Finn:  Hello, I'm Finn and you're listening to Question and Answer of the Week.
 
Feifei:  大家好，我是冯菲菲。欢迎收听本期《你问我答》节目，在这个节目中我们会帮你解答在英语学习中碰到的各种难题。 
 
Finn:  And today's question is from Sola in China.
 
Insert
 
Can you tell me how to write better business emails?
 
Feifei:  Sola 想知道怎样能写出一封更好的商务电子邮件。A good question, isn't it Finn?
 
Finn:  It's very good. Not  long ago we answered a similar question about email sign-offs, 就是电子邮件结尾.  But  of  course  the  topic  of  writing  work  or business emails is an important one. So can we help Sola, Feifei?
 
Feifei:  Oh yes I think so. 首先在写一封商务邮件时，电子邮件礼仪非常重要。
 
Finn:  So how about we do  this  in  the programme –  let's give our  listeners  ten top tips for writing better business emails in English.
 
Feifei:  十个好的建议 – sounds like a good idea. Shall we listen to them?
 
Finn:  Here we go. Let's listen to these, then we'll go through them one by one.
 
Insert
 
1)  Use a clear title 
给邮件一个清楚的题目
 
2)  Keep language simple
避免使用你不懂的语言
 
3)  Watch your tone
语气很重要
 
4)  Don't use text language or emoticons
避免使用手机短信中的非正式语言和表情符号 
 
5)  Use capital letters where necessary
不要整封信全用大写字母或全用小写字母
 
6)  Keep attachments small
避免发送过大的附件，一般不要超过5兆
 
7)  Use an appropriate email address
使用一个听起来正式的邮箱名称和地址 
 
8)  Use an appropriate signature
邮件末尾的签名地方，留下自己的联系方式就行了
 
9)  Check spelling and grammar
写完信后检查拼写和语法
 
10)  Read it again before sending
在点击发送邮件之前，再仔细检查一遍
 
 
 
Finn:  That was a lot to take in, so let's look at them one by one. Firstly starting at the beginning:
 
 
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1)  Use a clear title 
 
Feifei:  给你的邮件一个合适的题目。我们经常会看到一些邮件没有题目或一个很简单的写一个单词  'Hi'.
 
Finn:  Yes –  that's no good,  it  looks  really bad when  there's no  title at all. Give your email a brief  title which says what  it's about,  for example:  'Meeting on Thursday'.
 
 
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2)  Keep language simple
 
Feifei:   使用简单易懂的语言，避免使用绚丽复杂的词汇。
 
Finn:  Yes – with business communication it's important to say what you want to say  as  clearly  as  possible.  Keep  the  language  simple  so  the meaning  is clear.
 
 
Insert
 
3)  Watch your tone
 
Feifei:    Tone 语气是另一个要特别注意的地方。 
 
Finn:    Yes – and getting the tone right is something that even native speakers 就是英文母语的人  find difficult. My advice would be to be polite at first.
 
Feifei:  For example, when writing to them for the first time, use 'Dear' instead of 'Hello' or 'Hi'.
 
Finn:  Very  good.  And  then  really  read  the  emails  of  the  person  you  are communicating with, and try to mirror their level of politeness.
 
Feifei:  语气说起来是一个很大的题目，我们可以就它做一期节目。这里我们能给大家最好的建议就是仔细阅读你收到的邮件，注意对方的语气，然后效仿给予答复。
 
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4)  Don't use text language or emoticons
 
Finn:    This  one's  simple  –  don't  use  the  kind  of  abbreviations  you  use  in  text messages 就是短信, like shortening the word  'you' Y.O.U. to  just the letter U.
 
Feifei:    And please – don't use emoticons 表情符号，这些表情符看起来不够正式。
 
Insert
 
5)  Use capital letters where necessary
 
 
Finn:    Now I've seen a lot of emails where everything is in lower case 小写. While this might  be  ok with  friends  or  colleagues  you  know  really well,  it's not appropriate for business emails.
 
Feifei:  同样的错误就是全用大写 – 用大写会让对方觉得你在冲他们喊，会使读信的人感到不舒服，采取守势。
 
Insert
 
6)  Keep attachments small
 
 
Feifei:  这点不只是礼节那么简单，除非给你写信的人知道你要给他们寄一个非常大的附件，一般情况下不要发送过大的附件，有些人说最好不要超过5兆的附件是相对比较合适的。 
 
Insert
 
7)  Use an appropriate email address
 
Finn:    I've seen lots of Chinese email addresses with things like littleangel@..., or snowprincess@...  While  these  are  all  very  cute,  they  don't  look  very
professional in a Western business context.
 
Feifei:  很多朋友们会选择很可爱的邮箱名字，不过在和国外公司用邮件交流的时候，这些私人邮箱名字看起来会有些不太合适。最好还是使用自己的名字或名字的变体，在可能的情况下使用公司的邮箱。
 
Insert
 
8)  Use an appropriate signature
 
Feifei:  邮件签名  signatures 在商场交流中广为使用，要注意的是不要写得太花哨，或是过多繁琐的细节，比如说在末尾加上名人引言。 
 
Finn:  Yes – your name,  job  title and contact details are best! Now  for  two very simple points to finish.
 
Insert
 
9)  Check spelling and grammar
 
Feifei:  在用英语书写的时候注意别忘了检查整封信的拼写和语法。
 
Finn:  And  don't  forget  to  spell  the  name  of  the  person  you  are  writing  to correctly – otherwise it looks really bad!
 
Feifei:  And finally:
 
Insert
 
10)  Read it again before sending
 
Finn:  Now  this  is your  chance  to  check everything before  you  send – so make sure  you've  said  everything  you want  to  say, and  then  check  things  like names and figures. So, Feifei, that's our ten top tips!
 
Feifei:  Yes, let's hope  they're helpful. 记住，最好的提高商务信件书写的方法就是多写，还有就是别忘了今天我们给大家提的这10点建议，接下来要做的就是练习，练习，再练习。
 
Finn:  And  just  remember  to  be  polite  and  clear,  and  check  everything thoroughly. And you know what Feifei?
 
Feifei:  What's that?
 
Finn:  I  think we  should  give  our  listeners  a  chance  to  practise  right now –  by writing to us.
 
Feifei:  Good idea!
 
Finn:  Our email address is questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk 
 
Feifei:  把你在英语学习中遇到的问题发给我们，下期节目可能就来回答你的问题！
 
Finn:  That's right. And before we leave, let's say thank you again to Sola for her question. Here she is. So Sola, do you write many business emails?
 
Sola:  I'm a student now. In the future I need to write business emails.
 
Finn:  Very good. Thank you Sola.
 
Feifei:  记得常到我们的网站上获取免费的英语学习资料，网址是…
 Finn:  www.bbcchina.com.cn 
 
Feiei:  然后点击英语教学，很多可以帮助你提高英语听说读写的节目。Happy email writing everyone!
 
Finn:  Bye for now.
 
Feifei:  Bye. 

This week's question comes from Sola in China who wants to know how to write better business emails.

Being able to write good work or business emails in English is an important skill in today's globalised economy.

But where do you begin? We've prepared ten simple tips to bear in mind when writing business emails in English.

Ten Top Tips

	Does the prospect of sending business emails terrify you?

1) Use a clear title
给邮件一个清楚的题目

2) Keep language simple
避免使用你不懂的语言

3) Watch your tone
语气很重要

4) Don't use text language or emoticons
避免使用手机短信中的非正式语言和表情符号

5) Use capital letters where necessary
不要整封信全用大写字母或全用小写字母

6) Keep attachments small
避免发送过大的附件，一般不要超过5兆

7) Use an appropriate email address
使用一个听起来正式的邮箱名称和地址

	It's easy when you know how

8) Use an appropriate signature
邮件末尾的签名地方，留下自己的联系方式就行了

9) Check spelling and grammar
写完信后检查拼写和语法

10) Read it again before sending
在点击发送邮件之前，再仔细检查一遍

For further explanation about each of the points above, listen to our programme and download our script.

Most importantly, just remember to be polite and clear, and check everything thoroughly before you send.

We hope this has answered your question Sola.

Good luck with your email writing, everyone! And what better way to practise than by sending our team an email to: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk.

Glossary 词汇

globalised economy 国际化经济

tips 建议