2013年4月25日 星期四

寫商用英文書信

Cheers雜誌135
作者:內容提供│英國文化協會英語教學團隊、協助製作│陳怡伶











圖片來源:50cc



Taiwanese CEO Jimmy Wang is writing an email in English. He asks his colleague from the UK, James, to help.
一家台灣企業的執行長吉米.王正在寫英文郵件,他向來自英國的同事詹姆士求救。


Dialogue 對話

Wang: Hey James! Could you come over here and give me some guidance? I’m trying to write an email in English, but I just can’t strike the right tone. I feel like I’m banging my head against a brick wall.
王:嗨,詹姆士!可以請你過來一下,給我一些指導嗎?我正在試著寫封英文信,但是卻無法適當地用字遣詞,覺得非常挫折。

James: Don’t worry, I can proof read it for you. What’s it about?
詹姆士:不用擔心,我可以幫你校正文章。這是封什麼樣的信?

Wang: I’ve been invited to a conference in Okinawa by one of our customers. I’d love to go, but I’m snowed under with work.
王:有位客戶邀請我到日本沖繩參加一個會議。我很想去,但是我工作太忙了,可能走不開。

James: I see. Well, read it out to me.
詹姆士:我知道了。嗯,把文章內容念給我聽。

Wang: (Reading) ‘Dear Peter, your invitation has been received.’
王:(朗讀)「親愛的彼得,你的邀請已經被收到了。」

James: Whoa, slow down. First, you need to say ‘thank you’. And then, don’t write ‘has been received’. Say who has done what to avoid misunderstandings.
詹姆士:哇,請慢點。首先,你必須先說「謝謝」。接著,不要用「已經被收到」的句型,改成「某人已經做了某事」來避免誤會。

Wang: Oh, right. ‘Thank you very much for your invitation, which I have just received.’
王:好的。「感謝你的邀請,我已經收到了。」

James: Good. Go on.
詹姆士:不錯,繼續。

Wang: ‘Attendance is not possible.’
王:「我不可能出席。」

James: OK, change that to ‘Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend due to my busy schedule’ to make it sound less like a legal document.
詹姆士:OK,改成「很可惜,因為行程太滿,我沒辦法出席。」讓它聽起來不像制式或官方說法。

Wang: Alright. (Clears throat) ‘Send me details of future events, please.’
王:好的。(清喉嚨)「請寄給我之後活動的細節。」

James: Make it a question instead of an order. ‘Could you please send me details of any future events?’
詹姆士:最好以問句的形式表達,而非命令。「請問你可以寄給我之後活動的細節嗎?」

Wang: Got it! ‘Cheers, Jimmy Wang’.
王:知道了!「Cheers,吉米.王」。

James: ‘Cheers’ is very informal, for close friends and co-workers. I think you should rephrase it for a customer.
詹姆士:“Cheers”是非常不正式的用法,多用於朋友或同事。我認為對客戶應該改變措辭。

Wang: ‘Best regards’
王:用“Best regards”如何?

James: Sounds great! Friendly, clear and polite.
詹姆士:聽起來很棒!親切、清楚又有禮貌。


Keywords 字彙

guidance ['gaIdns] 指導、建議
= help or advice
I couldn’t have finished the report without your guidance.

to strike the right tone 使用合適的語氣書寫
= to write in a suitable, polite way for your audience
It’s important to strike the right tone when you are asking your boss for a pay rise.

to bang your head against a brick wall 感到挫折的
= to be very frustrated with a difficult job
This report is taking hours to complete. I feel like Im banging my head against a brick wall!

to proofread ['prufrid] 校正
= to read and correct mistakes
You need to get someone to proofread your essay before you hand it in.

to be snowed under 非常忙碌
= overworked; exceptionally busy
Look, I’m really snowed under at the moment. Can this wait until next week?

a misunderstanding ['mIsnd'stndI] 誤會
= a failure to understand something
We had a bit of a misunderstanding. I thought he meant the next Tuesday, not this Tuesday.

a legal document 官方用語
= writing that provides official information, usually written in an old-fashioned style.
You need to bring your work contract and any other legal documents you have to the immigration office.

an order ['rd] 命令
= a statement telling someone they have to do something
In the army, when you are given an order, you have to do it.

informal [In'frml] 不正式的
= friendly and relaxed
You dont need to dress smart its just an informal party for my close friends.

To rephrase [ri'frez] 改變措詞
= to write or say something again to make the meaning clear
Could you rephrase the question? I dont really understand what you mean.


來源 http://www.cheers.com.tw/article/article.action?id=5028288&page=1



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