2013 Introduction to BE Writing.pptVIP

A Course in Business English Writing The aims of the course are: To experience the process of business negotiation in the written form; To drill and acquire the techniques for business communication in the written form; To cultivate the awareness for BE writing; To learn how to make and fill out documents in foreign trade. A brief introduction to BE writing Main points for the introduction: School writing vs. business writing The process of writing The importance of business letter writing The tendency of business letter writing KISS Read the following letter and make your comment before you make any improvement to give it a better presentation. Dear Mr. Brown, What an unexpected pleasure to hear from you after all this time! We thought you must have forgotten us since you placed your previous order with us three years ago. May I take this opportunity of enclosing for your attention our new catalogue and price lists. One of the things you’ll probably notice is that all the prices have gone up by 15% since your last order but still, never mind, everyone else’s have gone up too–even yours I expect! Nevertheless, for your current order, we shall be delighted to supply you at the old price, so you’re quite lucky. Oh, another thing, I nearly forgot: you can contact us if you feel like it. The number is 998321, all right? So, there we are, nice to be writing to you again. Yours faithfully, Burke Sales Director Comment: This letter sounds more like a private letter than a business letter. It is full of colloquialisms like “Oh, and another thing” and, inappropriate contractions like “you’ll” and “you’re”. And many of the phrases used in the letter are not so conventional to the business letter style. Besides, the letter is not concise enough. Improvement: Dear Mr. Brown, Thank you very much for your order. Unfortunately, in common with other suppliers, our prices have risen since you placed an order with us two years ago, but you will be pleased to hear that we wil