in order to present common categories specific to each type of business letters. Our corpus is constituted of real letters from real people and business letters browsed in books on professional written communication (Ashley, 2003; De Visme and Colombant, 2001; Hutchinson & Hutchinson, 1985; Masalmeh, 2007; Poe, 2006; Woods, 1999; Yate, 2003). The following Arabic formulas are elaborated by the authors of this book.

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6.2.1 Request Letter Common purposes: requests for price lists, catalogues, samples, special terms, demonstrations, etc. Background Information

ΔϳΪϴϬϤΗ ΕΎϣϮϠόϣ

I have seen the post as advertised recently in the (local newspapers)…

ΎϬϨϋ ϦϠϋ΃ ϲΘϟ΍ ΔϔϴυϮϟΎ˰Α ΎϤϠϋ ΕάΧ΃ ΪϘϟ .ΔϴϠΤϤϟ΍ ϒΤμϟ΍ ϲϓ ΍ήΧΆϣ

I read this morning with interest your ad on (date) in Sabah newspaper…

ϡϮϳ ϪΗ΃ήϗ ϱάϟ΍ ϢϜϧϼϋ· ϲϫΎΒΘϧ΍ Ϊη ΪϘϟ ΡΎΒμϟ΍ ΓΪϳήΟ ϲϓ (ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍)

see your post for

Δϔϴυϭ ϥ΄θΑ ϢϜϧϼϋ· ϰϠϋ ϡΎϤΘϫΎΑ ΖόϠρ΍ ΪϘϟ ΔϔϴυϮϟ ϲϣΎϤΘϫ΍ ϢϜϧϼϋ· έΎΛ΃ / αΪϨϬϣ αΪϨϬϣ

We understand you are a specialist in telecommunication and should like to receive your CV…

ϝΎΠϣ ϲϓ ϚΗήΒΧ ΎϣΎϤΗ ϑήόϧ ϦΤϧ ϰϠϋ ωϼρϻ΍ ΎϨϓήθϳ Ϛϟάϟϭ ΕϻΎμΗϻ΍ ϲϓ κμΨΘϣ Ϛϧ΄Α ϙέΪϧ /ΔϴΗ΍άϟ΍ ϚΗήϴγ ΎϨϴϟ· ϞγήΗ ϥ΃ ϮΟήϧϭ ΕϻΎμΗϻ΍ ϝΎΠϣ ΔϴΗ΍άϟ΍ ϚΗήϴγ

My neighbor told me about your activities…

ϱέΎΟ Ϧϣ ϢϜΗΎϣΎϤΘϫ΍ /ϢϜΗΎρΎθϨΑ ΖϤϠϋ ΪϘϟ ...

I was interested to advertisement for a engineer…

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Request Formulas

ΐϠτϟ΍ ϪϴΟϮΗ ώϴλ

I should be glad if you would send me a copy of your diploma.

ΓΩΎϬθϟ΍ Ϧϣ ΔΨδϨΑ ΎϨΗΎϓ΍ϮϤΑ ϢΘϠπϔΗ Ϯϟ ϲϧήδϳ ΔϴϤϠόϟ΍

We are particularly interested in your application and should be glad if you could send your CV.

Ϯϟ Ύϧήδϳϭ ϢϜΒϠτΑ ιΎΧ ϞϜθΑ ϥϮϤΘϬϣ ϦΤϧ ΎϧΪόγ / ΔϴΗ΍άϟ΍ ϢϜΗήϴγ ϝΎγέΈΑ ϢΘϠπϔΗ ϲϋ΍ϭΩ Ϧϣ ϥϮϜϳϭ ϚΒϠρ ϰϠϋ ωϼρϼϟ ϥ΃ ϮΟήϧ / ΔϴΗ΍άϟ΍ ϚΗήϴγ ϢϠΘδϧ ϥ΃ Ύϧέϭήγ Ύϣ ϲϓ ΎϨϟ ϲϐΒϨϳ Ύϣ ϰϟ· ΎϧΩΎηέΈΑ ΍ϮϠπϔΘΗ ϢΘϠπϔΗ Ϯϟ ϲϧΪόδϳ/ Δϟ΄δϤϟ΍ ϩάϫ κΨϳ Δϟ΄δϤϟ΍ ϲϓ ϱΩΎηέΈΑ

I should appreciate your advice on the subject.

΍άϫ ˯΍ί· ΢μϨϟΎΑ ϲϟ· ϢΗήη΃ Ϯϟ ϲϨϓήθϳ ωϮοϮϤϟ΍

Be good enough to furnish the bearer of this letter the required items.

Ύϣ ϲϓ ϢϜΤμϨϟ ϊϤΘγ΍ ϥ΃ ϑήθϟ΍ ϲϟ ϥϮϜϴγ ωϮοϮϤϟΎΑ ϖϠόΘϳ

We shall be obliged if you will accord the matter to your attention.

ϞϣΎΣ ˯ΎτϋΈΑ ϢΘϠπϔΗ Ϯϟ ϦϳήϛΎη ϥϮϜϧ ϡήϜΘϟ΍ ˯ΎΟήϟ΍ / ΔΑϮϠτϤϟ΍ ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ΏΎτΨϟ΍ ΔΑϮϠτϤϟ΍ ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ΏΎτΨϟ΍ ϞϣΎΣ ˯Ύτϋ·ϭ ϢϜΗΩΎόγ ΔϳΎϨόΑ ωϮοϮϤϟ΍ ΍άϫ ϰψΤϳ ϥ΃ ϮΟήϧ

When asking for catalogues, price lists or any such information, writers of business letters do not need to provide details about themselves. Request formulas are general and short. However, it is necessary to be accurate about the item specificities the writer might be interested in.

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Asking for Catalogues, Price Lists, etc

ΔϤ΋Ύϗ ˬΕΎΠΘϨϤϟ΍ ΔΤ΋ϻ ϰϠϋ ϝϮμΤϟ΍ ΐϠρ Φϟ΍ ˬέΎόγϵ΍

Please send me your latest catalogue quoting your most competitive prices.

ϢϜΗΎΠΘϨϣ ΔΤ΋ϻ ΎϨϴϟ· ΍ϮϠγήΗ ϥ΃ ϢϜϨϣ ϮΟήϧ ϲΘϟ΍ ΔϴδϓΎϨΘϟ΍ έΎόγϷ΍ Ϧϋ ΕΎϣϮϠόϣϭ ΎϬϧϭΪϤΘόΗ

Please send me a copy of your price list.

Ϧϣ ΔΨδϧ ϝΎγέΈΑ ϢΘϠπϔΗ Ϯϟ ΎϨΘϤϣ ϥϮϛ΄γ έΎόγϷ΍ ΔϤ΋Ύϗ

Could you please send your current catalogue and price list?

ϢϜΘϤ΋Ύϗ Ϧϣ ΔΨδϧ ϝΎγέΈΑ ϢϜϣήϜΗ ϢϜϟ ήϜη΃ έΎόγϸϟ

Please, would you send me an up-todate price list.

ΕΎΠΘϨϤϟ΍ ΔΤ΋ϼΑ ϲΗΩΎϓΈΑ ΍ϮϠπϔΘΗ ϥ΃ ϮΟέ΃ ϲϟ· ΍ϮϠγήΗ ϥ΃ ˯ΎΟήϟ ΍/ ΓήϴΧϷ΍ έΎόγϷ΍ϭ ΍ϮϠπϔΘΗ ϥ΃ ϮΟέ΃ / έΎόγϷΎΑ ΔΛΪΤΘδϣ ΔϤ΋Ύϗ έΎόγϷΎΑ ΔϘϠόΘϤϟ΍ ΕΎϣϮϠόϤϟ΍ ήΧ΂Α ϲΗΎϓ΍ϮϤΑ

Please send us your quotations for the following models

ΎϬϧΎϴΑ ϲΗϵ΍ ϑΎϨλϸϟ ϢϛέΎόγ΄Α ΎϨΗΩΎϓ· ϮΟήϧ

Please send me a catalogue of your latest items and state your best terms and discount for cash.

ϢϜϳΪϟ ΕΎΠΘϨϤϟ΍ ΙΪΣ΃ ΔϤ΋ΎϘΑ ΎϨΗΎϓ΍Ϯϣ ϮΟέ΃ ΔϤϴϗϭ ΔϘΒτϤϟ΍ ρϭήθϟ΍ Ϟπϓ΄Α ΎϧέΎτΧ·ϭ ˱΍ΪϘϧ ϊϓΪϟ΍ ϝΎΣ ϲϓ ϢμΨϟ΍

Our mutual friend, Mr. (X) has favored me with your address, and I write accordingly to ask you to send me your latest price list, for which I thank you.

.ϢϜϧ΍ϮϨϋ ϲϏϼΑΈΑ (α)/ Ϊϴδϟ΍ ΎϨϘϳΪλ ϞπϔΗ ΔϤ΋Ύϗ ήΧ΂Α ϲϧϮϓ΍ϮΗ ϲϛ ϢϜϴϟ· ΔΑΎΘϜϟΎΑ ΕέΩΎΒϓ ϢϜϧϭΎόΗ ϢϜϟ ΍ήϛΎη έΎόγϷ΍ ϊϣ ϢϜϳΪϟ ΕΎΠΘϨϤϠϟ

Please quote us your lowest possible price with the highest discount and best cash terms. Awaiting your favorable quotation which will enable us to place the order with you, please accept our most sincere thanks.

ϥΎϴΑ ϊϣ ϢϜϳΪϟ έΎόγϷ΍ βΨΑ΄Α ΎϨΗΩΎϓ· ˯ΎΟήϟ΍ .˱΍ΪϘϧ Ω΍Ϊδϟ΍ ΪϨϋ ρϭήη ϦδΣ΃ϭ ϢμΧ ήΒϛ΃ ϥ΃ ϮΟέ΃ ˬΎϨΗΎΒϠτΘϣ ϲΒϠϳ ϢϜϨϣ Ωέ έΎψΘϧ΍ ϲϓϭ κϟΎΨϟ΍ ΎϧήϜη ϝϮΒϘΑ ΍ϮϠπϔΘΗ

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Precise details are necessary when the letter writer needs to know about specific information or to ask about definite goods and services. The indications should be as explicit and clear as possible. Asking for Information, Prospectus and Details

ΔϳΪϴϬϤΗ Γήθϧϭ ˬΕΎϣϮϠόϣ αΎϤΘϟ΍ (Δϳέϭήπϟ΍ ϞϴλΎϔΘϟ΍) ΔϠμϔϣ ΕΎϣϮϠόϣϭ

Would you please give me the following information…?

ϥ΃ ϮΟέ΃ / ΔϴΗϵ΍ ΕΎϣϮϠόϤϟΎΑ ϲΗΩΎϓ· ˯ΎΟήϟ΍ ΔϴϟΎΘϟ΍ ΕΎϣϮϠόϤϟ΍ ϲϟ· ΍ϮϠγήΗ

Please let me have details of your various range of items.

ϑΎϨλ΃ ϒϠΘΨϣ ϞϴλΎϔΘΑ ϲΘρΎΣ· ˯ΎΟήϟ΍ ϢϜϳΪϟ ΕΎΠΘϨϤϟ΍

We have heard about your latest product and would like more details. Please, send us any information you can supply.

ΩϮϧϭ ϢϜϳΪϟ ΞΘϨϣ ήΧ΁ έϭΪμΑ ΎϨϤϠϋ ΪϘϟ ˯ΎΟήϟΎϓ .ϞϴλΎϔΘϟ΍ Ϧϣ Ϊϳΰϣ ϰϠϋ ϝϮμΤϟ΍ Δϳέϭήπϟ΍ ΕΎϣϮϠόϤϟΎΑ ΎϧϮϓ΍ϮΗ ϥ΃

I would like to know more about the product which you are offering at cost price.

ϱάϟ΍ ΞΘϨϤϟ΍ Ϧϋ ΪϳΰϤϟ΍ ϑήϋ΃ ϥ΃ ϲϧΪόδϳ ΔϔϠϜΘϟ΍ ήόδΑ ϪϧϮοήόΗ

I am planning to come and study in your institute and would be grateful if you could send me a prospectus and details of your fees.

ϝϮμΤϟ΍ ϲϧΪόδϳϭ ϢϛΪϬόϣ ϲϓ Δγ΍έΪϟ΍ ϱϮϧ΃ / ϡϮγήϟ΍ ϞϴλΎϔΗϭ ΔϴϧϼϋϹ΍ ϢϜΗήθϧ ϰϠϋ ϢϜϟ ϥϮϛ΃ ΍άϟ .ϢϛΪϬόϤΑ ϕΎΤΘϟϻ΍ ϲϓ ΐϏέ΃ ΔϴϧϼϋϹ΍ ϢϜΗήθϨΑ ϲΗΎϓ΍ϮϤΑ ϢΘϠπϔΗ Ϯϟ ΍ήϛΎη Δγ΍έΪϟ΍ ϡϮγέϭ

I would like some information about the courses offered by your institute and details of yours fees, and information about accommodation.

Ϧϋ ΕΎϣϮϠόϤϟ΍ ξόΒΑ ϲΗΩΎϓ· ˯ΎΟήϟ΍ ϡϮγέ ϞϴλΎϔΗϭ ϢϛΪϬόϣ ϲϓ ΔΣΎΘϤϟ΍ αϭέΪϟ΍ ϦϜδϟ΍ ΕΎΒϴΗήΗϭ Δγ΍έΪϟ΍

As a potential buyer, the letter writer can ask for samples before making his/her selection, visit a showroom, or receive a representative if the product is of a complex nature. Suppliers are generally willing to respond to this kind of request. Therefore, the request formula should be straightforward and precise.

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Asking for Samples, Demonstrations, etc.

νϭήϋ ϢϴψϨΗϭ ˬΕΎϨϴϋ ϰϠϋ ϝϮμΤϟ΍ ΐϠρ ΔϴΣΎπϳ·

We would appreciate it if you would send some samples of the material so that we can examine the quality.

ϰΘΣ ΞΘϨϤϟ΍ Ϧϣ ΔϨϴϋ ϢΘϠγέ΍ Ϯϟ ϦϴϨΘϤϣ ϥϮϜϧ ΎϨϠμΣ Ϯϟ ϦϴϨΘϤϣ ϥϮϜϨγ / ΔϴϋϮϨϟ΍ Ϧϣ Ϊϛ΄Θϧ ΓΩϮΠϠϟ ϦΌϤτϧ ϰΘΣ ΞΘϨϤϟ΍ Ϧϣ ΔϨϴϋ ϰϠϋ

Before buying the product, we prefer to test it for safety. Could you therefore send us at least two examples of …?

Ϫ΋΍ήη ϞΒϗ ΞΘϨϤϟ΍ έΎΒΘΧ΍ ϰϠϋ ΎϧΪΘϋ΍ ΎϨϴϟ· ϢΘϠγέ΃ Ϯϟ ϦϳήϛΎη ϥϮϜϨγϭ ˬρΎϴΘΣϼϟ ϪϨϣ ϦϴΟΫϮϤϧ

I would like to discuss the maintenance question before deciding which equipment to install in my office. Therefore, I would be grateful if you could arrange for one of your representatives to call on me within the next week.

ΐϴϛήΗ ϞΒϗ ΔϧΎϴμϟ΍ Δϟ΄δϣ ϲϓ ήψϨϟ΍ Ωϭ΃ ϮΟέ΃ϭ .ϲΒΘϜϣ ϲϓ ϩέΎΘΧ΄γ ϱάϟ΍ ίΎϬΠϟ΍ ΪΣ΃ϭ ϲϨϴΑ ϝΎμΗ΍ ΐϴΗήΘΑ ΍ϮϣήϜΘΗ ϥ΃ ΍ήϛΎη ϡΩΎϘϟ΍ ωϮΒγϷ΍ ϢϜϴϠϛϮϣ

Where can I see a demonstration of this system?

΍άϬϟ ΔΣΎΘϤϟ΍ νϭήόϟ΍ ϥ΄θΑ ϱΩΎηέ· ˯ΎΟήϟ΍ κΘΨϣ ΏϭΪϨϣ ϰϟ· ϲϬϴΟϮΗ ˯ΎΟήϟ΍ / ϡΎψϨϟ΍ ϡΎψϨϟ΍ ΍άϫ νήόΑ

Please send us samples of your range of new items as advertised by you, with the lowest prices and best terms available. If they are right, we will send a stock order.

ΕΎΠΘϨϤϟ΍ Ϧϣ ΕΎϨϴϋ ΎϨϴϟ· ΍ϮϠγήΗ ϥ΃ ϮΟήϧ Ϟϗ΃ ΪϳΪΤΗ ϊϣ ΎϬϨϋ ϢΘϨϠϋ΃ ϲΘϟ΍ ΓΪϳΪΠϟ΍ ΕΎϨϴόϟ΍ ΖϧΎϛ ΍ΫΈϓ .ρϭήθϟ΍ ϦδΣ΃ϭ έΎόγϷ΍ ΔϴΒϠρ ϢϜϴϟ· ΚόΒϨγ ΎϨΗΎΒϠτΘϤϟ ΔϘϓ΍Ϯϣ

The following request generally relates to transactions between retailers and wholesalers where testing a selection of products is important to the retailer before buying a large quantity of items. There usually is a time limit to return the goods or pay for them that the customer should express himself/herself to be ready to comply with.

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Asking for Special Terms: Goods on Approval, on Sale or Return, for Special Discounts

˯΍ήηϭ ˬΔϧΎϣϷΎΑ ϊϴΒϟ΍ :ΔλΎΧ ρϭήθΑ ϊϴΒϟ΍ ΔλΎΧ ΕΎϣϮμΧ ΐϠρ ΔϨϳΎόϤϟ΍ ΪόΑ ϊϠδϟ΍

The leaflet advertising your product interested us. However, we would only consider placing an order if it was on the usual basis of sale or return.

ϲϓ ϪϨϋ ϢΘϨϠϋ΃ ϱάϟ΍ ΞΘϨϤϟΎΑ ϥϮϤΘϬϣ ϦΤϧ ϢΘϨϛ ΍Ϋ· ˯΍ήη ΐϠρ ϢϳΪϘΗ ΎϧΪόδϳϭ .ϢϛέϮθϨϣ .ΔϧΎϣϷΎΑ ϊϴΒϟ΍ ΔϘϳήρ ϥϮϠΒϘΗ

If this is acceptable, we will send you a firm order.

ϢϜΘϘϓ΍Ϯϣ ϢϠδΘϧ ΎϤϟΎΣ ΎΘΑΎΛ ΎΒϠρ ϢϜϴϟ· ϪΟϮϨγϭ Δϐϴμϟ΍ ϩάϫ ϰϠϋ

We hope that you can supply us with suitable goods so we may place regular orders for large quantities.

ϰΘΣ ϊϠγ Ϧϣ ΎϨΒγΎϨϳ Ύϣ ϢϛΪϨϋ ΪΠϧ ϥ΃ Ϟϣ΄ϧ ΓήϴΒϛ ΕΎϴϤϜΑϭ ΔϤψΘϨϣ ΕΎΒϠρ ϢϜϴϟ· ϪΟϮϧ

Could you let us know if you allow cash discounts?

Ϧϋ ˯΍ήθϟ΍ ΎϨϜϤϣ ϥΎϛ ϥ· ϡϼόΘγϻ΍ ΩϮϧ ϥ· ΎϨϣϼϋ· ˯ΎΟήϟ΍ / ϱΪϘϨϟ΍ ϢμΨϟ΍ ϖϳήρ ϱΪϘϨϟ΍ ϢμΨϟ΍ ϥϮΒδΘΤΗ ϢΘϨϛ

As we intend to place a substantial order, we would like to know what quantity discounts you allow.

ΎϬϧϮϘΒτΗ ϲΘϟ΍ ΔϴϤϜϟ΍ ϢμΧ ΔΒδϧ Δϓήόϣ ΩϮϧ ΓήϴΒϛ ΔϴΒϠρ ϢϜϴϟ· ϪΟϮϧ ϥ΃ ϞΒϗ

We usually deal on 10% trade discount for orders over 50 units. Please indicate whether you will allow us a special discount.

ϲϓ 10 ϪΘΒδϧ ϱέΎΠΗ ϢμΨΑ ϞϣΎόΘϟ΍ ΎϧΪΘϋ΍ 50 ΔϴϤϛ ϕϮϔΗ ϲΘϟ΍ ΕΎΒϠτϟ΍ ϰϠϋ Δ΋ΎϤϟ΍ ΎϨϧϮΤϨϤΘγ ϢΘϨϛ ϥ· ΎϨΗΩΎϓ· ˯ΎΟήϟΎϓ .ΓΪΣϭ ΎλΎΧ ΎϤμΧ

As we have a very large demand for your goods, we write to ask you to kindly charge us the lowest price possible, for quantities of not less than 50 units.

ήϴΒϛ ϢϜΘόϠγ ϰϠϋ ΐϠτϟ΍ ϥ΄Α ΎϤϠϋ ϢϜτϴΤϧ έΎόγϷ΍ κΧέ΃ ΎϨϧϮΤϨϤΗ ϥ΃ ϢϜϨϣ βϤΘϠϧϭ / ΓΪΣϭ 50 Ϧϋ ϞϘΗ ϻ ΕΎϴϤϜϟ΍ ϥϮϜΗ ΎϣΪϨϋ Ϟϣ΄ϧϭ ϢϜΘϋΎπΑ ϒϳήμΘϟ Δόγ΍ϭ ϕϮγ ΎϨϳΪϟ ϰϟ· ΔΒδϨϟΎΑ ΔπϔΨϨϣ έΎόγ΃ Ϧϣ ΪϴϔΘδϧ ϥ΃ ΓΪΣϭ 50 Ϧϋ ϞϘΗ ϻ ϲΘϟ΍ ΕΎϴϤϜϟ΍

Should your prices and conditions suit us, we shall send in an order by way of trial.

ΖϧΎϛ ΍Ϋ· ΔΑήΠΘϟ΍ ΏΎΑ Ϧϣ ΎΒϠρ ϢϜϴϟ· ϞγήϨγ ΎϨϤ΋ϼΗ ϢϜρϭήηϭ ϢϛέΎόγ΃

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Could you please send us, by return of post, your price list with the usual trade discounts and conditions for an extra discount.

ΔϤ΋Ύϗ ΪϳήΒϟ΍ ΓΩϮόΑ ΎϨϴϟ· ΍ϮϠγήΗ ϥ΃ ϮΟήϧ ΩΎΘόϤϟ΍ ϱέΎΠΘϟ΍ ϢμΨϟ΍ ϥΎϴΑ ϊϣ ϢϛέΎόγ΃ ϲϓΎο· ϢμΧ ΢Ϩϣ ρϭήθΑ ΎϨΗΩΎϓ·ϭ

We shall be greatly obliged by your sending us goods according to the enclosed memorandum of order.

ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ΎϨϴϟ· ϢΘϠγέ΃ Ϯϟ ϦϴϨΘϤϣ ϢϜϟ ϥϮϜϨγ νήόϟΎΑ ΔϘϓήϤϟ΍ ΓήϛάϤϟ΍ ϲϓ ΔϨϴΒϤϟ΍

Kindly send us the items mentioned in your offer dated…, together with the invoice for the same.

ϲϓ ΔϨϴΒϤϟ΍ ΔόϠδϟ΍ ϝΎγέΈΑ ϡήϜΘϟ΍ ϮΟήϧ ΔϘϓήϣ (ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ϲϓ ϢϜϨϣ ϡΪϘϤϟ΍ νήόϟ΍ ΎϬΑ ΔλΎΨϟ΍ ΓέϮΗΎϔϟΎΑ

A tender is an invitation to supply an estimate for a future undertaking. An estimate is also an evaluation of project costs but on a much smaller scale. Usually, advertisements for tenders are published in newspapers to attract as many contractors as possible and get the best proposal. However, companies may also invite suppliers to make estimates about a project before assigning it to the most favorable offer.

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Asking for a Tender or an Estimate

ΔϴϟΎϣ νϭήϋ ϭ΍ Ε΍˯Ύτϋ ϢϳΪϘΗ ΐϠρ

We are planning to extend our facilities and would be interested to receive estimates from several contractors.

ϦϳΪϬόΘϤϟ΍ ϒϠΘΨϣ ϮϋΪϧϭ ΎϨΗ΂θϨϣ ϊϴγϮΗ ΩϮϧ Ϫϧ΄θΑ ΔϴϟΎϣ νϭήόΑ ΎϨΗΎϓ΍Ϯϣϭ ωϭήθϤϟ΍ ϢϴϴϘΗ ϢϴϴϘΗ ϦϳΪϬόΘϤϟ΍ ϮϋΪϧϭ ΎϨΗ΂θϨϣ ϊϴγϮΘϟ ΪόΘδϧ / ϚϟΫ ϲϓ ΔϳήϳΪϘΗ ϑϮθϛ ϢϳΪϘΗϭ νήόϟ΍

We are writing to invite experts to supply an estimate for the (project).

˯Ύτϋ ϢϳΪϘΗ ϦϴμμΨΘϤϟ΍ ϦϴμϗΎϨϤϟ΍ ϮϋΪϧ ΡϭήτϤϟ΍ ωϭήθϤϠϟ

We would like to launch a call for proposals concerning (project). If you can provide a competitive estimate, please contact us at….

ωϭήθϤϟ ˯Ύτϋ ΓϮϋΩ Ϧϋ ϦϠόϧ ϥ΃ ΩϮϧ ϢϳΪϘΗ ΔϤΘϬϤϟ΍ ΕΎϬΠϟ΍ ϰϠϋϭ (νήόϟ΍) ϲϟΎΘϟ΍ ϥ΍ϮϨόϟ΍ ϰϠϋ ΔϴδϓΎϨΘϟ΍ ΎϬοϭήϋ

We have issued a national open tender for the construction of industrial installations. Contractors wishing to bid on the work shall submit a Letter of Interest to the Project Manager.

˯ΎϨΒϟ ΔΣϮΘϔϣ ΔϴϨρϭ ΔμϗΎϨϣ ΢Θϓ Ϧϋ ϦϠόϧ ϦϳΪϬόΘϤϟ΍ Ϧϣ ϮΟήϧϭ .ΔϴϋΎϨλ Ε΂θϨϣ ϝΎγέ· ΔμϗΎϨϤϟ΍ ϲϓ ΔϛέΎθϤϟ΍ ϲϓ ϦϴΒϏ΍ήϟ΍ Ϧϋ Ϫϴϓ ϥϮΑήόϳ ωϭήθϤϟ΍ ήϳΪϣ ϰϟ· ΏΎτΧ ϢϬϣΎϤΘϫ΍

The government is soliciting bids for (project). Interested bidders are invited to submit their proposals for approval.

ΕΎμϗΎϨϣ ˯΍ήΟ· ϲϓ ΎϬΘΒϏέ Ϧϋ ΔϣϮϜΤϟ΍ ϦϠόΗ ΕϻϭΎϘϤϟ΍ ϮϋΪΗϭ .(ωϭήθϤϟ΍) κΨΗ ΔϣΎϋ ΎϬΘγ΍έΪϟ ΎϬΗ΍ΪϬόΗ ϢϳΪϘΗ ΔϠϫΆϤϟ΍

Formulaic expressions for ending or closing business letters are generally simple words of thanks or expressions such as “I look forward to hearing from you”. This is sufficient unless there are specific terms the customer would like to focus on.

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ΔϴΤΘϟ΍/ΩΪΤϣ ϕΎϴγ ϲϓ ΏΎτΨϟ΍ ϢΗ΍ϮΧ ΔϴϣΎΘΨϟ΍

Specific ending or closing formulas be

ϊϳήδϟ΍ ϢϛΩέ ϢϜϟ ήϜθϧ

We would be grateful for an early reply.

ϊϳήδϟ΍ ΩήϟΎΑ ϢΘϠπϔΗ Ϯϟ ϦϴϨΘϤϣ ϥϮϜϨγ

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

ϦϜϤϣ Ζϗϭ Ώήϗ΃ ϲϓ ΩήΑ ΎϧϮϓ΍ϮΗ ϥ΃ ϮΟήϧ

We hope to hear from you in the near future.

Ζϗϭ Ώήϗ΃ ϲϓ ΔόϠδϟ΍ ϰϠϋ ϝϮμΤϟ΍ ϲϓ Ϟϣ΄ϧ ϡΰϠΘδΗ ϥϭΰΨϤϟ΍ ϥ΍έϭΩ Δϋήγ ϥϷ ϦϜϤϣ ϱέϮϔϟ΍ ϢϴϠδΘϟ΍

Prompt delivery would be necessary as we have a rapid turnover.

ϝΪόϣ ϥϷ ΔϋήδΑ ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ Ϣ˷ϠδΗ ϦδΤΘδϧ ΎϨϳΪϟ ϝΎϋ ϥϭΰΨϤϟ΍ ϥ΍έϭΩ

If you can agree to the concessions we have asked for, we will place a substantial order.

ˬΔΑϮϠτϤϟ΍ ΕΎπϴϔΨΘϟ΍ ϰϠϋ ϢϜΘϘϓ΍Ϯϣ ϝΎΣ ϲϓ ϰϠϋ ϢΘϘϓ΍ϭ ΍Ϋ· / ΔϤΨο ΕΎϴϤϜΑ ΎΒϠρ ϡΪϘϨγ ΓήϴΒϛ ΔϴΒϠρ ϢϜϴϟ· ϪΟϮϨδϓ ξϴϔΨΘϟΎΑ ΎϨΒϠρ ϢΠΤϟ΍

Your prompt appreciated.

reply

would

. If these conditions interest you, and you can meet orders of over one hundred items at one time, please send us your current catalogue and price list.

ρϭήθϟ΍ ϩάϫ ϰϠϋ ϢϜΘϘϓ΍Ϯϣ ϝΎΣ ϲϓ ΓΪΣϭ Δ΋Ύϣ ϰϠϋ ΪϳΰΗ ΕΎΒϠρ ΔϴΒϠΘϟ ϢϛΩ΍ΪόΘγ΍ϭ ϢϜΗΎΠΘϨϣ ΔΤ΋ϼΑ ΎϨΗΎϓ΍Ϯϣ ˯ΎΟήϟ΍ ˬΪΣ΍ϭ ϥ΁ ϲϓ έΎόγϷ΍ ΔϤ΋Ύϗϭ ΓήϴΧϷ΍

Please let us know if you need any further details.

ΕΎϣϮϠόϣ Δϳ΃ ΐϠρ ϲϓ ΍ϭΩΩήΘΗ ϻ΃ ˯ΎΟήϟ΍ ΪϳΰϤΑ ϢϜΗΎϓ΍ϮϤϟ Ω΍ΪόΘγ΍ ϰϠϋ ϦΤϧ / ΔϴϓΎο· Ϟγήϧ ϥ΃ ΎϧΪόδϳ / ˯ΎπΘϗϻ΍ ΪϨϋ ϞϴλΎϔΘϟ΍ Ϧϣ ϞϴλΎϔΘϟ΍ Ϧϣ ΪϳΰϤϟ΍ ϢϜϴϟ·

We look forward to receiving a trial order from you soon.

ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ Ϧϣ ΔϨϴϋ ΎϨϴϟ· ΍ϮϠγήΗ ϥ΃ ϮΟήϧ ΎϫέΎΒΘΧϻ

When replying, please also include delivery details.

/ ΎϨϴϟ· ϢϛΩέ ϲϓ ϢϴϠδΘϟ΍ ΕΎϧΎϴΑ ΢ϴοϮΗ ϮΟήϧ ϞϴλΎϔΘΑ ΎϨΗΩΎϓΈΑ ϢΘϠπϔΗ Ϯϟ ϦϴϨΘϤϣ ϥϮϜϨγ ϢϛΩέ ϲϓ ϢϴϠδΘϟ΍

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6.2.2 Reply to a Request Letter When replying to an enquiry letter, the common usage is to start by thanking the writer for his/her letter which reference should be mentioned. Common purposes: sending samples, products, etc., giving estimates, arranging for product demonstration, confirming ability/inability to satisfy the demand, etc. Specific Opening Formulas

ΔϴΤΘϟ΍/ΩΪΤϣ ϕΎϴγ ϲϓ ΏΎτΨϟ΍ ΕΎϴΣΎΘΘϓ΍ ΔϴΣΎΘΘϓϻ΍ ϲϓ

ΥέΆϤϟ΍

ϢϜΑΎτΧ ΎϨϤϠδΗ ϚϟΫ ϰϠϋ ϢϛήϜθϧϭ

We acknowledge with thanks receipt of your letter dated …

(ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍)

We are greatly obliged for your letter dated…

ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΨϟ ϥΎϨΘϣϻ΍ ΔϳΎϏ ϲϓ ϦΤϧ (ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍)

In reply to your letter dated…, we have the pleasure to …

ˬ(ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ΦϳέΎΘΑ έήΤϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϰϠϋ ΍Ωέ Ύϧήδϳ

In reference to your letter dated…

ˬ(ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϰϟ· ΓέΎηϹΎΑ

We have taken careful note of the request in your letter dated …

ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ΏΎτΨϟ΍ ϲϓ ϢϜΒϠρ ϲϘϟ ΪϘϟ ˬΎϨϣ ΔϳΎϨϋ Ϟϛ (ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍)

We have received in due course your letter dated …

ˬ(ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϪϨϴΣ ϲϓ ΎϨϤϠδΗ

Your letter dated … has crossed our letter in the same date.

ϥ΃ ΪόΑ (ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ΦϳέΎΘΑ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ΎϨϠλϭ ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍ βϔϧ ϲϓ ΍Ωέ ϢϜϴϟ· ΎϨϠγέ΃

We thank you for your letter dated… that we have received after delay…

(ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϰϠϋ ϢϛήϜθϧ ήϴΧ΄Η ΪόΑ ΎϨϠλϭ ϱάϟ΍

Please excuse our delayed response to your letter dated …

ϰϠϋ Ωήϟ΍ ϲϓ ΎϧήϴΧ΄Η Ϧϋ Ύϧέ΍άΘϋ΍ ϝϮΒϗ ϮΟήϧ (ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ

We have just received your letter dated … and we regret to inform you that…

(ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϥϵ΍ ΎϨϤϠδΗ ... ϥ΄Α ΎϤϠϋ ϢϜτϴΤϧ ϥ΃ ΎϣΎϤΗ ΎϨϔγΆϳϭ

Types of Business Letters

Reply to Requests: Ability or Inability to Meet the Enquiry We would like to thank you for your enquiry dated… and are pleased to inform that we are able to supply you with (object).

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ΔϴΒϠΗ Ϟϋ ΎϬϣΪϋ ϭ΍ ΓέΪϘϟ΍ :ΕΎΒϠρ ϰϠϋ ΩϭΩέ Ε΍έΎδϔΘγϻ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϪϨϤπΗ ϱάϟ΍ ΐϠτϟ΍ ϰϠϋ ϢϛήϜθϧ ϥ΃ ϢϜϤϠόϧ ϥ΃ Ύϧήδϳϭ (ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ΏϮϠτϤϟΎΑ ϢϛΩ΍Ϊϣ·ϭ ϪΘϴΒϠΗ ΎϨϧΎϜϣΈΑ

that we will you kindly your letter door-to-door

ϢϜϟ ϞγήϨγ ΎϨϧ΄Α ΎϤϠϋ ϢϛΪϴϔϧ ϥ΃ Ύϧήδϳ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΨΑ ΎϬΒϠτΑ ϢΘϠπϔΗ ϲΘϟ΍ ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ϝΰϨϤϟ΍ ϰϟ· ΎϬϠϴλϮΗϭ (ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ϲϓ

We are privileged to provide you with your order and assure you that we have no trouble meeting your delivery date.

ΪϋϮϣ ˯Ύϔϳ· ΔϴϧΎϜϣ· ΪϛΆϧϭ ϢϜΒϠρ ΔϴΒϠΘΑ ϑήθΘϧ ϢϴϠδΘϟ΍

As inquired, today we shipped the goods ordered in your letter dated…

ΐδΣ ΎϫϮϤΘΒϠρ ϲΘϟ΍ ϊϠδϟ΍ ϦΤθΑ ϡϮϴϟ΍ ΎϨϤϗ (ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΒϠρ

We regret that we cannot execute the order contained in your letter dated… as…

ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΒϠρ ΔϴΒϠΗ ϊϴτΘδϧ ϻ ΎϨϧ΃ ΎϨϔγΆϳ ... ϰϟ· ΍ήψϧ (ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍)

Thank you for your enquiry dated… but unfortunately it is impossible for us to execute the order.

(ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ΦϳέΎΘΑ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϰϠϋ ϢϛήϜθϧ ΐϠτϟ΍ ΔϴΒϠΗ ϊϴτΘδϧ ϻ ΎϨϧ΃ ϢϜϣϼϋ· ΎϨϔγΆϳϭ ϪϨϤπΗ ϱάϟ΍

We are obliged for the order which you sent us in your letter dated…but regret to inform you that we no longer manufacture the required model.

(ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ϲϓ ϞγήϤϟ΍ ϢϜΒϠρ ϡϼΘγΎΑ ΎϨϓήθΗ ΝΫϮϤϨϟ΍ ϊϨμϧ ϒγϷ΍ ϊϣ Ϊόϧ Ϣϟ ϦϜϟ ΏϮϠτϤϟ΍

We are pleased to say dispatch the goods ordered from us in dated… and can offer services.

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Closing Formulas

ΔϴϣΎΘΧ΍ ώϴλ

Once again, we would like to thank you for your letter dated…. Any further questions you might have would be most welcome.

ϱάϟ΍ ΏΎτΨϟ΍ ϰϠϋ ΪϳΪΟ Ϧϣ ϢϛήϜθϧ ϥ΃ ΎϧΪόδϳϭ (ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ΦϳέΎΘΑ ΎϨϴϟ· ϩϮϤΘϠγέ΃ ϢϜϨϣ ΔϴϓΎο· Ε΍έΎδϔΘγ΍ Δϳ΃ ϰϠϋ Ωήϧ

We would be pleased to supply any other information you require.

Ϊϗ ΔϴϓΎο· ΕΎϣϮϠόϣ Δϳ΃ ϢϳΪϘΗ ΎϧΪόδϴγ ΎϬϴϟ· ϥϮΟΎΘΤΗ

We hope to hear from you again soon, and can assure you that your orders shall receive our most careful attention.

ΪϛΆϧϭ ϢϜϨϣ ΪϳΪΟ ΏΎτΧ ϲϘϠΗ έΎψΘϧ΍ ϲϓ ϦΤϧ ΎϨΘϳΎϨϋ ϞΤϣ ϥϮϜΘγ ϢϜΗΎΒϠρ ϥ΃ ϢϜϟ

Please acknowledge receipt of this letter…

ΓΩϮόΑ ΏΎτΨϟ΍ ΍άϫ ϝϮλϮΑ ΎϨΗΩΎϓ· ϮΟήϧ ΪϳήΒϟ΍

We look forward to continuing to serve our clients.

ΔϣΪΧ ϲϓ έ΍ήϤΘγϻ΍ ϰϠϋ ΎϨλήΣ ΪϛΆϧ ΎϨϨ΋ΎΑί

We remain always ready to give advice on this matter. Yours sincerely.

ΓέϮθϤϟ΍ ˯΍ΪγϹ Ω΍ΪόΘγ΍ ϢΗ΃ ϰϠϋ ˱ ΎϤ΋΍Ω ϦΤϧ ϡ΍ήΘΣϻ΍ ϖ΋Ύϓ ϝϮΒϘΑ ΍ϮϠπϔΗϭ .ϥ΄θϟ΍ ΍άϫ ϲϓ ήϳΪϘΘϟ΍ϭ

Trusting that we can reach an agreement on the terms quoted…

ρϭήη ϥ΄θΑ ϕΎϔΗ΍ ϰϟ· Ϟμϧ ϥ΃ ϲϓ Ϟϣ΄ϧ ΔΤοϮϤϟ΍ ΔϠϣΎόϤϟ΍

6.2.3 Complaint Letter In business correspondence, complaints do not generally concern one specific person but they address an entity. Therefore, the complaint should not be personal and emotional words such as amazed or frustrated are to be avoided. Dissatisfaction can be expressed, for example, through the customer’s willingness to consider changing the supplier or wish that the problem does not arise again. Despite consequent inconveniences, the use of a tactful and polite tone is recommended. Common purposes: non-delivery or uncompleted work, delay in delivery, poor service, damaged goods, product bad quality, wrong goods, etc.

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Background Information

ΔϳΪϴϬϤΗ ΕΎϣϮϠόϣ

Thank you for your promptness in delivering the articles ordered on (date). However, …

ΎϫΎϨΒϠρ ϲΘϟ΍ ΔόϠδϟ΍ ϢϴϠδΗ ϰϠϋ ϢϛήϜθϧ ΎϨϧ΃ ϻ· ήϴμϗ Ζϗϭ ϲϓ (ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ΦϳέΎΘΑ ... ˰ϟ ϒγ΄ϧ

When we concluded the transaction, you estimated that the work was to be completed by (date). However, the work is still only half finished.

νϭήϔϤϟ΍ ϥΎϛ ΎϨϨϴΑ ϕΎϔΗϻ΍ ΎϨόϗϭ ΎϣΪϨϋ ϻ· .(ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ϲϓ ϢϛήϳΪϘΗ ΐδΣ ϞϤόϟ΍ ϝΎϤϛ· έϮρ ϲϓ ϥϵ΍ ΪΣ ϰϟ· ϝ΍ΰϳ ϻ ϞϤόϟ΍ ϥ΃ ίΎΠϧϻ΍

I received financial compensation for damages due to failure to complete the contract. However, I wish to place on record how much inconvenience has been caused by the way you handled this claim.

έ΍ήοϷ΍ Ϧϋ ϲϟΎϤϟ΍ ξϳϮόΘϟ΍ ΖϤϠδΗ ϢϛήϜη΃ϭ ˬΎϨϨϴΑ ΪϘόϟ΍ ϡ΍ήΘΣ΍ ϡΪϋ Ϧϋ ΔϤΟΎϨϟ΍ ϊοϮϠϟ ϲϔγ΃ Ϧϋ Ώήϋ΃ ϲϨϧ΃ ϻ· .ϚϟΫ ϰϠϋ ϩάϬϟ ϢϜΘΠϟΎόϣ Ϫϴϓ ΖΒΒδΗ ϱάϟ΍ ΔϳΎϐϠϟ ΞϋΰϤϟ΍ ΔΒϟΎτϤϟ΍

When we had to make a claim, we were treated in the most despicable way by your company.

Ύϧέήϗ ΎϣΪϨϋ ΔϠϣΎόϣ ΃Ϯγ΃ ϢϜΘϛήη ΎϨΘϠϣΎϋ ΪϘϟ ΔΒϟΎτϣ ϢϳΪϘΗ

The company treated us badly as if it were proved that we had been attempting fraud.

ΎϬϟ ΖΒΛ Ϯϟ ΎϤϛ ΔΌϴγ ΔϘϳήτΑ Δϛήθϟ΍ ΎϨΘϠϣΎϋ ΎϬϋ΍ΪΧ ϝϭΎΤϧ ΎϨϛ ΎϨϧ΃

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Reasons for Complaint

ϯϭΎϜθϟ΍ ΏΎΒγ΃

We refused your last consignment because it arrived in bad condition.

ϲΘϟ΍ ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ϢϠδΗ ξϓέ ϰϟ· Ύϧέήτο΍ ΔΌϳΩήϟ΍ ΎϬΘϟΎΤϟ ˱΍ήϴΧ΃ ΎϫϮϤΘϠγέ΃

We very much regret to have to inform you that your consignment dated… arrived damaged.

ΦϳέΎΘΑ ΔϠγήϤϟ΍ ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ϥ΃ Ϧϴϔγ΁ ϢϜϤϠόϧ ΔΤϟΎλ ήϴϏϭ ΔϔϟΎΗ ΖϠλϭ (ΦϳέΎΗ) ϝΎϤόΘγϼϟ

Due to unsatisfactory quality, we have no choice but to refuse the goods. It is just not possible to use them.

ϰϟ· ΍ήψϧ ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ξϓέ ϻ· ΎϨόγϮΑ βϴϟ Ϧϣ ϞόΠΗ ΔΌϳΩήϟ΍ ΎϬΘϟΎΤϓ .ΎϬΘϴϋϮϧ ˯Ϯγ ϥΎϛ ϪΟϭ ϱ΃ ϰϠϋ ΎϬϟΎϤόΘγ΍ ΎϨϴϠϋ έάόΘϤϟ΍

After checking the goods consigned to us by you dated…, we found that they do not match the samples. Therefore, we would like to cancel the new order.

ϲϓ ΎϫϮϤΘϠγέ΃ ϲΘϟ΍ ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ϡϮϴϟ΍ ΎϨμΤϓ ΔϨϴόϠϟ ΔϘΑΎτϣ Ζδϴϟ ΎϬϧ΃ ΎϨϟ Ϧ˷ϴΒΗϭ (ΦϳέΎΗ) ΪϳΪΠϟ΍ ΐϠτϟ΍ ϲϐϠϧ ϥ΃ ΩϮϧ Ϛϟάϟ

We are unhappy with the condition the product has been delivered in. Therefore, we decided to return it within the time limit after its reception.

ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ΔϟΎΣ Ϧϋ ˱ Ύϗϼρ· Ϧϴϴο΍έ ήϴϏ ϦΤϧ ΩϭΪΣ ϲϓ ΎϬΗΩΎϋ· Ύϧέήϗ ϲϟΎΘϟΎΑϭ .ϢϴϠδΘϟ΍ ΪϨϋ ΓέήϘϤϟ΍ ΓήΘϔϟ΍

Unfortunately we find that the finished product does not meet our requirements and was not delivered on time.

ϲϔΗ ϻ ΓΰϫΎΠϟ΍ ΔόϠδϟ΍ ϥ΃ ΎϧΪΟϭ φΤϟ΍ ˯Ϯδϟ Ζϗϭ ϲϓ ΎϫΎϨϤϠδΗ ΎϨϧ΃ Ϧϋ ϼπϓ ΎϨΗΎΒϠτΘϤΑ ήΧ΄Θϣ

We are sorry to inform you that the greater part of the articles is damaged. We would like to return them for an appraisal of the damage.

ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ϑΎϨλ΃ Ϣψόϣ ϥ΄Α ϢϜϣϼϋϹ ϒγ΄ϧ ΓέΎδΨϟ΍ ήϳΪϘΘϟ ΎϬΗΩΎϋ· ΩϮϧϭ .ΔϔϟΎΗ ΖϧΎϛ ϚϟΫ Ϧϋ ΔϤΟΎϨϟ΍

We have requested the same order of goods received previously. We found out, at our great surprise, that you have sent us entirely different kinds.

.ϩΎϨϤϠδΗ ϥ΃ ϖΒγ ΎϤϟ ΔϠΛΎϤϣ ΔϋΎπΑ ΎϨΒϠρ ΪϘϟ ΔϔϠΘΨϣ ϑΎϨλ΃ ϑΎθΘϛϻ ΍ήϴΜϛ Ύϧ΄ΟΎϔΗ ΎϨϧ΃ ϻ· ΎϣΎϤΗ

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We are surprised to note that you have exceeded the quantity of the ordered items. As a result, we find ourselves obliged to refuse the added articles.

ϊ΋ΎπΒϟ΍ ΔϴϤϛ ϢΗίϭΎΠΗ ϢϜϧ΃ ϒθΘϜϧ ϥ΃ ΎϨθϫΪϳ ξϓέ ϰϟ· Ϧϳήτπϣ ϦΤϧ ϲϟΎΘϟΎΑϭ .ΔΑϮϠτϤϟ΍ ΎϬΒϠτϧ Ϣϟ ϲΘϟ΍ ϑΎϨλϷ΍

When we received your parcel, we were very upset to notice that nearly all the contents arrived in bad condition

ϯϮΘΤϣ ϞϤΠϣ ϥ΃ ϑΎθΘϛϻ ΍ήϴΜϛ Ύϧ΄Θγ΍ ΔΌϳΩέ ΔϟΎΣ ϲϓ ΎϨϴϟ· Ϟλϭ Ωήτϟ΍

On (date), we ordered especially manufactured equipment. It was delivered to us with significant defects. We are sending the defective product back to the company to repair or replace it and promptly return it to us

Ε΍ΰϴϬΠΘϟ ΔϴΒϠρ (ΦϳέΎΗ) ϲϓ ϢϜϴϟ· ΎϨϬΟϭ ΪϘϟ ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ΎϨϤϠδΗ ΎϣΪϨϋϭ .ϊϴϨμΘϟ΍ ΔμμΨΘϣ Ϛϟάϟ .ΔΧέΎλ ΏϮϴόΑ ΔΑϮθϣ ΎϬϧ΃ ΎϧΪΟϭ ϭ΃ ΎϬΤϴϠμΘϟ Δϛήθϟ΍ ϰϟ· ΎϬΗΩΎϋ· Ύϧέήϗ ϲϓ ΪϳΪΟ Ϧϣ ΎϨϟ ΎϬϟΎγέ·ϭ ϯήΧ΄Α ΎϬϟ΍ΪΒΘγ΍ ϝΎΟϵ΍ Ώήϗ΃

I bought a children’s toy from your downtown store on (date). Unfortunately I found that it displays invisible faults and I am writing to you to say how disappointed I am with my purchase.

ήΠΘϤϟ΍ Ϧϣ ϝΎϔρ΃ ΔΒόϟ (ΦϳέΎΗ) ϲϓ ΖϳήΘη΍ ΖϔθΘϛ΍ ϲϨϧ΃ ϻ· .ΔϨϳΪϤϟ΍ ςγϭ ϲϓ ϢϜϟ ϊΑΎΘϟ΍ ϲϨόϓΩ ΎϤΑ ΓήϫΎυ ήϴϏ ΏϮϴόΑ ΏϮθϣ Ϫϧ΃ ϲϠϣ΃ ΔΒϴΧ Ϧϋ Ώ΍ήϋϺϟ ϢϜΘϠγ΍ήϤϟ

Delivery of the goods ordered on (date) is now overdue. This delay has caused considerable inconvenience not only to us but also to our customers. Therefore, we would like to cancel the order.

ˬ(ΦϳέΎΘΑ) ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ϢϴϠδΗ ΪϋϮϣ ΕΎϓ ΪϘϟ ΎϨϟ ϢϬϣ ΝΎϋί· ϲϓ ήϴΧ΄Θϟ΍ ΍άϫ ΐΒδΗϭ ϢϜϤϠόϧ ϚϟΫ ΐΒδΑϭ .ΪΣ΍ϭ ϥ΁ ϲϓ ΎϨϨ΋ΎΑΰϟϭ ΔϴΒϠτϟ΍ ˯Ύϐϟ· ΩϮϧ ΎϨϧ΄Α

Your representative promised that your network offers high-speed internet access and this was an important factor in persuading us to subscribe with you. However, the regular telephone service is now not working properly. We must ask you to remedy this otherwise we shall

΢ϴΘΗ ϢϜΗΎϣΪΧ ϥ΃ ϢϜΘϛήη ϞΜϤϣ ΎϨϟ Ϊϛ΃ ΪϘϟ ϚϟΫ ϥΎϛϭ ΖϧήΘϧϻ΍ ήΒϋ Δϋήδϟ΍ ϖ΋Ύϓ ϻΎμΗ΍ .ϢϜΘϜΒη ϊϣ ϙ΍ήΘηϻΎΑ ΎϨϋΎϨϗ· ϲϓ ΎϤϬϣ ϼϣΎϋ ϞϤόΗ ϻ ϒΗΎϬϟ΍ ΕΎϣΪΧ ϥ΃ ϥϵ΍ ϒθΘϜϧ ϦϜϟ ϻ·ϭ ΎϬΣϼλ· ϢϜϨϣ ΐϠτϧ Ϛϟάϟϭ .ϲϐΒϨϳ ΎϤϛ ϙ΍ήΘηϻ΍ ˯Ύϐϟ· ϰϟ· ήτπϨγ

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have no option but to cancel the subscription. Our company is used to easy access to broadband internet so we were very disappointed that the service you offered fell far short of our expectations.

Ε΍Ϋ ΖϧήΘϧϻ΍ ΔϜΒη ϡ΍ΪΨΘγ΍ ΎϨΘϛήη ΕΩΎΘϋ΍ ϥ΃ ϒγϷ΍ Ϟϛ ΎϨϔγΆϳ Ϛϟάϟ ξϳήόϟ΍ ϕΎτϨϟ΍ ΎϨϴϠϋ ΎϫϮϤΘοήϋ ϲΘϟ΍ ΕΎϣΪΨϟ΍ ϥ΃ φΣϼϧ ΎϨΗΎόϗϮΘϟ ϰϧΩϷ΍ ΪΤϟ΍ Ϧϋ ΪόΒϟ΍ Ϟϛ ΓΪϴόΑ

Your service is well below the standard expected from an international telephone company. Could you tell me how I could cancel the subscription?

ϯϮΘδϤϟ΍ ϥϭΩ ΪϴόΑ ΪΣ ϰϟ· ϢϜΗΎϣΪΧ ΖϧΎϛ ϮΟήϧ Ϛϟάϟ .ΔϴϟϭΩ ΔϴϔΗΎϫ Δϛήη Ϧϣ ήψΘϨϤϟ΍ ϙ΍ήΘηϻ΍ ˯Ύϐϟ· Ε΍˯΍ήΟΈΑ ΎϨΗΩΎϓ· ϢϜϨϣ

Action Requested

ΔΑϮϠτϤϟ΍ Ε΍˯΍ήΟϻ΍

As agreed in the order, we are expecting from you reimbursement of expenses.

Ωέϭ Ύϣ ΐδΣ ΕΎϘϔϨϟ΍ Ω΍Ϊγ ϢϜϨϣ ϊϗϮΘϧ ΔϴΒϠτϟ΍ κϧ ϲϓ ΔΣ΍ήλ

We are requesting compensation for the loss due to this delay.

ΐΒδΗ ϲΘϟ΍ ΓέΎδΨϟ΍ Ϧϋ ΕΎπϳϮόΗ βϤΘϠϧ ΎϨϧ· ήϴΧ΄Θϟ΍ ΍άϫ ΎϬϴϓ

We wish to return the goods. Please replace them with new ones. We thank you to address the issue and find out why this happened.

ΎϬϟ΍ΪΒΘγ΍ ϢϜϨϣ ϮΟήϧϭ ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ΓΩΎϋ· ΩϮϧ ϱέϭήπϟ΍ Ϧϣ ΎϨϟ ϭΪΒϳ .ΓΪϳΪΟ ϯήΧ΄Α ΍άϫ ΏΎΒγ΃ Ϧϋ ΕΎΤϴοϮΗ ϰϠϋ ϝϮμΤϟ΍ ϊοϮϟ΍

Would you please order the payment of appropriate compensation for the inconvenience caused to us through the wrongful detention of goods.

ΕΎπϳϮόΘϟ΍ ϊϓΪΑ ήϣϷΎΑ ΍ϮϣήϜΘΗ ϥ΃ Ϟϣ΄ϧ ίΎΠΘΣϻ΍ ΐΒδΑ έήο Ϧϣ ΎϨϘΤϟ ΎϤϋ Δϣίϼϟ΍ ΔϋΎπΒϠϟ ΊρΎΨϟ΍

We are therefore entitled to request compensation including costs for maintenance and service of the equipment.

ΐϠτϧ ϥ΃ ΎϨϟ ϥ΃ ήϛάϟ΍ ΔϔϟΎγ ΏΎΒγϸϟ ϯήϧ ΔϣΪΧϭ ΔϧΎϴμϟ΍ ϒϴϟΎϜΗ ϞϤθϳ ΎπϳϮόΗ Ε΍ΰϴϬΠΘϟ΍

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In addition to the reimbursement of the expenses, we would like to receive an allowance on the invoice cost.

ϥ΃ ϢϜϨϣ ϮΟήϧ ˬΕΎϘϔϨϟ΍ ΪϳΪδΗ ϰϟ· ΔϓΎοϹΎΑ ΓέϮΗΎϔϟ΍ ΔϤϴϗ Ϧϣ ΎϤδΣ ΎϧϮΤϨϤΗ

Kindly send the goods by express at your expense to make up for the lost time and business.

ΔΑϮϠτϤϟ΍ ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ΎϨϴϟ· ΍ϮΜόΒΗ ϥ΃ ˯ΎΟήϟ΍ ήϴΧ΄Θϟ΍ Ϧϋ ΎπϳϮόΗ ϢϜΘϘϔϧ ϰϠϋϭ ϞΠόΘδϤϟΎΑ ΎϨΗΎϓ ϱάϟ΍ ΐδϜϟ΍ Ϧϋϭ

We trust that you will look into this matter and ensure that such claims are handled more appropriately in the future.

΍ϮϘϘΤΘΗϭ Δϟ΄δϤϟ΍ ϩάϫ ϲϓ ΍ϭήψϨΗ ϥ΃ ϲϓ Ϟϣ΄ϧ ϲϓ ϪΟϭ ΐδϧ΃ ϰϠϋ ΞϟΎόΗ ΕΎΒϠτϟ΍ ϩάϫ ϥ΃ Ϧϣ ϞΒϘΘδϤϟ΍

Please look into this matter and let us know the reason for the delay.

΍ϮΤοϮΗϭ Δϟ΄δϤϟ΍ ϩάϫ ϲϓ ΍ϭήψϨΗ ϥ΃ ϮΟήϧ ήϴΧ΄Θϟ΍ ΐΒγ ΎϨϟ

Please wire what you plan to do in the matter.

ϲϓ ΎϬϧϭάΨΘΘγ ϲΘϟ΍ Ε΍ϮτΨϟΎΑ ΎϨΗΩΎϓ· ˯ΎΟήϟ΍ ΎϴϗήΑ ΎϨϏϼΑ·ϭ ΩΪμϟ΍ ΍άϫ

Please let us know when you expect the work to be finished.

ΎϧϮϤϠόΗ ϥ΃ ϢϜϨϣ ϮΟήϧ ΎϔϠγ ϢϛήϜθϧ Ϋ·ϭ ϞϤόϟ΍ ˯ΎϬΘϧ΍ ΪϋϮϤΑ

We should be very much obliged by the receipt of a complete refund soon.

ϝϮμΤϟ΍ ϮΟήϧϭ ΕΎϴϨϤΘϟ΍ ΐϴρ΃ ϢϜϴϟ· Ϟγήϧ ϲϓ ωϮϓΪϤϟ΍ ώϠΒϤϟ΍ Ϧϋ ϞϣΎϛ ξϳϮόΗ ϰϠϋ ϝΎΟϵ΍ Ώήϗ΃

We feel there must be some explanation for this delay and await your reply.

ϰϠϋ ϝϮμΤϟ΍ ϱέϭήπϟ΍ Ϧϣ Ϫϧ΃ ΎϨϟ ϭΪΒϳ ήψΘϨϧϭ ήϴΧ΄Θϟ΍ ΍άϫ ΏΎΒγ΃ Ϧϋ ΕΎΤϴοϮΗ ϡ΍ήΘΣϻ΍ ϖ΋Ύϓ ϊϣ ϢϛΩέ

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General Closing Formulas

ϪϣΎϋ ΔϴϣΎΘΘΧ΍ ώϴλ

We hope to hear from you soon that the delivery will be made immediately.

ΎϨϠμϳ ϥ΃ ϮΟήϧϭ ΕΎϴϨϤΘϟ΍ ΐϴρ΃ ϢϜϟ ϡΪϘϧ ϝΎΟϵ΍ Ώήϗ΃ ϲϓ ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍ ϢϴϠδΘΑ ϢϛΩέ

Please give this attention. Yours,

΍ϮϠπϔΗϭ ϢϜΘϳΎϨϋ ΔϟΎγήϟ΍ ϩάϫ ΍ϮϟϮΗ ϥ΃ ϮΟήϧ ϡ΍ήΘΣϻ΍ ϖ΋Ύϓ ϝϮΒϘΑ

matter

your

I look forward to your early reply.

ΐϴρ΃ ΎϨϣ ΍ϮϠΒϘΗ ˬϢϜϨϣ ϊϳήγ Ωέ έΎψΘϧ΍ ϲϓ ΎϨϣ΍ήΘΣ΍ ϖ΋Ύϓϭ ΎϨΗΎϴϨϤΗ

Hoping to hear favorably from you.

ϢϛΩέ ήψΘϨϧϭ ΕΎϴϨϤΘϟ΍ ΐϴρ΃ ϢϜϟ ϡΪϘϧ ΔϘϓ΍ϮϤϟΎΑ

Yours faithfully,

ϡ΍ήΘΣϻ΍ ϖ΋Ύϓϭ ΔϴΤΘϟ΍ ήϓ΍ϭ ϝϮΒϘΑ ΍ϮϠπϔΗϭ

Yours sincerely,

ϡ΍ήΘΣϻ΍ ϕΪλ΃ ϝϮΒϘΑ ΍ϮϠπϔΗϭ

6.2.4 Letters of Apology An apology letter consists of acknowledging the responsibility for a mistake and the endower to solve a problem or to suggest an alternative. Excuses for the inconvenience are formulated directly through expressions such as we would like to apologize, please accept our apologies, we are sorry about the inconvenience it has caused you, etc., or by emphasizing the exceptional aspect of the mistake or the appreciated patience of the customer. Common purposes: apology for poor service, accounting errors, damage, cancelling an appointment. Background Information

ϪϳΪϴϬϤΗ ΕΎϣϮϠόϣ

Thank you for your letter dated … regarding the poor service you received.

(ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϰϠϋ ϢϛήϜη΃ ϲΘϟ΍ ΕΎϣΪΨϟ΍ ΔϴϋϮϧ ˯Ϯγ Ϫϴϓ ΎϨϔθΘϛ΍ ϱάϟ΍ ΎϫϮϤΘϴϘϠΗ

Your letter dated…has been duly received and given our most careful attention.

(ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍) ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϝϮλϮΑ ϢϛΪϴϔϧ ΎϨϣ ΔϐϟΎΑ ΔϳΎϨϋ ϪϧϮϤπϣ ϲϘϟ Ϊϗϭ

Types of Business Letters

We acknowledge with thanks the receipt of your letter concerning the inconvenience caused to you by the delay of delivery. I must apologize for the cancellation of our meeting today. I am afraid an urgent matter came up which I had to deal with immediately.

Apology Formulas We deeply regret the delay.

95

Ϫϴϓ ϢΘΤοϭ΃ ϱάϟ΍ ΏΎτΨϟ΍ ϦϳήϛΎη ΎϨϤϠδΗ ΪϘϟ ϝϮλϭ ήΧ΄Η ΎϬϴϓ ΐΒδΗ ϲΘϟ΍ ΔϘϳΎπϤϟ΍ ΔϋΎπΒϟ΍

ϱέ΍ήτο΍ Ϧϋ ΓέάόϤϟ΍ ϚϨϣ βϤΘϟ΃ ϥ΃ Ωϭ΃ ϞΟΎϋ ήϣ΃ ΃ήρ ΪϘϟ .ϡϮϴϟ΍ ΎϧΪϋϮϣ ˯Ύϐϟ· ϰϟ· ϪΟϭ ϰϠϋ ϪΘϳϮδΘϟ ϑ΍ήμϧϻ΍ ϲϠϋ ϢΘΣ Δϋήδϟ΍ Ϫϳέ΍άΘϋ΍ ώϴλ ήϴΧ΄Θϟ΍ ΍άϬϟ ϒγϷ΍ Ϊη΃ ϒγ΄ϧ

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

ϥ΃ ϮΟήϧϭ ήϴΧ΄Θϟ΍ ΍άϬϟ ϒγϷ΍ ώϟΎΑ ΎϧϭάΤϳ Ϊϗ ϥϮϜϧ ϲΘϟ΍ ΔϘϳΎπϤϠϟ ΎϨϔγ΃ ϕΩΎλ ΍ϮϠΒϘΗ ϢϜϟ ΎϫΎϨΒΒγ

We can assure you that such an event is not likely to happen again. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

έήϜΘϳ Ϧϟ ΍άϬϛ ΎΛΩΎΣ ϥ΃ ϢϜϟ ΪϛΆϧ ϥ΃ ϲϋ΍Ω ϻ Ϊϗ ϥϮϜϳ ΎϤϋ Ύϧέ΍άΘϋ΍ ϝϮΒϗ ϢϜϨϣ Ϟϣ΄ϧϭ ΕΎϘϳΎπϣ Ϧϣ ϢϜϟ ΐΒδΗ

We regret the delay and rely on your leniency in this matter.

ϮΟήϧϭ ήϴΧ΄Θϟ΍ ΍άϬϟ ΪϳΪθϟ΍ ΎϨϔγ΃ Ϧϋ Ώήόϧ ϢϬϔΘϟ΍ ϢϜϨϣ

Sending you our apologies, we are enclosing a gift voucher which you may use at any of our stores in town.

ϥ΃ ΎϨϓήθϳ ˬϯήΟ ΎϤϋ ΓέάόϤϟ΍ ϢϜϨϣ βϤΘϠϧ Ϋ· ϲϓ ΎϬϟΎϤόΘγ΍ ϢϜϨϜϤϳ ΔϳΪϫ ΔϤϴδϗ Ϫϴρ ϖϓήϧ .ΔϨϳΪϤϟΎΑ ΎϨΗϼΤϣ Ϧϣ ϞΤϣ ϱ΃

Our sincerest apologies for any embarrassment caused by our employee who received you at the airport.

Ϊϗ ϥϮϜΗ ΔϘϳΎπϣ Δϳ΃ Ϧϋ ΍έάϋ ϢϜΤϤδΘδϧ ϲϓ ϢϜϠΒϘΘγ΍ ϱάϟ΍ ϒυϮϤϟ΍ Ϧϣ ΕΩέϭ .έΎτϤϟ΍

Please accept our apologies for this error.

΄τΨϟ΍ Ϧϋ ΓέάόϤϟ΍ ϕΩΎλ ϝϮΒϗ ϢϜϨϣ ϮΟήϧ ΃ήρ ϱάϟ΍

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I am so sorry that I had to cancel our meeting yesterday on such short notice and will be pleased to rearrange a new appointment.

ϰϟ· Εέήτο΍ ϲϨϧ΃ ϒγϷ΍ ΪϳΪη ϲϨϔγΆϳ ϲϓ ϚϟάΑ ϢϛέΎτΧ·ϭ βϣϷΎΑ ΎϧΪϋϮϣ ˯Ύϐϟ· ΍ΪϋϮϣ ϢϜόϣ ΩΪΣ΃ ϥ΃ ϲϨϓήθϴγ ϭ ήϴμϗ Ζϗϭ ΍ΪϳΪΟ

Specific Closing Formulas

ΓΩΪΤϣ ϪϴϣΎΘΘΧ΍ ώϴλ

With our apologies once again.

ϞμΣ ΎϤϟ Ύϧέ΍άΘϋ΍ ϞϣΎϛ ΍ΩΪΠϣ ΪϛΆϧϭ

We reiterate our apologies and welcome any further questions.

ϑήθΘϧϭ ΙΪΣ ΎϤϟ Ύϧέ΍άΘϋ΍ Ϧϋ ΍ΩΪΠϣ Ώήόϧ ϯήΧ΃ Ε΍έΎδϔΘγ΍ Δϳ΃ Ϧϋ ΔΑΎΟϹΎΑ

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have questions or comments on the matter of the complaint.

ΖϧΎϛ ΍Ϋ· ΎϨΑ ϝΎμΗϻ΍ ϲϓ ΍ϭΩΩήΘΗ ϻ΃ ˯ΎΟήϟ΍ ϯϮϜθϟ΍ ωϮοϮϣ ϰϠϋ ΕΎϘϴϠόΗϭ ΔϠΌγ΃ ϢϜϳΪϟ

We remain available should you request any information on the raised matter.

ΕΎϣϮϠόϣ Δϳ΄Α ϢϜΗΩΎϓϹ Ω΍ΪόΘγ΍ ϰϠϋ ϦΤϧϭ ΓέΎΜϤϟ΍ Δϟ΄δϤϟΎΑ ϖϠόΘΗ

We shall be happy to answer any further questions you may have relating to this unfortunate delay.

΍άϬΑ ϖϠόΘϳ έΎδϔΘγ΍ ϱ΃ Ϧϋ ΔΑΎΟϹ΍ ΎϧΪόδϳ ϒγΆϤϟ΍ ήϴΧ΄Θϟ΍

6.2.5 Letter of Application Application letters describe responses to an advertised post in which it is essential to mention the date and place of publication and the title of the position. They also include unsolicited applications where the applicant focuses on his/her personal presentation and the reasons for applying. If the application was recommended by a person related to the company, it is important to mention that before giving brief details about personal background and current situation. Common purposes: reply to a job advertisement, enquiry about a possibility of a post, request for an application form.

Types of Business Letters

Background Information: Mention of the Post and Source of Information

97

ΔϳΪϴϬϤΗ ΕΎϣϮϠόϣϭ ΏΎτΨϟ΍ ΢Η΍Ϯϓ έΪμϣϭ ΔϔϴυϮϟ΍ ΪϳΪΤΗ :ΔϴγΎγ΃ ΕΎϣϮϠόϤϟ΍

I was interested to see your advertisement in today’s newspaper and would like to be considered for this position.

ΓΪϳήΟ ϲϓ έϮθϨϤϟ΍ ϢϜϧϼϋ· ϲϣΎϤΘϫ΍ έΎΛ΃ ΪϘϟ ϲϓ ΔϔϴυϮϠϟ ϲΤηήΗ ΍ϭάΧ΄Η ϥ΃ ϮΟέ΃ϭ ϡϮϴϟ΍ έΎΒΘϋϻ΍ Ϧϴϋ

I would like to apply for the post of Engineer advertised in the local newspaper.

ϢΘϨϠϋ΃ ϲΘϟ΍ αΪϨϬϣ ΔϔϴυϮϟ ϡΪϘΗ΃ ϥ΃ ϲϨϓήθϳ ΔϴϠΤϤϟ΍ ΓΪϳήΠϟΎΑ ΎϬϨϋ

In reply to your advertisement, I would like to apply for the vacant position.

ϥ΃ ϲϨϓήθϳ ˬΓΪϳήΠϟ΍ ϲϓ ϢϜϧϼϋ· ϰϟ· ΓέΎηϹΎΑ ΓήϏΎθϟ΍ ΔϔϴυϮϠϟ ϲΤηήΗ ϡΪϗ΃

Specialized in family and community-based care, I can offer you my services if you want to develop programs in this field.

ΔϳήγϷ΍ ΔϳΎϋήϟ΍ Ϯϫ ϲμμΨΗ ϝΎΠϣ ϥ· ϢϜϴϠϋ νήϋ΃ ϥ΃ ϲϨϓήθϳϭ ˬΔϴόϤΘΠϤϟ΍ϭ ΍άϫ ϲϓ Ξϣ΍ήΑ ϊοϭ ϢΘϣΰϋ ΍Ϋ· ϲΗΎϣΪΧ έΎϤπϤϟ΍

As a media professional, I am looking for a chance to continue to grow and be challenged. I will be honored that a prestigious institution such as yours might use my services.

ϰϟ· ϊϠτΗ΃ Ύϧ΃ϭ Ύϴϣϼϋ· ΎϴϨϬϣ ϲΘϔμΑ ϢϜϴϟ· ΐΘϛ΃ ΔϴμΨθϟ΍ ϲΗ΍έΪϗ ϲϛΰϳ ϲϠϤϋ έΎδϣ ϲϓ ήϴϴϐΗ ϥ΃ ΍ήϴΜϛ ϲϨϓήθϳϭ .ΔϴϨϬϤϟ΍ ϲϗΎϓ΃ ϊγϮϳϭ ΔϘϳήόϟ΍ ϢϜΘϛήη ΔϧΎϜϣ ϲϓ Δϛήη βϧ΄ΘδΗ ϲΗΎϣΪΨΑ

In order to widen the scope of my experience and foster my motivation, I would like to change my current position in education and vocational services to …

ΐϳέΪΘϟ΍ϭ ϢϴϠόΘϟ΍ ϝΎΠϣ ϲϓ Δϔϴυϭ ΎϴϟΎΣ Ϟϐη΃ ϲϓ ϼϣ΃ ϥ΍ΪϴϤϟ΍ ϲϓ ϞϤϋ΃ ϥ΃ ϡϮϴϟ΍ Ωϭ΃ϭ ϲϨϬϤϟ΍ ϲΗΎόϠτΗ ΰϴϔΤΗϭ ϲΗήΒΧ ΰϳΰόΗ

I understand from Mr. (X) that there is an opening for a business consultant in your organization. I therefore take the liberty of sending my curriculum vitae and should like to be considered for this position.

ϲϓ Δϔϴυϭ έϮϐη Ϧϋ (...) Ϊϴδϟ΍ Ϧϣ ΖϤϠϋ ΪϘϟ Ϛϟάϟ .ϱέΎΠΗ έΎθΘδϣ ΐμϨϤϟ ϢϜΘδγΆϣ ώϟΎΑ ϲϟ ϥϮϜϴγϭ ΔϴΗ΍άϟ΍ ϲΗήϴγ ϝΎγέ· ϲϧΪόδϳ ΎϬϟ ϲΤηήΗ ϲϓ ήψϨϟΎΑ ϢΘϠπϔΗ Ϯϟ ϑήθϟ΍

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I am writing to ask if you might have a vacancy in your language institute for a French teaching position.

ϢϜϳΪϟ ϥϮϜΗ ϥ΃ ϲϓ ϼϣ΁ ϢϜϴϟ· ΔΑΎΘϜϟΎΑ ϑήθΗ΃ ϲϓ Δϴδϧήϓ Δϐϟ αέΪϣ ΐμϨϤϟ ΓήϏΎη Δϔϴυϭ ΕΎϐϠϟ΍ ϲϓ κμΨΘϤϟ΍ ϢϛΪϬόϣ

At the end of the present term, I shall complete my one-year teaching training course at Art College. For domestic reasons, I would like to obtain a post at a secondary school in the area administered under your authority.

ΪϬόϤΑ ΐϳέΪΗ ΓήΘϓ Ϟμϔϟ΍ ΍άϫ ήΧ΍ϭ΃ ϲϓ ϲϬϧ΄γ ϲϨϓήθϴγ ˬΔϴϠ΋Ύϋ ΏΎΒγϷϭ .ΔϨγ ΓΪϤϟ ϥϮϨϔϟ΍ αέ΍ΪϤϟ΍ ϯΪΣ· ϲϓ Δϔϴυϭ ϰϠϋ ϞμΣ΃ ϥ΃ ΍ήϴΜϛ ϢϜΗέ΍ΩϹ ϊπΨΗ ϲΘϟ΍ ΔϘτϨϤϟΎΑ ΔϳϮϧΎΜϟ΍

Applicant Presentation

ϪδϔϨΑ ϞϤόϟ΍ ΐϟΎρ ϒϳήόΗ

I am 25 years old, of good personality, hard-working and I get along well with people.

ΔϴμΨθϟ΍ ϦδΣ Ύϧ΃ϭ ΔϨγ 25ήϤόϟ΍ Ϧϣ ώϠΑ΃ ήθόϤϟ΍ ΐϴρϭ ϲϠϤϋ ϲϓ ΪΠϣϭ

I am a graduate of (X) University, Faculty of Architecture, from which I graduated in July. I should like to inform you that I have successfully passed the Advanced English exam.

ΔϴϠϛ Ϧϣ ϮϴϟϮϳ/ίϮϤΗ ήϬη ϲϓ ΖΟήΨΗ ΕΰΘΟ΍ Ϊϗϭ .(...) ΔόϣΎΠΑ ΔϳέΎϤόϤϟ΍ ΔγΪϨϬϟ΍ ϦϴϣΪϘΘϤϠϟ ΔϳΰϴϠΠϧϹ΍ ΔϐϠϟ΍ ϥΎΤΘϣ΍ ΡΎΠϨΑ

In addition to my graduate training, I have extensive practical experience in working with young people.

ΔϴϠϤϋ ΓήΒΧ ϲόϣΎΠϟ΍ ϲϤϴϠόΗ ϰϟ· ΔϓΎο· ˬϦϴϘϫ΍ήϤϟ΍ ϊϣ ϞϤόϟ΍ ϲϓ Δόγ΍ϭ

An Outline of the Present Post and Duties

ΕΎϴϟϭΆδϤϟ΍ϭ ΔϴϟΎΤϟ΍ ΔϔϴυϮϟ΍ Ϧϋ ΓάΒϧ ΎϬϟ ΔόΑΎΘϟ΍

I am presently working as counselor and have a wide range of responsibilities. However, the office in which I have had the pleasure to work for five years is quite small and I now wish to widen my experience and advance in learning and responsibility.

Ϧϋ ϝϭΆδϣ Ύϧ΃ϭ έΎθΘδϣ Δϔϴυϭ ΎϴϟΎΣ Ϟϐη΃ ΏΎρ ϱάϟ΍ ΐΘϜϤϟ΍ ϥ΃ ϻ· ˬϝΎϤϋϷ΍ Ϧϣ ΪϳΪϋ ϡϮϘϳ ϥΎϛ Ε΍ϮϨγ βϤΧ ΓΪϤϟ Ϫϴϓ ϞϤόϟ΍ ϲϟ ϲΗήΒΧ ίΰϋ΃ ϥ΃ Ωϭ΃ Ϛϟάϟ ˬΓΩϭΪΤϣ Δτθϧ΄Α ΔϓήόϤϠϟ ϲΑΎδΘϛ΍ ΕΎϧΎϜϣ΍ Ϧϣ Ϊϳί΃ϭ ΓΪϳΪΟ ΕΎϴϟϭΆδϤΑ ωϼτοϻ΍ϭ

Types of Business Letters

99

After leaving the university last year, I accepted a temporary post in order to gain some practical experience in my field of specialization. This work comes to an end this summer. I shall be happy to attend a job interview at any time.

ΖϠΒϗ ˬΔϴοΎϤϟ΍ ΔϨδϟ΍ ΔόϣΎΠϟ΍ Ϧϣ ϲΟήΨΗ ΪόΑ ϲϓ ΔϴϠϤϋ ΓήΒΧ ΐδΘϛ΍ ϰΘΣ ΔΘϗΆϣ ΔϔϴυϮΑ ϩάϬϟ ϱΪϘϋ ϲϬΘϨϴγϭ .ϲμμΨΗ ϝΎΠϣ ϲϧΪόδϳ Ϛϟάϟ .ϒϴμϟ΍ Ϟμϓ ϝϮϠΤΑ ΔϔϴυϮϟ΍ ΖϧΎϛ ϥ· ϪϧϭΩΪΤΗ ΪϋϮϣ ϱ΃ ϲϓ ϢϜϠΑΎϗ΃ ϥ΃ ϢϜϳΪϟ ϞϤϋ Δλήϓ ΔϤΛ ϙΎϨϫ

As you may see from my enclosed vitae, I have qualifications that match the position advertised for. I have been working in my field of specialization since my graduation and have gained a lot of valuable experience. I am now looking for new prospects and would be pleased to join your company for the advertised post.

ΔϔϴυϮϟ΍ ΕΎΒϠτΘϣϭ ϖϓ΍ϮΘΗ ΕϼϫΆϣ ΖΒδΘϛ΍ ΔϴΗ΍άϟ΍ ϲΗήϴγ Ϧϣ ΢πΘϳ ΎϤϛϭ .ΎϬϨϋ ϦϠόϤϟ΍ ϝΎΠϣ ϲϓ ΖϠϤϋ ΪϘϓ ˬΏΎτΨϟ΍ ΍άϬΑ ΔϘϓήϤϟ΍ ΓήΒΧ ΕίήΣ΃ϭ ΖΟήΨΗ ϥ΃ άϨϣ ϲμμΨΗ ϕΎϓ΁ ϰϟ· ϊϠτΗ΃ ϲϨϧ΍ ΎϤΑϭ .ϲϧ΍Ϊϴϣ ϲϓ ΔϤϴϗ ϕΎΤΘϟϻ΍ ϲϨϓήθϴγ ˬϲΗήΒΧ ίΰόΗ ΓΪϳΪΟ ϪϨϋ ϦϠόϤϟ΍ ΐμϨϤϟ΍ ϲϓ ϢϜΘϛήθΑ

From my attached curriculum vitae, you will see that I have advanced qualifications and substantial experience in working with disabled people. I thoroughly enjoy my work in the center. However, I think that my experience has now prepared me to take on supervision responsibilities.

΍άϬΑ ΔϘϓήϤϟ΍ ΔϴΗ΍άϟ΍ Γήϴδϟ΍ ϝϼΧ Ϧϣ ϢϜϨϜϤϳ ΔϴϟΎόϟ΍ ΕϼϫΆϤϟ΍ ϰϠϋ ωϼρϻ΍ ΏΎτΨϟ΍ ϊϣ ϞϤόϟΎΑ ΎϬΘΒδΘϛ΍ ϲΘϟ΍ ΔϴγΎγϷ΍ ΓήΒΨϟ΍ϭ ΖϨϛ ϥ·ϭ .ΕΎϗΎϋΈΑ ϦϴΑΎμϤϟ΍ ιΎΨηϷ΍ ϲϨϧΈϓ ˬΰϛήϤϟ΍ ϲϓ ϲϟΎΤϟ΍ ϲϠϤόΑ ΍ΪΟ ΍Ϊϴόγ ϥϵ΍ ϲϨΗ΄ϴϫ ϝΎΠϤϟ΍ ΍άϫ ϲϓ ϲΗήΒΧ ϥ΃ ΪϘΘϋ΍ ϯϮΘδϣ ϰϠϋ ΓΪϳΪΟ ΕΎϴϟϭΆδϤΑ ϊϠτοϻ ϑ΍ήηϹ΍

Indication of Reasons of Interest

ΔϔϴυϮϟΎΑ ϡΎϤΘϫϻ΍ ΏΎΒγ΃ Ϧϋ ΕΎϣϮϠόϣ

I am very interested in the work your company is dealing with in the field of oceanography. I believe that my qualifications would give me the chance to succeed and thrive in your company and would welcome the opportunity to be invited for an interview.

ϢϜΗήη ϩΰΠϨΗ ϱάϟ΍ ϞϤόϟΎΑ ΍ήϴΒϛ ΎϣΎϤΘϫ΍ ϲϟϭ΃ ϥ΃ ϯέ΃ϭ ˬΕΎτϴΤϤϟ΍ϭ έΎΤΒϟ΍ ϝΎΠϣ ϲϓ ϲϨΤϨϤΘγ ΎϬϴϠϋ ΖϠμΣ ϲΘϟ΍ ΕϼϫΆϤϟ΍ .ϢϜΘϛήη ϲϓ ϞϤόϟ΍ ϲϓ ϕϮϔΘϟ΍ϭ ΡΎΠϨϟ΍ Δλήϓ ϲΗϮϋΪΑ ϢΘϠπϔΗ Ϯϟ ϑήθϟ΍ ϲϟ ϥϮϜϴγ Ϛϟάϟ ϢϜΘϠΑΎϘϤϟ

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I have been working for my present employer since my graduation. To my great regret, he is retiring from business, and therefore I have to look for another business opportunity.

Ϧϣ ϲΟήΨΗ άϨϣ ϲϟΎΤϟ΍ ϲΒμϨϣ Ϟϐη΃ ΐΣΎλ έήϗ ϥ΃ ϲϔγ΃ ϲϋ΍ϭΩ Ϧϣϭ .ΔόϣΎΠϟ΍ ΎϤϣ ϞϤόϟ΍ ϝ΍ΰΘϋ΍ ϪϳΪϟ ϞϤϋ΃ ϱάϟ΍ ϞϤόϟ΍ ήΧ΁ ϥΎϜϣ ϲϓ ϞϤϋ Ϧϋ ΚΤΒϟ΍ ϰϟ· ϲϧήτπϳ

During/after ten years of working in a hospice, I gained extensive experience helping the elderly in their day-to-day activities. If there is a suitable vacancy in your institution, I hope you will consider me for it.

ϢϬΗΪϋΎδϣϭ ϦϴϨδϤϟ΍ ϊϣ ϞϤόϟ΍ ϲϟ ΏΎρ ΪϘϟ Ε΍ϮϨγ ήθϋ Ω΍ΪΘϣ΍ ϰϠϋ ΔϴϣϮϴϟ΍ ϢϬΘτθϧ΃ ϲϓ ΍ήϴΜϛ ϲϨϓήθϴγϭ .Γήϓ΍ϭ ΓήΒΧ ΎϬϟϼΧ ΖΒδΘϛ΍ Δϔϴυϭ έϮϐη ϝΎΣ ϲϓ ϢϜΘδγΆϣ ϲϓ ϞϤόϟ΍ ϢϜϳΪϟ

CV and Copies of Testimonials

ΔϴϛΰΘϟ΍ ΕΎΑΎτΧϭ ΔϴΗ΍άϟ΍ Γήϴδϟ΍

A copy of my curriculum vitae is enclosed with reference/recommendation letters. I shall be pleased to provide additional supporting documents if requested.

ΦδϨΑ ΔϘϓήϣ ΔϴΗ΍άϟ΍ ϲΗήϴγ Ϫϴρ ϥϭΪΠΘγ ΪϳΰϤΑ ϢϛΪϣ΃ ϥ΃ ϲϧΪόδϳϭ ˬΕΎϴλϮΘϟ΍ Ϧϣ ϡϭΰϠϟ΍ ΪϨϋ ΔϴϛΰΘϟ΍ ΕΎΑΎτΧ Ϧϣ

I should like to feel that there is an opportunity to join your team for this project and would be pleased to attend a job interview at any time. Until then, I would be happy to provide further information and recommendation letters if you so wish.

ϰϟ· Ϣπϧϻ Δλήϔϟ΍ ϲϟ ΡΎΘΗ ϥ΃ Ϟϣ΁ ϲϟ ϥϮϜϴγϭ ωϭήθϤϟ΍ ΍άϬΑ ϲϨόϤϟ΍ ϢϜϘϳήϓ ϱ΃ ϲϓ ΔϠΑΎϘϤϠϟ ϲΗϮϋΪΑ ϢΘϣήϜΗ ϥ· ϑήθϟ΍ ϢϜϴϟ· ϡΪϗ΃ ϥ΃ ϲϨϨϜϤϳ ΎϤϛ .ϪϧϭΩΪΤΗ ΪϋϮϣ ΔϴλϮΘϟ΍ ΕΎΑΎτΧϭ ΕΎϣϮϠόϤϟ΍ Ϧϣ ΪϳΰϤϟ΍ ϦϴΤϟ΍ ϚϟΫ ϰϟ·

I wish to enclose here a letter of recommendation from my former employer who kindly agreed to give further details should they be needed. My present employer is also keen to provide a letter of recommendation for me if you are interested in my application.

ϲΤηήΗ ΔϴϛΰΘΑ ϖΑΎδϟ΍ ϱήϳΪϣ ϡήϜΗ ΔϟΎγήϟ΍ ϩάϬΑ ϖϓήϤϟ΍ ΔϴλϮΘϟ΍ ΏΎτΨΑ ΕΎϣϮϠόϣ Δϳ΄Α ϢϛΪϳϭΰΘΑ Ω΍ΪόΘγ΍ ϰϠϋ Ϯϫϭ ϱήϳΪϣ ϖϓ΍ϭϭ .˯ΎπΘϗϻ΍ ΪϨϋ ΔϴϓΎο· έΪμϤϛ ϪΑ ΍ϮϠμΘΗ ϥ΃ Ύπϳ΃ ϲϟΎΤϟ΍ ϢϜϣΎϤΘϫΎΑ ϲΒϠρ ϲψΣ ΍Ϋ· ήΧ΁ ϡϼόΘγ΍

Types of Business Letters

Suitable Closing

101

ΔϟΎγήϟ΍ ϢΗ΍ϮΧ

I trust that my application merits your attention and that I will have the opportunity to introduce myself in an interview.

ΐϴτΘγϭ ϢϜϣΎϤΘϫ΍ ϲΒϠρ ϲϋήΘδϳ ϥ΃ ϮΟέ΃ ϢϜΘϠΑΎϘϣ Δλήϓ ϲϟ

I trust that you will consider the references and allow me the opportunity to meet with you.

ΔϘϓήϤϟ΍ ΔϴϛΰΘϟ΍ ΕΎΑΎτΧ ϲϋήΘδΗ ϥ΃ ϮΟέ΃ ϢϜ΋ΎϘϟ ϑήθΑ ϰψΣ΃ ϥ΃ϭ ϢϜϣΎϤΘϫ΍ Ϟϛ Ϫϴρ

I shall be pleased to provide any further information you may need and hope I may be given the opportunity for an interview.

ΔϴϓΎο· ΕΎϧΎϴΑ Δϳ΃ ϢϜϴϟ· ϡΪϗ΃ ϥ΃ ϲϨϓήθϳ Δλήϓ ϲϟ ΡΎΘΗ ϥ΃ ϮΟέ΃ϭ ΎϬϴϟ· ϥϮΟΎΘΤΗ ϢϜΘϠΑΎϘϣ

6.2.6 Replying to an Application Letter Replying to an application letter might include a decision to appoint or turn down an applicant or invite him/her for an interview. Applicants are offered a post or rejected for different reasons. Some of the negative replies mention a lack of experience or qualifications. But most commonly, reasons are not given in the letter. On the other hand, successful applicants generally receive a short reply letter accompanied by a standard contract with the terms and conditions of the job. However, the future employer might include some precisions about the coming steps to take. Common purposes: offering an appointment, invitation for an interview, offering a post, rejecting an application, etc.

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Opening Formulas: Reply to an Application Letter

ΐϠτϟ΍ ϢϳΪϘΗ ϰϠϋ Ωήϟ΍ :ΡΎΘΘϓϻ΍ ώϴλ

We received your application and will get back to you very shortly.

ϢϜϴϠϋ Ωήϟ΍ ΎϧΪόδϳϭ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϝϮλϮΑ ϢϛΪϴϔϧ ϦϜϤϣ Ζϗϭ Ώήϗ΃ ϲϓ

In reply to your letter dated…

/ βϣ΃ ΦϳέΎΘΑ έήΤϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϰϠϋ ˱΍Ωέ ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϰϠϋ Ωήϧ ϥ΃ Ύϧήδϳ

We have the pleasure to reply to your letter of dated…

ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϪϨϴΣ ϲϓ ΎϨϤϠδΗ

We received in due course your letter dated…

ϰϠϋ ϢϛήϜθϧϭ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϝϮλϮΑ ϢϛΪϴϔϧ ϢϜϣΎϤΘϫ΍

We acknowledge with thanks receipt of your letter.

…ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ΎϨϤϠδΗ

We have noted the contents of your letter dated…

…ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϲϓ ˯ΎΟ ΎϤΑ ΎϤϠϋ ΎϨτΣ΃

Invitation for an Interview

ΔϠΑΎϘϤϠϟ ΓϮϋΩ

We have received your letter dated…and, in reply thereto, have the pleasure to inform you that we will be more than happy to meet with you.

ϥ΃ Ύϧήδϳϭ (...) ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ΎϨϤϠδΗ Ϣϛ΅ΎϘϟ ΎϧΪόδϳ Ϫϧ΄Α ϢϜϤϠόϧϭ ϢϜϴϠϋ Ωήϧ

We thank you for your letter dated…and have the pleasure to make an appointment with you.

(...) ϲϓ ΥέΆϤϟ΍ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϰϠϋ ϢϛήϜθϧ ϢϜΘϠΑΎϘϤϟ ΍ΪϋϮϣ ΩΪΤϧ ϥ΃ Ύϧήδϳϭ

After considering your letter, and depending on your ability to meet our requirements, we should be very glad to grant you an interview.

ϥ΃ ΍ΪΟ ΎϧΪόδϳϭ ϢϜΑΎτΧ ϯϮΤϓ ϲϓ Ύϧήψϧ ϩάϬϟ ϦϴϴόΘϟ΍ έ΍ήϗ ϒϗϮΘϴγϭ .ϢϜΑ ϲϘΘϠϧ ϰϠϋ ϚΗ΍έΪϘΑ ΎϧΎοέ ϯΪϣ ϰϠϋ ΔϔϴυϮϟ΍ ΎϨΗΎΒϠτΘϤΑ ˯ΎϔΘγϻ΍

Types of Business Letters

We would like to inform you that our Personnel Officer will call you next week.

Turning Down an Applicant

103

ϥϭΆη ήϳΪϣ ϥ΄Α ΎϤϠϋ ϢϜΘρΎΣΈΑ ϑήθΘϧ ϞΒϘϤϟ΍ ωϮΒγϷ΍ ΎϴϔΗΎϫ ϢϜΑ ϞμΘϴγ ϦϴϔυϮϤϟ΍

ΐϠτϟ΍ ϡΪϘϣ ξϓέ

Thank you for your interest in our Company. We regret to inform you that you have not passed the preselection interview step.

ˬΎϨΘϛήη ϲϓ ϞϤόϟΎΑ ϢϜϣΎϤΘϫ΍ ϰϠϋ ϢϛήϜθϧ ίϭΎΠΘϳ Ϣϟ ϢϜΤηήΗ ϥ΃ ϢϜϐϠΒϧ ϥ΃ ΎϨϔγΆϳϭ ϰϟϭϷ΍ έΎϴΘΧϻ΍ ΔϠΣήϣ

We regret that we are unable to offer you the position of proof-reader for which you were interviewed on (date).

ΦϳέΎΗ ϲϓ ΔϠΑΎϘϤϠϟ ϢϛέϮπΣ ϰϠϋ ϢϛήϜθϧ έάόΘϳ Ϫϧ΃ ϒγϷ΍ ώϟΎΑ ϊϣ ϢϜϤϠόϧϭ (...) ΔϔϴυϮϟ ϢϜΤηήΗ ϲϓ ήψϨϟ΍ ΔϠλ΍Ϯϣ ΎϨϴϠϋ ΢ΤμϤϟ΍

We regret to inform you that your application has not been shortlisted by the recruiter responsible for the vacancy.

Ϣϟ ϢϜΒϠρ ϥ΃ ϒγϷ΍ ώϟΎΑ ϊϣ ΎϤϠϋ ϢϜτϴΤϧ ϦϴϴόΘϟ΍ ϥϭΆη Ϧϋ ϝϭΆδϤϟ΍ ϝϮΒϘΑ φΤϳ ΔϔϴυϮϟ΍ ϩάϬϟ

Following the selection procedure, our panel has decided not to appoint any of the applicants interviewed on (date).

ΔϨΠϟ Εέήϗ ˬέΎϴΘΧϻ΍ Ε΍˯΍ήΟ· ΐϘϋ ϦϴϴόΗ ϥϭΩ ΓήϏΎη ΔϔϴυϮϟ΍ ϙήΘΗ ϥ΃ ϦϴϴόΘϟ΍ (...) ΦϳέΎΘΑ ϢϬϠΑΎϗ Ϧϳάϟ΍ ϦϴΤηήΘϤϟ΍ Ϧϣ ϱ΃

We thank you for attending the individual selection interview on (date). We regret to inform you we decided on another applicant.

ΔϳΩήϔϟ΍ ΔϠΑΎϘϤϟ΍ ϢϛέϮπΣ ϰϠϋ ϢϛήϜθϧ ϥ΄Α Ϧϴϔγ΁ ΎϤϠϋ ϢϜτϴΤϧϭ (...) ΦϳέΎΘΑ ήΧ΁ ΢ηήΘϣ ϰϠϋ ϊϗϭ ΎϧέΎϴΘΧ΍

We thank you for your correspondence concerning the offer of your services. As we already have a translator working regularly with us, we regret that we will not be able to process your application.

ΎϨϧ΃ ϻ· .ϚϟΫ ϰϠϋ ϢϛήϜθϧϭ ϢϜοήϋ ΎϨϤϠδΗ ϢΟήΘϣ ΕΎϣΪΧ ϰϠϋ ΔϠϳϮρ ΓήΘϓ άϨϣ ΪϤΘόϧ ϊϴτΘδϧ ϻ ΎϨϧ΄Α ϢϜϣϼϋϹ ϒγ΄ϧ Ϛϟάϟ ˬϢ΋΍Ω ϢϜΒϠτϟ ΐϴΠΘδϧ ϥ΃

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Our company has decided to readvertise for the position. We regret to inform you that no further action will be taken on your application.

Offering a Position or Vacancy

΍ΪϳΪΟ Ύϧϼϋ· ΡήτΗ ϥ΃ ΎϨΘϛήη Εέήϗ ΪϘϟ ϢϜϤϠόϧ ϥ΃ ΎϨϔγΆϳ ϚϟΫ ϰϠϋ ˯ΎϨΑϭ .ΔϔϴυϮϠϟ ϢϜΒϠρ ϥ΄θΑ ˯΍ήΟ· ϱ΃ άΨΘΗ Ϧϟ ΎϬϧ΄Α

ήϏΎη/ΔϔϴυϮϟ ΢ϴηήΘϟ΍

We are happy to inform you that our company intends to consider your application for appointment.

Εέήϗ ΎϨΘϛήη ϥ΄Α έϭήδϟ΍ ώϟΎΑ ϊϣ ϢϛΪϴϔϧ ϢϜΒϠρ ϲϓ ήψϨϟ΍

We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected for the position of (job).

ΔϔϴυϮϠϟ ϢϛέΎϴΘΧ΍ ϢΗ Ϫϧ΄Α ϢϜϏϼΑ· ΎϧΪόδϳ

We have the honor to inform you that our selection panel has approved your appointment for the position of (job).

Ϊϗ ϦϴϴόΘϟΎΑ ϲϨόϤϟ΍ ΎϨϘϳήϓ ϥ΃ ϢϜϏϼΑ· ΎϨϓήθϳ ΔϔϴυϮϠϟ ϢϛέΎϴΘΧ΍ ϰϠϋ ϖϓ΍ϭ

We would like to inform you that your application has been accepted and one of our recruitment committee will meet with you.

Ϊϗ ϢϜΒϠρ ϥ΄Α ϢϜϣϼϋ· Ύϧέϭήγ ϲϋ΍ϭΩ Ϧϣ Ϧϋ ϝϭΆδϤϟΎΑ ϥϮϘΘϠΘγ ϢϜϧ΃ϭ ϝϮΒϘϟΎΑ ϲψΣ ΕΎϨϴϴόΘϟ΍

Our company has decided to offer you this position.

ΔϔϴυϮϠϟ ϢϜϨϴϴόΗ Δϛήθϟ΍ Εέήϗ ΪϘϟ

I am very pleased to offer you this position.

ΔϔϴυϮϠϟ ϢϛέΎϴΘΧ΍ ΍ήϴΜϛ ϲϧΪόδϳ

6.2.7 Letter of Thanks A letter of thanks or a thank-you letter is a gesture of gratitude. It is a mark of recognition that shows how much the writer appreciates an invitation, a recommendation, a rapid handling of a request, etc. In business correspondence, this communication is simple and short. Writing conventions depend on the type of relationship between the writer and the receiver.

Types of Business Letters

Common Purposes:

105

ΔϣΎϋ ν΍ήϏϷ

I wish to express my gratitude and say how much your continuous confidence in me is appreciated.

ώϟΎΒϟ΍ ϱήϳΪϘΗϭ Ϛϟ ϲϧΎϨΘϣ΍ Ϧϋ Ώήϋ΃ ϥ΃ Ωϭ΃ ϲΗϼϫΆϣ ϲϓ ΔϤ΋΍Ϊϟ΍ ϚΘϘΜϟ

I would like to thank you for supporting my application for the position.

ϲΤηήΘϟ ϚΘϴϛΰΗ ϰϠϋ ήϜθϟ΍ ϞϳΰΟ ϙήϜη΃ ΔϔϴυϮϠϟ

I am very grateful for the interest you have shown in examining my request and accepting my offer.

ϚϣΎϤΘϫ΍ ϰϠϋ Ϛϟ ϖ΋Ύϔϟ΍ ϲϧΎϨΘϣ΍ Ϧϋ Ώήϋ΃ ϲοήϋ ϝϮΒϗϭ ϲΒϠρ ϲϓ ήψϨϟ΍ϭ

I greatly appreciate the generous words you wrote about me. I am very grateful to you for the reference you provided for me.

Ζϔλϭ ϲΘϟ΍ ΕΎϤϠϜϟ΍ ΎϘϴϤϋ ΍ήϳΪϘΗ έΪϗ΃ ϲϨϧ· ϰϠϋ ήϜθϟ΍ ϞϳΰΟ ϙήϜη΃ ΎϤϛ .ϲμΨη ΎϬΑ ϪΑ ΖϴψΣ ϱάϟ΍ ΔϴϛΰΘϟ΍ ΏΎτΧ

Mrs. (X) would like to thank you very much for your kind invitation to the award ceremony on (date).

ϞϔΤϟ ΔϴΨδϟ΍ ϚΗϮϋΪΑ (α) Ϊϴδϟ΍ ϑήθΗ ΪϘϟ ϞϳΰΟ ϙήϜθϳϭ (...) ΦϳέΎΘΑ ΰ΋΍ϮΠϟ΍ ϊϳίϮΗ ΓϮϋΪϟ΍ ϩάϫ ϰϠϋ ήϜθϟ΍

6.2.8 Letters of Congratulations for an Appointment Letters of congratulations are addressed for special occasions. By convention, most congratulation business letters are wishes addressed for new appointments and expressed briefly and without exaggeration. Common purposes: appointment, promotion, new job, etc.

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Congratulation Formulas

ϪΌϨϬΗ ώϴλ

I would like to offer my congratulations on your election as….

ΔϔϴυϮϠϟ ϚΑΎΨΘϧϻ ΔΌϨϬΘϟΎΑ Ϛϟ ϡΪϘΗ΃ ϥ΃ ϲϧήδϳ

I would like to congratulate you on being appointed as ….

ϚϨϴϴόΘϟ ΓέΎΤϟ΍ ϲϧΎϬΗ Ϛϴϟ· ϪΟϭ΃ ϥ΃ ϲϧήδϳ (...) ΐμϨϣ ϲϓ

I am writing to congratulate you on your new appointment and thank you for your commitment to the work of our company.

ϚΘΌϨϬΘϟ ΏΎτΨϟ΍ ΍άϫ Ϛϴϟ· ϪΟϭ΃ ϥ΃ ϲϧΪόδϳ Ϧϋ Ώήϋ΃ϭ ΓΪϳΪΠϟ΍ ΔϔϴυϮϠϟ ϚϨϴϴόΗ ϰϠϋ ϞϤόϟ΍ ϲϓ ϚϴϧΎϔΗ ϰϠϋ Ϛϟ ϱήϜη ϖ΋Ύϓ ΎϨΘϛήθΑ

Specific Closures

ϩΩΪΤϣ ϢΗ΍ϮΧ

I wish you every success for the future.

ΔϠΒϘϤϟ΍ ϚϟΎϤϋ΃ ϲϓ ΡΎΠϨϟ΍ Ϟϛ Ϛϟ ϰϨϤΗ΃

I wish you the very best in a job where I am sure you will be very successful.

ϲϓ ΡΎΠϨϟ΍ έϮϓϮϤΑ ΕΎϴϨϤΘϟ΍ κϠΧ΃ ϲϨϣ Ϛϟ ϝΎΤϣ ϻ ΎϬϴϓ ϖϓϮΘγ ϲΘϟ΍ ΔϔϴυϮϟ΍ ϩάϫ

May I offer you my best wishes for (occasion).

(ϡΎϬϤϟ΍) ϢϜϴϟϮΗ ϲϓ ϖϴϓϮΘϟ΍ Ϟϛ ϢϜϟ ϰϨϤΗ΃ ΔϠΒϘϤϟ΍ ϖϴϓϮΘϟΎΑ Ϛϟ ϲΗΎϴϨϤΗ ϊϣ

With very best wishes,

6.2.9 Memos Derived from the Latin word “memorare”, memorandum (or commonly called “memo”) means literally “something to be brought to mind”, “to mention” or “to tell”. According to Oxford Dictionary, it is defined as “a written message, especially in business or diplomacy”. In an institution (company, ministry, international organization, etc.), it consists of a short official note that is intended to inform or advise one person or the entire staff about matters ranging from internal regulations to announcements regarding specific events (Fitzgerald, 1998: 54). Therefore, memos are usually drafted in a formal and straightforward style, using plain language and easy to understand by all interested parties. The objective of a memo is

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to guarantee a smooth dissemination of information. Writing memos is more about following guidelines on layout and content than recalling typical expressions. Some of the memos are strictly reserved to the in-office staff and should hold the expression “confidential”.

6.2.10 Common Writing Guidelines Layout: Most institutions have their own designated memo sheets with the main institution heading, followed by the heading of the section, department, unit, etc. In a memo, it is important to mention who it is to, who it is from, the subject and the date. Memos are not letters so the level of dissemination is often indicated at the beginning of the communication. The information is then presented in a listing of all things to be considered (Poe, 2006). Content: Each memo deals with one specific topic and a good memo is a memo whose title is explicit and gives an idea about the topic. The opening paragraph should constitute an introduction to the news announced. Then follow the details according to the “what, who, how, when and where” formula. The information should specify what are the changes to occur, who will be affected by them and how, when they will enter into effect and where they will operate. Then come the recommendations or guidelines to be followed generally with an indication of the person to contact for more information. As indicated earlier, these important points are usually listed using numbers or bullets. The memo might look like this (Fitzgerald, 1998: 55).

TO: … FROM: … RE: … DATE: …

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Examples: Pattern The institution heading:

To:

:ϢϬϴϟ· ϞγήϤϟ΍ (ϥϼϔϟ΍) ΓΩΎδϟ΍

From:

:ϞγήϤϟ΍ Ϧϋ (ϥϼϓ) Subject:

Δϟ΄δϣ ϲϓ ˬ(...) ϥ΄θΑ :ωϮοϮϤϟ΍ (...)

Date: ϭ΃ ϱΩϼϴϤϟ΍ϭ ϱήΠϬϟ΍) :ΦϳέΎΘϟ΍ (Δϴϓ΍ήϐΠϟ΍ ΔϘτϨϤϟ΍ ΐδΣ ϱΩϼϴϤϟ΍

Examples Company, College, Department Store, Cultural Foundation, Ministry of Education, International Organization ΔδγΆϤϟ΍ ˬϱέΎΠΘϟ΍ ΰϛήϤϟ΍ ˬΔϴϠϜϟ΍ ˬΔϛήθϟ΍ ΔϴϟϭΪϟ΍ ΔϤψϨϤϟ΍ ˬϢϴϠόΘϟ΍ Γέ΍ίϭ ˬΔϴϓΎϘΜϟ΍ All Staff, Department Managers, Students of (…) Department, Supervisors, Teaching Staff, The Minister ΓΩΎδϟ΍ ϢϠϋ ϰϟ· ˬϦϴϔυϮϤϟ΍ ϊϴϤΟ ϢϠϋ ϰϟ· ϰϟ· ˬ(...) Ϣδϗ ΔΒϠρ ϰϟ· ˬϡΎδϗϷ΍ ϱήϳΪϣ ΔΌϴϫ ˯Ύπϋ΃ ϰϟ· ˬϦϴϓήθϤϟ΍ ΓΩΎδϟ΍ ΪϴδϠϟ ΔλΎΨϟ΍ ΔϳΎϨόϟ΍ ϰϟ· ˬβϳέΪΘϟ΍ ήϳίϮϟ΍ The Chairman, The Dean, The Department of (…), The Chief Executive, The Minister, The Secretary-General Ϣδϗ Ϧϋ ˬΔϴϠϜϟ΍ ΪϴϤϋ Ϧϋ ˬβϴ΋ήϟ΍ Ϧϋ ˬήϳίϮϟ΍ Ϧϋ ˬϱάϴϔϨΘϟ΍ ήϳΪϤϟ΍ Ϧϋ ˬ(...) :ϡΎόϟ΍ ϦϴϣϷ΍ Ϧϋ Joint staff pension scheme, Final exams timing, Auditors visit, Cuts in expenditure, New regulation on shiftwork, Employee retirement, Energy saving ˬΔϳΪϗΎόΘϟ΍ ΕΎηΎόϤϠϟ ϙήΘθϤϟ΍ ϡΎψϨϟ΍ ΓέΎϳί ˬΔϴ΋ΎϬϨϟ΍ ΕΎϧΎΤΘϣϻ΍ ΖϴϗϮΗ ˬϦϴϔυϮϤϟ΍ ΪΣ΃ ΪϋΎϘΗ ˬΕΎΑΎδΤϟ΍ ϲόΟ΍ήϣ ΔϓΎτϟ΍ ϙϼϬΘγ΍ ϲϓ ΩΎμΘϗϻ΍ 10/02/ 2014 February 10, 2014 ΦϳέΎΘΑ ˬ2014 ήϳ΍ήΒϓ/ρΎΒη 10 ΦϳέΎΘΑ ΓΪόϘϟ΍ ϭΫ 14 ˰ϟ ϖϓ΍ϮϤϟ΍ ήϳ΍ήΒϓ 10 1435

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6.3 Checklist and Exercises Read the following questions carefully and then answer them in the spaces provided. 1.

What are the four basic elements of a business letter?

2.

List five different types of letters discussed in this chapter, and provide a short definition for each type.

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3. In English and in your mother tongue, write down four short sentences in which you express an apology.

4. Based on your understanding of this chapter, write a letter of application in which you express interest in working with a company.

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Examine the following letter format and look for discrepancies. Explain how the reader may have difficulty following the ideas. Check the language and the tone in the letter and explain how such a letter can be offensive. Once you finished examining the letter, rewrite it in the blank page that follows, correcting the letter and its format.

Requesting a change of Offer Hi I'm Sanakov Jane. My Id is 00810795009819. I'm having serious problems with your ESL offer that will begin in Summer 2015 I'm accepted on a scholarship from North NM University. I'm a TA at this university and it's my sponsor to go to study abroad. Thus, I have to meet certain requirements to be sponsored The length of your offer is 3 years. My sponsor rejected it because they only accept 1 year offers. Please do these changes to my offer: 1- change the duration to 1 year 2- don't change the I-20 or SEVIS numbers Now, I have no extra time and I'd like you to make some the changes I mentioned to my offer without changing the SEVIS no or the I-20 because I got my F1 Visa from the US embassy. Changing these numbers would lead me to begin from scratch with the Visa process and I'll lose the fees I paid . I have limited time to finish other things for my trip. I'm attending this program to get used to the area and start my MA in September as I got unconditional admission from North NM University so the 3 year offer is useless as I'll stay in the program for only few months

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I attached my I-20 and my Visa pictures for your reference please reply to my email as soon as possible Thank you Sanakov Jane Rewrite the letter here:

CHAPTER SEVEN PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL

7.1 What is Promotional Material? Advertising is the act of making something public through various types of canals of marketing communication called announcements or advertisements, commonly known as ‘ads’. An ad, according to Oxford Dictionary, is “a notice, picture or film telling about a product, job or service”. Indeed, the note, as referred to by Oxford, could take the form of commercial and non-commercial announcements, slogans or brand names, etc. In relation to these advertising concepts, the literature is profuse with theories, models, tools or strategies which are continuously updated in line with economic and social developments. However, a distinction is usually made between business-to-consumer, on the one hand, and business-tobusiness promotional material and self-promotion on the other hand. Business-to-consumer promotion implies commercial advertising that is generally paid for and diffused through several mass media means such as television, newspaper, outdoor advertising, or social media networking such as Twitter, Facebook, websites and blogs. Business-to-business promotions and self-promotion materials are reference tools that describe in a very detailed way an offered product or service. That being said, the advertising practice depends on components inherent to the idea of promotional communication, influencing the receiver.

7.2 Use of Advertisement in Promotion Advertisements are highly persuasive and creative marketing tools. Their primary objective is to convince and impress the receiver by using evocative and creative language. An advertising message seeks to attract the attention of the audience and persuade it to adhere to the advertised item by taking some action to use it or to continue to use it. It is driven by specific key questions, the most recurrent of which are:

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a) What is the main idea to be publicized? b) How many words are to be used? (Volume level is linked to the nature of the advertisement and its price) c) Is the advertisement clear, concise and written correctly? d) Does the advertisement address the receiver intellectually and emotionally? e) Is the advertisement in harmony with the spirit of the time and culture of the target society? f) Does the advertisement provide an answer to the following questions: what, where, how, who, why, when? In translation, the persuasive aspect of the advertising item is usually preserved through rewriting the original (Torresi, 2010: 156). That exercise does not imply the creation of a new slogan as a publicist might do. Rewriting from a translation perspective is to produce free translation in a new form and content maintaining the unchanged purpose of the original advertisement and ensuring that the message is ultimately adapted to the language’s canons and the audience’s requirements. From the viewpoint of translation practice, this purpose-oriented transfer in promotional texts calls for a functionalist approach. In functional terms, the translated text should fulfill the objective for which it is intended in the target context taking into consideration the appropriate language and set of cultural values, beliefs and attitudes of the target community. As such, the promotional text is adjusted in such a way as to preserve its persuasive function while conforming to the conventions of what the readership expects from that text genre. The message is domesticated and rebuilt thoroughly so that it sounds natural and creative in the target language and culture and serves the original purpose. Conclusively, the interpretation of a promotional message is an essential component in the translation process and it is erroneous to consider promotional translation as merely the transfer of semantic units and syntactic structures. The translation units are both the meaning and the purpose of the message, which are rendered by giving total freedom to creative rewording. In light of this, an Arabic reader expects to be persuaded and delighted at the same time by reading a touristic text that explores different stylistic tools. The style should be highly poetic and invoke the reader’s feelings. Similarly, a British tourist considers it an elementary factor to read a touristic text full of panache, where idiomatic expressions and metaphors are a decisive constituent for its meaning and interpretation. A French tourist, on the other hand, seeks

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information first (Torresi, 2010: 156). The poetic inscription is not an absolute must in such a communication. As far as creativity is concerned, it is important for the translator to know to which extent creative and emotional advertising is accepted in the target context. The language of advertisement is generally a compromise between economic and cultural constraints. Attentive to the sacrosanct place that cultural manifestations have in some societies, publicists, and consequently translators, tend to adapt the language of the message to the market reality in order to make their promotional campaign succeed. While creative language seems to be well established in Western promotional environments, the Arabic advertising text is conceptually more traditional and very sensitive to ethical questions and moral values. Consequently, when a text is too original or unduly sophisticated, the marketing communication on specific products is re-encoded so that it appears to have been written directly in the target text. This is true relating to advertisements on culturally-bound goods, underwear fashion or costly luxurious products. Market giants for drinks, perfumes, haute couture collections or cars and the like, are global suppliers that rely on their flagship product lines to implement aggressive marketing strategies in order to gain market shares and persuade their global customers’ minds. Such strategies are supported by promotional tools like advertisements and their translations that sometimes raise problems of communication related to the use of images or messages when perceived by target communities to be inappropriate and, in some cases, offensive. This was the case when a protest movement launched on social networking to force the giant Coca-Cola to remove its advertisement entitled « Burn », (ΎϬό˷ϟϭ) in Arabic, from billboards in Qatar. The panels were standing near the parking lot of an important mall which caught on fire a year before killing 19 people. The promotional communication apparently offended moral sensibilities. In some instances, commercials are banned from translation and diffusion because they affect sensitivities around cultural relations and convey negative stereotyping. The issue of discriminatory communication and simplified conception of communities was raised when Americans from Arab origin called a Coca-Cola Super Bowl advertisement racist because it presumably portrayed a low image of Arabs. The ad shows thirsty cowboys, a bus full of Vegas showgirls, a MadMax bike gang, and an Arab walking through the desert with a camel where all of them were

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going on a race except the Arab man. The protesters argued that, by excluding the Arab from the race, he is held to a different standard and the message being sent is that Arabs are backward who have no chance to win in the world. Similarly, for moral and educational values, advertisements presumed to be a threat to children’s innocence were prohibited from broadcast in Britain. A TV advertisement for Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle perfume was officially banned from British TV spots for being ‘too sexually suggestive’. While defended by the perfume giant as if being a playful and sensual advertisement, the content of the commercial was judged by the Advertising Standards Authority and parents as overtly sexual and not suitable to be aired around children’s programs.

7.3 Language of Advertisement 7.3.1 Argumentative The advertising message is definitely persuasive and usually highly stylized. Ordinarily, its tone is adjusted to the publicized object in line with the register of the communicative setting. The message can be transmitted in a variety of tones ranging from a plain declarative tone to a militant one, depending on the advertized object. For instance, when the advertisement is on goods, the message is usually conveyed by an exposition of arguments to explain or support the advertised object. It is communicated in an argumentative tone, for example:

Argumentative Tone

ϰϠϋ έΎμΑϹ΍ ΢ϴΤμΘϟ ΰϛήϣ ΙΪΣ΃ ϊϣ ˬΔϴΒτϟ΍ ϚΗέΎψϨϟ Ύϋ΍Ωϭ Ύϣ ϦϴΑϭ ϚϨϴΑ ϼ΋ΎΣ ϚΗ΍έΎψϧ ϞόΠΗ ϻ ˬ(ϙΰϴϟ΍ήΘϧ·) ΔϜϠϤϤϟ΍ ϯϮΘδϣ ϪΒΤΗ (Say goodbye to your eye glasses! With the latest center specialized in vision correction in the Kingdom (ILasik). Do not let your glasses be a barrier between you and what you like.)

The advertising text directly addresses the consumer by using the ‘You’ formula to draw attention to a modern eye center by focusing on the benefits of new technology in vision correction instead of wearing eye

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glasses. The argumentation is carried out by a comparison between two services with the conviction that what the centre offers is the best.

7.3.2 Declarative In an informative discourse, background information is given to introduce the publicized object in a declarative tone. This usually occurs when presenting an institution or announcing a public tender, for example:

Declarative Tone

ˬϢϟΎόϟ΍ ϲϓ ϥΎΒϟϷ΍ ΕΎΠΘϨϤϟ ΔϠϣΎϜΘϣ Δϛήη ήΒϛ΃ ϲϫ ϲϋ΍ήϤϟ΍ Δϛήη ΔϨϤϴϬϤϟ΍ ΎϬΗΎΠΘϨϣ ΔϓΎϜϟ ΓΰϴϤϤϟ΍ ΔϴϟΎόϟ΍ ΓΩϮΠϟΎΑ ϲϋ΍ήϤϟ΍ ήϬΘθΗϭ ΞϴϠΨϟ΍ ϝϭΪΑ ΔΠ΋΍ήϟ΍ϭ (Al Marai is the largest integrated dairy company in the world. It is known for its high quality and widespread products in the Gulf region.)

In a straightforward and affirmative style, emphasis is put on the company’s activities and its performances. It makes the state of affairs of the company explicit with a style marked by assurance and confidence.

7.3.3 Incentive The tone is incentive and induces action when a specific idea is put forward to get people interested and generate acceptance and support among them. This sort of assertion is common practice when running a public-awareness campaign, defending a political program or campaigning for public vote, for example:

Incentive Tone

έ΍ήϘϟ΍ ϊϨλ ϲϓ ϙέΎη ˬΐΧΎϨϟ΍ ϲΧ΃ ˬϖΤΘδϳ ϦϤϟ ϪτϋΎϓ ˬΔϧΎϣ΃ ϚΗϮλ (Your vote is a trust. Give it to who deserves it. My brother voter, participate in decision-making.)

The advertiser, who is a candidate in local elections, launches his campaign slogan taking into account cultural considerations. On one hand, he exclusively addresses male electorates using a gender-oriented

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declaration through the masculine pronoun ‘You’ (anta – Ζϧ΃). On the other hand, he compares the right to vote to the concept of ‘Amana’ (a trust) that holds a religious connotation. In such an instance, the slogan might make its way among the audience indicating that it belongs to a conservative society.

7.4 Figures of Speech For Truffaut (1998: 16), the art of persuasion is practiced in advertisements through figures of speech such as metaphors, alliteration, allusion, metathesis, word playing, neologism, etc. As shown above, both the psychological and rational elements of an advertisement are basic factors in influencing and persuading the receiver emotionally and rationally. In fact, the use of creative and evocative language that captures the receiver’s attention and influences his/her emotions are important. Poetic devices and figures of speech can enhance attention and recall of the promoted item. In preserving the advertising effect by means of rhetorical devices, the content of the advertisement might change to conform to the rhetorical requirements of the target language. This is not a concern in itself as long as the communicative objective of the message is attained and the ultimate effect of the target advertisement is as gratifying as the original, thanks to the quality and originality of the language. One of these poetic devices which is a good indicator of the naturalness and creativity in a translated text is metaphor (ΓέΎόΘγϻ΍):

Promotional Material

Metaphor

White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor. The fragrance dreams are made of.

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ϮϟήϳΎΗ ΖϴΑ΍ΰϴϟ΍ Ϧϣ αΪϧϮϤϳ΍Ω Ζϳ΍ϭ ϡϼΣϷ΍ ϊϧΎλ ήτόϟ΍ (White Diamond, the dream-maker.) ϡϼΣϷ΍ ϪΑ ϰϠΠΘΗ ϱάϟ΍ ήτόϟ΍ The perfume through which dreams become true

Guerlain, Hydrabella, polyvitamin moisturizer : L’éclat du visage à la source (French) Dior, Tendre poison ; Fleurs de tendresse (French)

:ϲϨϴϣΎΘϴϔϟ΍ ΐρήϤϟ΍ ˬϼϴΑ΍έΪϳΎϫ ΔϘϟ΄Θϣ ΓήθΑ ϰϟ· ϚΣΎΘϔϣ (Your key to radiant skin.) ήτϋ ϲϓ ΔΛϮϧϷ΍ ΔϣϮόϧ ˬέϮϳΩ (Feminine tenderness in a perfume.)

While the semantic components of the three original advertisements are maintained (i.e. dreams, radiance, tenderness), rhetorical argumentation has slightly changed in Arabic to make the slogan appropriately phrased. That procedure facilitated the communicative purpose to be reached.

7.4.1 Metathesis and Rhyme These are also remarkable stylistic features that preserve the persuasive effect and effectiveness of the promotional text. However, it is most probable that the translation will not rely on the same semantic components in the original advertisement if the persuasive element of rhyme is to be preserved in translation.

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Crafted for fit. Styled for fun. Cleo by Panache

"εΎϧΎΑ" Ϟ΋ϼϏ ˬϞ΋ϼϐϟ΍ ϦϘθόϳ ϻ...Ϟ΋ϼϗ ˯ΎδϨϟ΍ Ϧϣ ήϳάΒΘϟ΍ ϦΒΒΤϳ ϻ...ήϴΜϛ ϦϬϨϣϭ (Few women do not like underwear…many of them do not like wasteful expenditure.)

Give me taste. Not waist. Weight Watchers Meals

Ϧϣ Ϛδϔϧ ϲϣήΤΗ ϻ ˬίήϴθΗ΍ϭ Ζϳ΍ϭ ϡΎότϟ΍ (Weight Watchers, do not prevent yourself from eating.)

To save and invest, talk to Natwest. Natwest Bank

ΕΎϧ ϚϨΒΑ ϞμΗ΍ ˬέΎϤΜΘγϻ΍ϭ έΎΧΩϼϟ Ζδϳϭ (To save and invest, contact Natwest bank.)

With the exception of the last example where the rhyme is preserved in the first part of the advertisement, the two first examples are rewritten to maintain the rhetorical color of the advertisements. The creative style in advertising can be reinforced through parallelism too. A parallel structure is generally a two-or three-word equally-weighed statement that emphasizes the main feature the publicized item claims. The slogans ‘Arrive Before You Leave’ (British Airways), or ‘ ϝΎϤΟ...ΔϗΎϧ΃ ΔδϤϟ αΎϤϟϷ΍ ˯Ύϔλ...έΎϜΘΑϻ΍ Ρϭέ...ΔόϴΒτϟ΍’ in Arabic are in a case in point. This concise technique is a backbone for many slogans in various languages. Parallelism

Good food. Good life. Nestlé

No FT, no comment. Financial Times

ϚΗΎϴΣ ζϋ .ϙ˯΍άϏ ϑήϋ΍ (Know your food. Live your life.) ΰϤϳΎΗ ϞθϧΎϨϳΎϔϟ΍ ϥϭΩ ϖϴϠόΗ ϻ (No comment without the Financial Times.)

Keeping the same semantic components as the original, both target advertisements, in the above examples, have created rhythm and emphasized the analogy between the two ideas through the parallelism

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device. It can be noticed too that the tone in the first example has shifted from declarative to incentive without altering parallelism.

7.4.2 Alliteration It is commonly used in advertisements for it strikingly intensifies the style of the message through the repetition of certain sounds of words. This can be noticed in the following separate advertisements both in English and Arabic.

Alliteration

English examples:

Arabic examples:

Functional…Fashionable… Formidable. Fila

ϲϓ ΔϗΩ

Don’t dream it. Drive it. Jaguar

έΎϜΘΑϻ΍ Ρϭέ (αΎϤϟϼϟ) ...ϊϴϨμΘϟ΍ ΓΩϮΟ...ϢϴϤμΘϟ΍ ΐϴϛήΘϟ΍ For Diamonds:

(Creativity designing…quality manufacturing…accuracy assembling.)

in in in

Ύϣ ΎϬϨϣ ϖθόΗϭ (Ϟ΋ϼϐϟ΍ ΐΤΗ ˯ΎδϨϟ΍) ϲϓ ΍ήΣΎγ ˬϪϤϴϤμΗ ϲϓ ΎόϳΪΑ ϥΎϛ ϪΘΛϮϧ΃ ϲϓ ΎϴϏΎρϭ ˬϪδϤϠϣ (Women long for underwear that is splendid in design, magic in touch, and overpowering in femininity.)

7.4.3 Allusions Allusions are references that draw on collective knowledge. The parable of allusion is habitually used to call for, inter alia, cultural, social or religious background familiar to the consumer to have a hold on his/her attention and guarantee the sustainability of the idea. For example, Philips’s slogan ‘Sense and Simplicity’ giving a hint to Jane Austen’s novel ‘Sense and Sensibility’, as a literary work reference. An American telecommunication company also imitated the Obama presidential campaign slogan, ‘Yes we

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can’ in launching its services. Similarly, food store 7-Eleven has drawn on religious texts to build its slogan ‘Oh Thank Heaven for 7-Eleven’. As such, the target advertisement is generally not a close reproduction of the original text. However, while this technique may or may not bear special reference to the consumer, putting a certain amount of mental effort in decoding the message, helps the receiver to remember it better.

Allusion

Olay Regenerates, Wrinkle Relaxing Complex. Fights the look of fine lines and wrinkles…

ΪϴϋΎΠΘϟ΍ ϒϴϔΨΗ ΐϛήϣ ϱϻϭ΃ ϊϣ ϡϮϴϟ΍ ΪόΑ ΪϴϋΎΠΗ ϻ (No wrinkles from now on.)

7.5 Decoding Abbreviations These involve using abbreviations and acronyms in slogans or a corporate title which is becoming a basic element in written communication especially in digital content. Publicists use abbreviations as easy-tounderstand and easy-to-remember labels. For communication to be effective, it is necessary to decode abbreviated words to make the message explicit and understandable to the receiver. Acronym decoding

AC4E-marketing

ΓέΎΠΘϟ΍ϭ ϖϳϮδΘϠϟ ΔϴΑήόϟ΍ Δϛήθϟ΍ ΔϴϧϭήΘϜϟϻ΍ (Arab Company for Marketing and Electronic Trade.)

7.6 Direct Solicitations This involves addressing the consumer directly by using the pronoun ‘You’ and engages the audience in a trustful relationship with the publicist and captures its interest. The examples ‘Your challenge is our progress’ (I.F Engineering Corporation), or ‘Taking you forward’ (Ericsson) are a case in point. Very often, this direct solicitation implies the use of the imperative mode and puts the publicist in the role of adviser.

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Have a break, have a Kit Kat. Kit Kat Chocolate

ΕΎϛ Ζϴϛ ϝϭΎϨΗϭ ΔΣ΍ήΘγΎΑ ϊΘϤΗ

Melts in your mouth, not in your hands. M&M’s

ϚϳΪϳ ϲϓ ϲϫϭ ϚϤϓ ϲϓ ΏϭάΗ ˬ ϙΪϳ ϲϓ ϻ ϚϤϓ ϲϓ ΏϭάΗ ˬM&M’s

7.7 Transfer and Publicity Failure The language of advertisement capitalizes on a wide range of trends and social expectations in relation to some topics of prestige, quality, cultural glimpses or nature, depending on how much the specific trend is influential on the receiving society. When advertising cars, for example, the emphasis is usually not limited to their speed, power or price but also covers the prestige and value of the brand, the quality of its technical features, and its environmental compliance. These specificities are naturally reproduced in the target advertisement but it is not enough. The content should be suitably formulated to reflect a distinguished image of the advertised item; otherwise, the publicity fails to achieve its communicative purpose, as noticed in example (1) below:

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Rolls Royce’s Haunting New Ghost, powerful phantom The Rolls Royce has always been known for its sharp-edged grill, as with the newly dropped Ghost VSpecification. But this phantom has a strikingly subtle design due to a streamlined body that inconspicuously blends the traditional and the spectral. But don’t be mistaken: with a price tag in excess of US $450,000 (AED/SAR 1.64 million), this isn’t exactly a ‘less is more’ approach. In characteristic Rolls-Royce fashion, this 2,360 kilogram behemoth comes roaring in at 593 bph, thanks to a twin turbo 6.6 V12 engine. Taking off with 80% of the torque erupting from idle like a passing apparition, the rumble is silent. The V-Spec marks the fifth year of production of the Ghost by Rolls Royce, and is only being offered for a limited time, until June 2014.

ˬβϳϭέ ΰϟϭέ Ϧϣ ήγϵ΍ ΪϳΪΠϟ΍ ΢Βθϟ΍ ϱϮϘϟ΍ ΢Βθϟ΍ ΔϴϣΎϣϷ΍ ΎϬΘϜΒθΑ βϳϭέ ΰϟϭήϟ΍ Ζϓήϋ ΎϤϟΎτϟ ˱ ΎΜϳΪΣ ΕέΪλ ϲΘϟ΍ ΓέΎϴδϟ΍ ϲϓ ΎϤϛ ΔΌϳήΠϟ΍ ΢Βθϟ΍ ΓέΎϴγ ϦϜϟ ˬϦθϴϜϴϔϴδϴΒγ V ΖγϮΟ ϝϼΧ Ϧϣ ΔϳΎϐϠϟ ϕ΍έ ˱ ΎϤϴϤμΗ ϚϠϤΗ ϩάϫ ϲϔΧ Ϟ˳ ϜθΑ ϡϮϘϳ ϱάϟ΍ϭ ϲΑΎϴδϧϻ΍ ΎϬϠϜϴϫ .ϲϟΎϴΨϟ΍ ϊϣ ϱΪϴϠϘΘϟ΍ ΝΰϤΑ Ϧϋ Ϊϳΰϳ ήόγ ϊϤϓ :Ϧψϟ΍ ΍ϮΌτΨΗ ϻ ϦϜϟ ϥϮϴϠϣ 1.64) ϲϛήϴϣ΃ έϻϭΩ 450,000 Ζδϴϟ ϩάϫ (ϱΩϮόγ ்/ϲΗ΍έΎϣ· ϢϫέΩ ϦϤπϓ ˬΓέΎϴδϟ΍ Ύϣ΃ .ήϴϓϮΘϠϟ ϢϜΘϟΎο ςΒπϟΎΑ ΍άϫ ϲΗ΄ϳ βϳϭέ ΰϟϭήϟ ϲτϤϨϟ΍ ΏϮϠγϹ΍ ξϬϨϳϭ ϡ΍ήϏϮϠϴϛ 2,360 ϥίϮΑ ΢Βθϟ΍ ϮΑήϴΗ ϲϛήΤϣ ϞπϔΑ ˱ ΎϧΎμΣ 593 ΔϋήδΑ ϡΰϋ Ϧϣ %80 ˰Α ϕϼτϧϻ΍ ΪϨϋ .V12 6.6 ϙΎϨϫ ϥϮϜϳ Ϧϟ ϥϮϜδϟ΍ Δϴόοϭ Ϧϣ ϥ΍έϭΪϟ΍ .ΡΎΒηϷ΍ έϭήϤϛ ˱ ΎϣΎϤΗ ˱΍ΪΑ΃ ΞϴΠο ΕϮλ ˳ ˷ ΔϨδϟ΍ ϰϟ· ΰϣήΗ ϩάϫ V-Spec ˰ϟ΍ ΓέΎϴγ ϥ· Ϧϣ ΖγϮϐϟ΍ Ε΍έΎϴγ ΝΎΘϧ· Ϧϣ ΔδϣΎΨϟ΍ ΓΪϤϟ ϊϴΒϠϟ ΎϬοήϋ ϢΘϴγϭ ˬΰϳϭέ ΰϟϭέ .2014 ϮϴϧϮϳ ϰΘΣ ΓΩϭΪΤϣ

Despite the accurate transfer of factual information in the target advertisement, the text is neither natural nor attractive. In addition to the presence of ambiguities and calques originating in word-for-word translation, some pitfalls are due to the misuse of rhetorical figures. Indeed, some of the problems noticed in the transfer of advertising messages relate to cultural adaptation, others stem from a failure in the transfer of message that range from mistakes of no sense to lack of idiomaticity and inefficiency of stylistic figures as is the case in the above example. In order to achieve the communicative purpose of the advertisement, some questions are expected to be settled in the pre-translation phase. Compared to the original message, would there be the same semantic references? If this is the case, would the statement, which is intended to amplify and

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promote it, correspond to the original? Would figures of speech be identical in both languages? Without such guidelines, the target advertisement becomes eventually unintelligible. In many adapted Arabic advertisements, the predominant problem of transfer emanates from the lack of idiomaticity in the target message. In example (1), the use of the Arabic word ΢Βη’shabah’ for ‘ghost’ in English, is problematic relating to strategic and linguistic translation choices. Firstly, the notion of ‘shabeh’ can be associated with the old model of Rolls-Royce Phantom. This can lead to confusion because ‘shabeh’ is the semantic equivalent of phantom too. Secondly, when used with the word ϱϮϗ‘qawi’ (strong, powerful), or ΪϳΪΟ‘jadeed’ (new), ‘shabeh’ does not form a collocation. The recurrent collocations with the word ‘shabeh’ such as ϒϴΨϣ ΢Βη (frightening ghost) ϞϴϠϟ΍ ΢Βη (night ghost) ΕϮϤϟ΍ ΢Βη (Death ghost) ΏήΤϟ΍ ΢Βη (war ghost) all have negative connotations. Therefore, the expression does not embody the idea of strength or power at all and does not convey the intended message, which induces a failure in gaining public attention. Neglecting the rhetorical component in advertisement, being one of the pillars of promotional language, could only result in the communicative objective being missed. Example (2)

Marc by Marc Jacobs Plaid Pullover

ΰΑϮϜϳΎΟ ϙέΎϣ ϱΎΑ ϙέΎϣ Ϧϣ ΕΎόΑήϤϟ΍ ΓΰϨϛ ˱΍ΩΪΠϣ ϲϘΘϠϧ ˬΕΎόΑήϤϟ΍ ΎϬΘϳ΃ ˱ ΎΒΣήϣ

Hello, tartan. We meet again. It’s the season of plaid, and in case you forgot, here are some guidelines to help you pull off this Scottish print.

Ϊϗ Ϛϧ΍ ϝΎΣ ϲϓϭ ΕΎόΑήϤϟ΍ ΔθϘϧ ϢγϮϣ Ϫϧ· ΉΩΎΒϤϟ΍ Ϧϣ ΔϋϮϤΠϣ ΎϨϫ ΪΠΘγ ˬϚϟΫ Ζϴδϧ ΔθϘϨϟ΍ ϩάϫ ˯ΎϘΘϧ΍ ϲϓ ΡΎΠϨϟ΍ ϰϠϋ ϙΪϋΎδΘϟ ΔϳΪϨϠΘϜγϻ΍

In example (2), the communicative impact of the original advertisement portraying Tartan fashion is missing in the Arabic advertisement due to inappropriate use of tone and lack of idiomaticity, just to name two. By sticking close to the original English wording, the translated text displays a trivial style in a confusing tone. Appropriate rhetorical devices have not been used to give words anything more than their literal sense. Concepts

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of ‘newness’, ‘Scottish fashion’ and ‘new season’, the guiding threads in the advertisement, are absent in the Arabic title which could be rendered utilizing a figurative speech such: ϱΪϨϠΘϜγϻ΍ ϊϗϮϟ΍ ϰϠϋ ΪϳΪΟ ϢγϮϣ (new season on the Scottish rhythm). Additionally, there is failure to adapt the cultural reference in the title. While Tartan distinctive design, worn by members of a Scottish clan, has a connotation that may entail many interpretations, one of which is the celebration of Scotland and its Tartan legacy, the translation is limited to a representation of the square emblem of Tartan. Obviously, little attention has been given to the figurative use of words that has embellished parts of expression and complied with the target language canons to create as much of an impact as possible on the receiver. Example (3)

If you want to glow like the sunset, try the Guerlain Mitsouko scent with Vetivr, peach and moss fragrance.

ήϴΒόΑ ϲϬϛΎϓ ήτϋ Ϯϫ ϮϛϮδΘϴϣ ϦϴϟήϏ ϪϟΎϤόΘγΎΑ .ΐϟΎΤτϟ΍ϭ ΪϨϬϟ΍ ϞϴΠϧϭ ˬΥϮΨϟ΍ ΏϭήϏ ϞΜϣ ΔΠ˷ϫϮΘϣ Ϛϧ΄Α ϦϳήόθΗ ϑϮγ βϤθϟ΍

The crucial concern in this last example originates in the improper use of idiomatic expressions and metaphors. It is misleading to associate the same properties of the English metaphor. Although the expression ‘to glow like the sunset’ is not recurrent in English, the scenery and atmosphere accompanying the event can invoke warm sensations. The same image cannot be adopted in Arabic because it is conceptualized around gloom and melancholy. By preserving the same English metaphorical conceptualization of ‘glowing like the sunset’, the translation produces an absurd message. The correspondence in both experiences is limited to one component of the image and that is ‘the sun’. The other part of the image reflects different conceptualizations. The metaphorical description could be expressed in Arabic by the formula ‘as radiant as the sunrise’ ϕϭήθϟ΍ ϞΜϣ ΔΌϟϸΘϣ , ‘your face shines of beauty’ ΎϨδΣ ϚϬΟϭ ϕήθϳ, or ‘a glowing skin’ Δϗήθϣ ΓήοΎϧ ϚΗήθΑ. Replacement of the metaphor enhances the communicative impact of the advertisement. Translating persuasive texts across cultures therefore means not only carrying the message across cultures, keeping a careful eye on the many ways of encoding information and emotions, but also being aware of the world knowledge and using a

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certain amount of cultural and rhetorical adaptation to render the slogan properly.

7.8 Borrowing and Calques The primary objective of commercial advertisements is to promote and sell a service or a product relying on an appealing language, as previously mentioned. However, there is a remarkable profusion of promotional material in Arabic that is a mere reproduction of foreign advertisements resulting in borrowed structures, calques and unintelligible statements, as noticed in the following examples: Top Best for Gifts / Promotions Parfum Allure Sensuelle de Chanel (French) Allure Homme Sport, A woody aromatic fragrance for today's modern man, who never backs down from a challenge -- it's time to step up to the plate!

Δϴ΋ΎϋΪϟ΍ Ύϳ΍ΪϬϠϟ ϞπϓϷ΍ ΔϤϗ ήϴΜϤϟ΍ ϲδΤϟ΍ ήϬψϤϟ΍ ˬΔϴΑΫΎΠϟ΍ ήτϋ ϱήμόϟ΍ ϞΟήϠϟ ΔΤ΋΍ήϟ΍ ϱϮϗ ϲΒθΧ ήτϋ ΖϗϮϟ΍ ϥΎΣ ΪϘϟ .ϱΪΤΘϟ΍ Ϧϋ ϊΟ΍ήΘϳ ϻ ϱάϟ΍ ΔϤϘϟ΍ ϮΤϧ ϮτΨΘϟ

In analyzing the language structure in the above Arabic advertising examples, major problematic aspects are to be highlighted: the transfer of the message is done at the semantic level through the explicit and primary meaning of lexical units and predicates. In other words, the semantic components of these words are translated into their equivalents in borrowing English; they are transferred in their strict sense. Hence, the correspondence is literal and results in structures stranger in the Arabic language. By imitating the manner of expression in English advertising, the message appears unnatural in Arabic whereas the communicative role of the advertisement has been neglected. In addition, literal translation has led to lexical calque from English, as noticed in the following examples:

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Time clock or clock card machine

ϊϴϤΠϟ ϡΪϘΗ ΖΒϴΠϳ΍ έϮϓ ϰΗ ϯ΍ Δϛήη έϮπΤϟ΍ ΔϤψϧ΃ ΙΪΣ΃ ΎϬ΋ϼϤϋ ΕέΎϜϟ΍ϭ ΔϤμΒϟΎΑ ϑ΍ήμϧϻ΍ϭ ϞϴΠδΗ ίΎϬΟ / ΖϗϮϟ΍ ϢϴψϨΗ ίΎϬΟ έϮπΤϟ΍

Get the help you need for your car under any circumstances on the road with an annual membership from Forsan Car Rescue Company, rescuing you from any accident, road traumas, or mishaps.

ΓήϫΎϘϟΎΑ Ε΍έΎϴδϟ΍ ΫΎϘϧϻ ϥΎγήϔϟ΍ Δϛήη ΕΎψϓΎΤϤϟ΍ϭ ήτϗ ΕΎϣΪΧ .Ε΍έΎϴδϟ΍ ήτϗ ΕΎϣΪΧ ΔϠτόϤϟ΍ ΕΎΒϛήϤϟ΍

Omnia Crystalline L’Eau de Parfum is a sparkling new fragrance that casts its rays on the Bvlgari world. A velvety and textured fragrance that glows like a gem with the clarity of a crystal revealing a modern sensuality. Dedicated to an iconic woman, Omnia Crystalline L’Eau de Parfum unveils a luminous femininity that makes her irresistible.

ϢϟΎϋ ϰϠϋ ϪΘόη΄Α Ρήτϳ ϖϟ΄Θϣϭ ΪϳΪΟ ήτϋ ϖϟ΄Θϳ ϱϮϗϭ ϲϠϤΤϣ ήτϋ Ϫϧ· Bvlgari Ϧϋ ϒθϜϳ ΎϤϣ έϮϠΒϟ΍ ˯ΎϘϨΑ ΰϴϤΘϳϭ ΓήϫϮΠϛ ήτόϟ΍ ˯Ύϣ ϒθϜϳϭ ήλΎόϣ ϑΎϫέ· Δϗήθϣ ΔΛϮϧ΃ Ϧϋ ΔϴϧϮϘϳ΃ Γ΃ήϣϻ κμΨϤϟ΍ ϡϭΎϘΗ ϻ Γ΃ήϣ΍ ΎϬϨϣ ϞόΠΗ

Another prevailing linguistic feature characterizing advertising in Arabic is the use of transliteration. The widespread recourse to direct reproduction of foreign spelling deprives Arabic advertising from original and creative writing. Therefore, the overwhelming conversion of foreign letters despite their equivalents in Arabic weakens the sort of creativity the language requires to keep pace with all kinds of depictions and representations of a continuously innovating advertising field.

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ΙΪΣ΃ ϖϓϭ(mobiles) ΕϼϳΎΑϮϤϟ΍ ΔϧΎϴλ ϢϠόΗ ˯΍ήΒΨϟ΍ Ϟπϓ΃ Ϊϳ ϰϠϋϭ ΔϘϳήρ ϊτϗϭ ΔϳϮϴϠΨϟ΍ ΓΰϬΟϷ΍ ω΍Ϯϧ΃ ΔϓΎϛ ϊϴΒϣ (accessories) έ΍ϮδδϛϹ΍ (marques) ΔϴϟΎτϳϹ΍ ΕΎϛέΎϤϟ΍ ϢΨϓ΃

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...ςϴδϘΘϟΎΑ ϊϴΒϠϟ(chalets) ΕΎϬϴϟΎη ΕΎϬϴϓΎϛϭ ϢϋΎτϣ...Δϴ΋Ύϣ ΏΎόϟ΃ϭ ϙέΎΑ΍Ϯϛ΃ (cafés) ΝίΎρ ΐϴϠΣ(fresh) εήϓ ϚϣϮϳ ΃ΪΑ΍ ΔϴϤϟΎόϟ΍(modèles) ΕϼϳΩϮϤϟ΍ ΙΪΣ΃ ΔϴϟΎΟήϟ΍ϭ Δϴ΋ΎδϨϟ΍ (décor)έϮϜϳΪϟ΍ ϝΎϤϋ΃ ΔϓΎϛ άϴϔϨΘϟ ΔδγΆϣ

As the communicative role of promotional texts is crucial, focus must be directed towards both the informative content and stylistic function of the translation where cultural resonance is preserved and language canons are respected.

7.9 Use of Business to Business Self Promotion Business-to-business promotional material and self-promotion tools are usually low in creativity because they are based on factual information. They are generally translated as closely as possible to the original text to guarantee the accuracy of information. Business companies recourse to various promotional tools in order to reach out to a large number of people and promote their products and services. The most popular materials used for that purpose are brochures, flyers, booklets, catalogs, pamphlets or sales letters, depending on the specific business communication and the target group. They can be distinguished by their format and by their use. Multi-paged bi-fold promotional materials are known as booklets and catalogues. These are short books implying a set of multi-page print containing profiles and presentations of a business. Other types of promotional materials, consisting of one page or more, are flyers, leaflets, pamphlets, and circulars. They are ideal for mass distribution at low cost. While all of them are intended to advertise an offer, some have specific typical uses that might include periodic announcements for events, news (circular) or political propaganda (pamphlet), but the most commonly used are brochures which cover a large variety of fields that can range from travel and mortgage to educational programs.

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7.9.1 Brochure A brochure is aimed at introducing a business and promoting its activities and/or products. Its primary purpose, like any advertisement, is to convert its reader to become a potential customer or consumer. Contrary to a pamphlet or flyer that is usually one page long, a brochure is generally presented as a two-or-three folded document and holds the logo that reflects the identity of the business. The content is carefully formulated and reflects a distinct and distinguished image. It is designed in an attractive layout and worded with catchy and persuasive expressions. Its objective is far from being realized without the high quality of its design. The external aspect of a brochure (size, type of paper, images, illustrations, colors, etc.) is a reflection of all aspects of the business because it creates the corporate image. A brochure serves as reference material and describes the offered product or service in a very detailed way. To make elaborate brochures, many businesses recourse to communicating professional services that apply almost the same guidelines in designing brochures. The details on this issue, that can be found at www.brochuredesignservice.com, can be regarded as an example of the many services present or available on the net. These guidelines can be summarized as follows: a) Title The title in a brochure is crucial because it can convince the reader from the beginning to go beyond the first step of reading. It generally contains two ideas: a solution to a problem conveyed through a closed question, where the answer is either yes or no, and a strong affirmation of the benefit of the publicized item. It should leave no doubt about the answers to a problem. b) Content In writing a brochure, there are key ideas that constitute the core of the advertising substance: a statement of the reader’s interests; the benefits of the publicized item; the incentives to make the reader take action and the commitment of the business in terms of quality and guaranteed results. A brochure starts by stating what interests the potential customer the most. In order for a brochure to be appealing, it should clarify why the item is useful to the reader and what it can do for him/her. It then describes what the item is and how much it costs. For the message to reach the reader and

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motivate him/her to adhere to the item, it should clearly show the added value of it. The impact left on the reader depends on the ability to explain why the item should inspire confidence and trust and what the benefits are. The main background information is obviously the commitment of the business in ensuring quality and success. c) Categories and Functions Shifting audiences according to the purpose of the brochure requires the definition of key questions to answer in order to chose information to emphasize on or to leave out. The communication here depends largely on the determination of the functions of a brochure and the way they are identified and communicated to large public or specific targeted groups (Hyde, n.d.). These groups can include potential clients, potential funders, partners, members, the press, etc. Category

Function

Audience

Marketing brochure (also called sales brochure and promotional brochure)

- Market and promote a product or service - Emphasize on its selling - Present detailed description of it - Attract the attention of a large public to an event

Large public

Institutional brochure (also called corporative brochure and business brochure)

- Present an institution/business - Communicate on its high degree of prestige and credibility - Emphasize on the institutional data - Show its strength and security - Identify functions of a project

- Business owners - Managers - Executives of another business - Well-educated people from the business - Decision-makers - Banks and financial entities

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- Provide easy to find, read and understand information on a service or a product - Present technical information about sold items - Provide additional information as supporting material inside a promotional kit

General public

7.9.2 Booklets and Catalogues Booklets and catalogues are both advertising materials. Booklets are sometimes referred to as owners' manuals. Booklets are instruction manuals, which are designed to promote any product. They are created to provide additional information about products' specifications, methods of assembly and installation, warranty, etc. Booklets also include reference guides and portfolios. Reference guides tend to be brief and neat with specific instructions about a certain product. Information in instructional guides tends to be concise, and they incorporate significant topics along with their instruction. Unlike reference guides, portfolios are business forms that are beneficial for promoting the company and its products. Portfolios are excellent ways of attracting clients and showcasing the company's unique talents and expertise. Portfolios also reflect the pride of possession for the company with appropriate portfolio forms. Catalogues, whether retail or digital, are also promotional. They are designed to function in a business-to-business relationship. Catalogues include specific information about a business such as pricing, detailed information about the product, contact information, etc. The ultimate goal behind designing catalogues is to provide clients with an image of the company’s efficiency and how its business is organized. Translating booklets and catalogues into other languages can be a daunting experience. Like other culture-embedded documents, translating booklets and catalogues is not about translating the text into the other language, but about transferring the correct marketing message to the target language.

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Booklets and catalogues incorporate and exemplify cultural issues. Writing style and tone need to be taken into consideration. In other words, phrases, expressions and formats are set in one's culture and unless translators are familiar with the business formats and their cultural patterns, it would be difficult to translate the precise meaning from one culture to another.

7.10 Self-Promotion In the same way a product or service is advertised for many different purposes. It may offer a service, attract a strong applicant for a position, or convince a potential employer for a job. There are various tools to showcase the applicant’s educational path, work experience and career achievements. Some of them are conventional (i.e. resume) while others (i.e. biography) match the more current trends in today’s competitive job market (Torresi, 2010: 54). Indeed, in addition to the cover letter that accompanies every application, and the resume that articulates an applicant’s work experience in a conventional rigid structure, the biography is gradually becoming more important in applications especially for jobs in networking activities, thanks to its easy read format and narrative style! Conventionally, a cover letter introduces the applicant and explains how he/she found out about the position and how much he/she is a great fit for it, while a resume relates to his/her educational and professional background and skills. On the other hand, a biography presents the applicant’s important achievements and professional values in a very easy-to-read and conversational style. This alternative of personal promotion in a narrative format gives the applicant added value by distinguishing him/her from the rest of the job seekers (Yate, 2003: 85).

7.10.1 Resume The Latin expression « curriculum vitae », or CV for short, is used in Europe and the academic sphere to refer to a resume. Traditionally, a resume is designed in a schematic structure and chronological order to give employers a quick idea of the applicant’s education, work history, skills and realizations. This tool is generally used when applying for a specific job and a good resume is one that succeeds in bringing the applicant in for the job interview.

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The work experience or the nature of the job opportunity may influence the type of resume sent to an employer. If an applicant has not had important work experience or had a gap in the employment path, the focus should be made on his/her skills and highlight the proficiency gained from previous experiences and activities. This skills-oriented resume is called functional resume (Yate, 2003: 10). On the other hand, a chronological resume remains the most commonly used to present one’s work history in a strict format organized from the most recent work information all the way through all previous positions held (Doyle, n.d.). In presenting work details, the applicant starts by mentioning the current position title, place of employment, duration of the job, then the breakdown of the responsibilities. There are basic categories of information that must be included in a resume regardless of its type: personal details, education, skills and experience and other relevant information (Torresi, 2010: 32). As for the personal details, the applicant’s name comes first followed by the marital status, full address, contact phone numbers and e-mail address. The education axis covers the name of the most recent degree, name of the school and location, and years completed. It also includes any other certificates or training received that may be relevant to the position applied for. In the skills and experience rubric, the potential employer will scan the applicant’s abilities and determine if he/she has the technical skill levels required for the position (Yate, 2003: 17). In a competitive multilingual market, the translation of resumes is gradually and continuously expanding. Despite the cultural background of the job applicant, common conventions must be complied with in resumes whatever the language such as information structure (high educational level, lower level), separate units of information (education section, career history), consistent graphic layout (columns, labels, contents), main personal details (name, address, etc.) (Torresi, 2010: 32). Other units are elective such as including a statement or a biography in the resume or adding lower education level such as primary school.

7.10.2 Biography A biography is a notion that appeared recently in today’s competitive job market as a tool denoting distinctive characteristics in a candidate compared to other competitors. Similarly, as the resume speaks loudly and

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clearly about the candidate’s value as a potential employee (Yate, 2003: 3), a biography highlights the candidate’s achievements, attributes, reputation and temperament in a narrative and stimulating style (Howell, n.d.). This promotional tool is best utilized in networking meetings and gives any job seeker the opportunity to convey more information and identify what other people might want to know about him/her in a less rigid format than a resume. Thus, the candidate renders factual information in a promotional self-assertive style using expressions with superlative meaning to ascertain that he/she is the best candidate (excellent, enthusiastic, significant, etc.). Through this promotional exercise, conventionally written in the third person in less than five paragraphs, the candidate holds an advantageous means that potentially enhances his/her chances to be selected for the desired position. In sum, when drafting a biography, a candidate should start with his/her name, profession, experience and area of expertise. Then special career accomplishments should be brought to light and appreciative personal attributes emphasized. Interests and hobbies should be slightly invoked at the end of the summary. Since the biography is considered a short story, it is crucial to mention relevant facts using persistent and concrete words. Moreover, it is said that the language of a biography should resemble the one of a marketing brochure that publicizes the candidate so as to create interest in him/her as with any other product. The latest tool for selfpromotion in online networking (i.e. Linked, Twitter, etc.) is the elevator speech (also called the elevator pitch) (Dole, 2014). It is a summary of the job seeker’s skills and qualifications and even shorter than a biography.

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7.11 Checklist Exercises Read the following questions carefully and then answer them in the spaces provided. 1. In a few sentences define promotional material and explain its primary objectives.

2. Explain what we mean by the “language of advertisement” and give examples from both English and your mother tongue.

3. What are the three figures of speech used in advertisements.

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4. In a short paragraph, define “Direct Solicitation”, and explain what kind of impact it has on the reader.

5. What is a brochure?

6. Describe a good resume and explain its main components.

7. What is a biography? Can a biography guarantee you a job? Explain how?

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8. In the space provided below, define the following business terms:

1) Business letter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2) Business community ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3) Beating around the bush ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4) Clarity of purpose ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5) Closing statement ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6) Complimentary close -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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7) Concluding paragraph ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8) Correspondent ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9) Courteous close ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10) Cultural constraints ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11) Hanging paragraph ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12) Idiomatic expression -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------13) Introductory paragraph -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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14) Letter layout ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15) Salutation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16) Style ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------17) Vague sentence ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GLOSSARY OF COMMON BUSINESS TERMS

Acquaintance Familiarity with something. It means awareness. It is personal knowledge that comes from experience and careful study. Abbreviation A shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase. The word UN refers to United Nations, US refers to United States, etc. Accuracy The quality of being true. Accuracy involves excellent representation of the truth. It is precision. It also means correctness or exactness. Added Value The amount which is added to the actual value of the work or service. In academic writing, an added value involves making more attractive or appealing to the audience or reader. Address The words that are used to describe the place or site of a building. Administrator A person who is responsible for an office, or one who performs certain action; a person who is in charge of something. Advertisement The act of advertising something. A notice, such as a poster or paid announcement in print, broadcast, or electronic media, designed to attract public attention or support. Adverse Affect A harmful or undesirable effect. Adverse effects are usually indicated by results such as failing to attract, influence, or convince someone; failing an exam. Aesthetics A branch of philosophy that deals with beauty and the beautiful especially with making judgments of taste with regard to them. Agency An organization or government office. It also means a company. In business communication, an agency refers to a place for conducting business.

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Alliteration The use of the same consonant or vowel at the beginning of each word, as in Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. Alphabetical Order A system in which characters, references and events are placed in the conventional ordering of an alphabet. The strings of characters are placed based on their position and events or references that are chronological. Allusion The act of alluding to something or a reference passing. Allusion means the obscure mentioning of something. Anger A feeling of displeasure; a strong feeling of hostility. Anger can also be defined as a mood in which one feels bad about something. Apology An expression of regret. It involves asking someone for forgiveness for an offense he or she has done. Appeal It is a way in which one invites someone to believe in what he or she says. It is trying to win or gain the support of others. It is a way to convince someone to accept or buy your ideas. Arduous Something that requires a huge effort. It also means hard to achieve and time consuming. Argumentative The act of arguing against something or for something. It is the attempt to convince or a tendency to argue or disagree. Arrogance An offensive behavior which displays superiority of one over another. Such a behavior is usually characterized by self-importance and authoritative pride. Articulate Someone who is endowed with the power of speech; gifted; brilliant; someone who is capable of achieving goals. One who can express things easily and effectively. Artistic Something that is related to art. It refers to a person who can understand and appreciates art; skillful; imaginative. Assess An evaluation of the work of someone and making judgment about it. Assess also means to scrutinize and analyze the work of others.

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Attachment An additional document, file or image to the letter. In psychology, it refers to a bond between one person or another. Attitude A behavior or a state of mind. It is a feeling about something. Audience A group of listeners. It can also refer to spectators, readers or hearers. Awkward Unclear or confusing. An awkward sentence means an illstructured sentence. It can also refer to something incoherent. Awkward means unskillful, clumsy and difficult to deal with. Balance The creation of a desirable point between two or more opposite forces. It refers to a well-established paragraph with no bias toward one side of the argument or another. Beating Around the Bush When some is not getting to the point, he is beating around the bush. It also means being indirect or not straightforward. Beating around the bush involves deceiving someone and/or being ambiguous toward something. Bidder The one who bids or offers a price one would pay or charge. In stock exchange businesses, it refers to the highest price a prospective buyer is willing to pay for something. Biography A written account of someone’s life written by another. Biography is about cutting individuals down to sizes. Borrowing The process by which something (i.e. a word) is borrowed from other languages or cultures. It is to obtain something and use it for a short period of time with the intention of returning it. Brochure Advertising pieces that are used mainly to introduce a company or organization. A brochure is a booklet that describes a product or service. A brochure also describes a small pamphlet. Sometimes, it is referred to as a leaflet. Budget A quantitative expression of a plan for a defined period of time. Budget can also be defined as a financial or business plan.

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Business Community A group of people who manage some kind of business or other kinds of activities. Business Correspondence The process of exchanging information in a written format for conducting business activities. It can take place between two individuals, two organizations or institutions. Business Letter A letter that deals with business activity. It is a formal letter that is communicated to conduct business-to-business, business-toclient, or client-to-business communication. Business Managers A business manager is someone who runs the work of others to make a profit. It can also refer to someone who runs his/her own business. Business managers are individuals with good qualifications who have long experience in running companies or organizations. Business Operations Assets gained from acts of business operations. The result of business operations is to collect the value of something from assets owned by a business. Business Opportunities Unlike business operations, business opportunities involve the selling or releasing of a product, service, equipment, and any other related product or service. The aim of any business opportunity is to provide a person with an opportunity to establish a business. Businessman An individual who is capable of establishing a business. This requires that the individual has the money, qualifications, and the skills of establishing a business. A businessman is the one who takes on a commercial or industrial business. Bylaws The standing rule which governs the regulations of a particular company or organization. Bylaws can be made by a local authority that aim to regulate the company or organization’s own affairs. Candidature A person who seeks a position of an office. It also refers to a person who is shortlisted or selected for a position or an office. Running for an office, applying for a job and trying to be admitted into a university are all examples of candidatures.

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Calque A term which involves loan translation from another language while translating the borrowed word’s main components to create a new word in the target language. In other words, the word ‘calque’ is a loan translation that results from bilingual interference in which the internal structure of a borrowed term is kept, but its morphemes are replaced by those of the native language. For example, the English expression skyscraper (lit.) is calqued into Arabic as clouds rammer (ΏΎΤγ ΔΤρΎϧ). Catalogue A record. It can also be regarded as a list of items described for a particular purpose, such as courses for a university, items or sales, etc. Claim A request for something a person is entitled to. It involves an assertion of a right or an alleged right. Clarity The quality of being clear. It is synonymous with expressions such as intelligible, exact, lucid, simple, etc. Clarity of Purpose This phrase refers to the clarity of the message. It involves the ‘why’ and the ‘what’ of the message. Clarity of the intended message and the reason behind writing it are key components to the success of the letter. Client A person who uses professional advice given by a lawyer or any individual who provides professional services. It can also refer to a person who receives services or benefits, etc. Closing Statement A document that is usually used in a business transaction, be it real estate, commissions or insurance that must be transacted for a transfer of ownership to take place. The document is usually prepared by a closing agent. The phrase ‘closing statement’ is synonymous with the phrase ‘a settlement sheet’. Cogent A clear and powerful presentation that is convincing and believable. Coherence The unity of a written text. This unity of meaning comes from the linking devices and the logical organization of the text or message. Cohesion The state of cohering, uniting and sticking together. It is the use and the force of the linking devices that hold parts of the sentence or paragraph together. The use of such devices establishes connections

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between ideas in sentences and paragraphs. Cohesion also involves unity of textual components that create a cohesive text. Communication The act of exchanging ideas among people. It is the imparting or communication of thoughts, views, or information by ways of speaking, signs and means of writing. Compactness In writing business letters, compactness means closely and briefly put together. It is a way of consolidating the elements or parts of the text together. Company An entity that engages in business such as proprietorship (i.e. establishing a store, hotel, restaurant, etc.), corporation (i.e. governing body, organization, etc.) or partnership (i.e. participant or partner joint interest, etc.). Competitor A person who vies against others in business acts. It also refers to an entity which rivals against another. A competitor involves buying and selling things in the same market. Complimentary Close The part of the letter that immediately precedes the signature. Words such as ‘Truly yours’, ‘Sincerely yours’ and ‘Cordially’ are all complementary closes. Composition A professional field of writing, focusing on writing business letters at all levels. It refers to the process of combining parts of something together to form a whole. Complaint A legal document which sets forth the basis upon which an individual is to be charged with an offense. It is something that requires civil or legal action. Conciseness Accurate and efficient in communicating your thought to others. Conciseness is the extent to which a piece of writing is efficient. A concise letter is a letter that communicates clear information in few words. Concluding Paragraph A section that concludes or wraps up the subject or topic.

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Conclusion To wrap up or to come to an end. Conclusion is the ending of a section or a paragraph or even and event or activity. The terms closing, end and finale are all synonymous words to the word conclusion. Concurrently Two things happening, existing or done at the same time. Confidential Secretive; something that is intended to be kept secret. Not to be disclosed or mentioned. Congratulatory Letter A letter that acknowledges and expresses joy and happiness for the achievements or something. It is a way of expressing pleasure in the success of another. Conservative Audience An audience that preserves the existing conditions of an institution, community or society. Sometimes, a conservative audience can refer to a group of people who keep or restore traditional values to prevent change from taking place. Consistency A term that refers to the steadfastness of adhering to the same traditions, standards or principles. Context A part of the written and spoken statement, preceded or followed by a particular word or phrase. This textual environment affects the meaning of the word or passage. Contractor A person or an individual who provides people with goods and supplies. Convention A general agreement or consent. It also refers to a set of rules, methods or practices that are set up or established by accepted usage and consensus among people. Convoluted Style A style of writing that is not easy to comprehend. When the writers use a convoluted style, they are more likely to be vague, irregular and unclear. Cordial A friendly and warm greeting. Cordial also refers to a statement or an expression that serves to invigorate or stimulate the feeling of a/the reader.

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Corporate A corporation or a company. It can also refer to a group effort. Correspondent An individual who communicates with others by means of letters. A correspondent also refers to someone who has a regular business or employed by the media to supply news and stories to the corporation. Cost-effective A form of business or economic examination and scrutiny that match up or contrast the relative costs and outcomes of two or more courses of action. Counterpart A matching or corresponding person. It refers to a person who is equal or equivalent to someone else. Courteous close A close or a statement that is friendly and welcoming. A courteous person is one who is characterized by congenial considerations toward others. Courtesy A polite, friendly and gracious gesture. It can also refer to an agreement or a consensus among people towards something or someone (i.e. this man was named the man of the year by courtesy only). Courtesy Title A title that has no legal authority. This term is given by practice such as the title of a professor at a university, given as an academic title to a teacher or an instructor. Creativity The writer’s ability to go beyond customary and conventional values, rules or patterns, to create novel ideas and new approaches. It is the ability to be progressive and come up with original work. Credible If one is able to do something, (s)he is believable. Therefore, the word capable refers to the idea of someone being worthy of belief or confidence. Credit An acknowledgement of something being due. In business transactions, it entails someone’s ability or confidence to purchaser and intention to pay, and that is by entrusting the buyer with goods or services without immediate payment. Cultural Constraints In many societies, cultural constraints are societal rules or customs placed on different genders, races, and cultures based on

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how society thinks they should act. For example, in some very conservative societies, a woman is expected to wear certain clothes. Cultural Dynamics The forces that tend to produce actions and changes in any circumstance. Because of the changes in our societies, people continue to refine their understanding of cultural legacy, which includes cultural expressions, rituals and customs. Cultural Transfer This term is frequently used and studied in public policy which attempts to emphasize the influence of a specific culture on individuals and communities’ behaviors. It places emphasis on the social norms and principles of communications and how they are influenced by other cultures. Customer An agent who purchases a commodity or a service. It can also refer to an individual who usually has some specified unique characteristics. Declarative An expression that makes a statement. In writing business letters, confusing declarative with other forms of sentences (i.e. request, question, etc.) can be misleading. Decoding A term that involves a process of recognizing and interpreting a message in a different code, pattern or language. Employee An individual who works for another person or for an organization for wages or a salary. Enclosures A common term used by business writers. It refers to anything the writer includes in a letter or a package, such as receipts, certificates, letters, etc. Enquiry The process of making an investigation. It refers to an individual or organization, seeking information by questioning or requesting information. Exaggeration The process of blowing something out of proportion. It also refers to describing something as larger or bigger than it really is. Fallacy This term refers to a wrong assumption or mistaken belief. It involves an often plausible debate utilizing incorrect or invalid deduction.

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Figure of Speech A form of expression (i.e. as a simile or metaphor) employed by writers or speakers to communicate meaning or intensified effect usually by comparing something with another that has a meaning or implication or insinuation familiar to the reader or listener. Firm A company. Depending on certain contextual circumstances, the term can also refer to a business organization. Formal If something is formal, it is official. This term also refers to following an already established rule, convention, custom or form. Frozen Old Expression A speech form or an expression of a given language that is unusual to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings associated with it. A frozen expression can also implicate that the expression is usually fixed, but it could in principle be restricted to mean a fossilized expression. Full Block A type of letter in which all parts begin at the left margin. Also, in full block letters, the text is flushed against the paper’s left-hand margin, and the text content is all justified to the left. Gregorian Calendar According to the Oxford Dictionary, this is a calendar that shows the days, weeks and months of a particular year. It was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of the Julian Calendar. Hanging Paragraph A type of paragraph in which the first line is set to the left margin. However, all succeeding or following lines are indented to the right. This type of letter format is the most unstudied format in the English language. Heading A letterhead address of an institution with its name and logo or the sender’s contact details: name, full address (street and city names, postal abbreviation, zip code, name of the country in capital letters), email address and telephone number (for the sender to be reached easily if necessary). The heading is generally displayed in the middle of the page or at the right margin. Hijri Calendar Based on the highly acclaimed 2009 publication, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World, this work includes complete coverage of Islamic philosophy, sciences, and technologies from the

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classical through the contemporary period. Hijri calendar also contains scholarly overviews of the thinkers, movements, instruments, theories, institutions, processes, events, and historical developments related to Islamic classical history and the contemporary quest for knowledge. Idiomatic Expression A type of informal English that has a meaning different from the meaning of the words in the expression. For example, if you address people with the expression "hold your tongue", it does not indicate that people should grab their tongue with their hand, but rather it is used to indicate that people should not talk. Indented Paragraph Moving the beginning of a written line or paragraph to the right a few spaces. Inflated Language In writing, one may want to puff up ordinary words to give them an elevated level of language. If writers use this style of language, then they are using inflated language (i.e. the language they use is inflated). Inner Qualities The quality of language used in written communication. This also involves the way it is presented, which may prompt the reader to take action. Intensifying Expression A group of words that emphasizes another word or phrase for a certain characteristic or feature. Sometimes, particularly in certain political and literary contexts, it is called "a booster". Intention The aim or the purpose of the speaker or writer. In business correspondence, the writer's intention is essential so the overall message is clearly communicated to readers. Interpersonal The relationship established between persons or people. Interpersonal relations are important to be established among business communities. Interns When one works as an intern in an organization, he or she is not holding a permanent position. Interns are people who take on jobs temporarily for the purpose of gaining experience.

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Introductory Paragraph A paragraph that introduces the reader to the main topic of the essay or letter. Introductory paragraphs are key in establishing a clear common denominator between writers and readers. Jargon A special language that belongs to a particular group of people in a particular discipline, community or profession. Every profession has its own jargon, and therefore, doctors, teachers, layers, journalists and politicians all have their own idiolect or language in addressing or communicating with other people. Layout The page or letter layout. It refers to the plan or design or arrangement of something, intended for communicative purposes. Letter Format The way in which a letter or message in business correspondence is exchanged or communicated to the reader. Logical The use of valid reasoning. It can also involve anything that makes sense according to the rules of logic. Manager In any business organization, be it an insurance company, bank, newspaper or translation agency, a manager is a job title that describes a person with certain responsibilities, able to lead departments and/or working staff. Mechanics of Writing In academic writing, mechanics of writing are known to be tools that are fundamentally helpful to writers in writing sentences, organizing their thoughts and using a specific style. They are also referred to as rules of punctuation. Memorandum An informal record, a written reminder or an informal written note communicated between one person and another within the same organization. The aim of writing a memorandum is to issue an informal directive requesting a particular form of action. Modified Block A writing style in which all the components of the letter are justified against the left margin with the exception of the return address, the reference line, the closing statement, the signature block, and printed name. Monotony A term that refers to the way in which writers use language that is repetitive and boring. The result is a boring letter or speech. Opening paragraph. See introductory paragraph.

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Outlining The principal features or different parts of a particular letter or book. It can also refer to a rough summary of the main points of a topic. Outer Qualities The way in which a business letter appears. This includes the paper quality, paper color, paper size, even the envelope. Paragraph A specific part of written or printed material examining or discussing one unit of meaning for a particular idea; it usually starts with an indentation on a new line and ends with a full stop. Payment The act of paying. It can also refer to the transfer of an item of value from one person to another in exchange for something. Persuasive Language A form of language in which the purpose is to describe the true or usually accepted meaning of a term. A persuasive language aims at stimulating and/or persuading the reader to do something or take action toward something as desired by the writer. Politeness A speech that is a sign of good behavior. Politeness also refers to courteous and friendly attitudes towards others. Pre-writing Stage The strategies and techniques in which a writer attempts to develop ideas about a particular subject. It is a brainstorming stage. Professional Title A prefix or suffix which indicates that someone has some kind of education in a specific field or discipline. Promotional A term that refers to the act or fact of someone being elevated in position or rank. The term also refers to the act of furthering the growth or development of a person or an organization. Protocol A code of conduct which describes the way and the manner in which diplomats and high civil servants are observed. Reference The act of referring. In academic and business correspondence writing, this term refers to the act of referring to something within the text. Repetition The act of repeating a word, phrase, or a sentence more than one time. Repetition is a method of writing which is looked down upon by professional academic writers.

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Request A term that refers to a type of letter in which the writer requests some information from an organization. The term can also be used to express a desire for something. Retailer The act of selling goods or commodities in small amounts directly to clients. Retailers can be individuals or organizations, such as Walmart, Target, etc. Salutation This is an expression of goodwill and intention. All forms of greetings and salutations are signs of respect and affection. Signature Block A place in a letter for the writer’s signature. It is a block of text which is added at the bottom of a letter. Solicitation The act of offering and attempting to purchase goods or services. Unlike an offer, a solicitation is not a clear indication of the intent to enter into a binding contract with another person or organization. Style A method which shows how writers use their language in different settings and circumstances. Style refers to the way in which something is said and communicated to others. Supplier The individual or company which supplies goods or services. A supplier is different from a contractor or subcontractor in the sense that contractors usually add specialized input to deliverables. Tender The act of offering money to someone; the act by which one person offers someone money to do or perform an act. Testimonial A statement in which the person offers his written or spoken support of a particular truth, claim or a product. Transaction Goods that are exchanged or transferred. Transactions can also refer to a signed or unsigned agreement between a buyer and a seller in which both parties agree to exchange goods or services. Vacancy The condition of something being unoccupied or not used. In business communications, the word 'vacancy' refers to positions, offices, or jobs that are still vacant.

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Vague The state of something being unclear. A vague statement refers to a statement that is not clearly expressed or a speech that is not clearly and verbally articulated. Wholesaler An individual, company, or organization that buys large quantities of goods from different producers or vendors, and in return they warehouse these goods and resell them to retailers. Zip Code The use of this phrase is restricted to the US. It refers to a number that identifies a specific postal delivery area. In other words, zip codes are used in the US to identify a location and to route mail to that location.

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