Lexico-sementic chartersticcs of business letter correspondence
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Курсовая работа
по теме:
«LEXICO-SEMENTIC CHARACTERISTICS OF BUSINESS LETTER CORRESPONDENCE»
Сдала: студентка гр. РП -41
Юрченко М. В.
Приняла:
ст. преподаватель Галиченко Н.
Ю.
Content
TOC o "1-3" Content......................................................................................... GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788157PAGEREF _Toc383788157 1
ANNOTATION................................................................................. GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788158PAGEREF _Toc383788158 2
INTRODUCTION............................................................................. GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788159PAGEREF _Toc383788159 3
BUSINESS LETTERS THROUGHT LEXICS............................... GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788160PAGEREF _Toc383788160 7
A sampling of contract phrases................................................... GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788161PAGEREF _Toc383788161 7
Foreign esoteric words............................................................... GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788162PAGEREF _Toc383788162 16
Some words against passive........................................................ GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788163PAGEREF _Toc383788163 16
EXAMINING ENGLISH BUSINESS LETTERS......................... GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788164PAGEREF _Toc383788164 17
Example 1...................................................................................... GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788165PAGEREF _Toc383788165 18
Example2....................................................................................... GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788166PAGEREF _Toc383788166 20
Example 3...................................................................................... GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788167PAGEREF _Toc383788167 22
Example 4...................................................................................... GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788168PAGEREF _Toc383788168 24
Example 5...................................................................................... GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788169PAGEREF _Toc383788169 25
Example 6...................................................................................... GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788170PAGEREF _Toc383788170 27
CONCLUSION................................................................................ GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788171PAGEREF _Toc383788171 29
BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................... GOTOBUTTON _Toc383788172PAGEREF _Toc383788172 30
ANNOTATION
The subject matter of the course paper is the role of lexics and semantics in the case of business letter correspondence. The question of the history of official communication, the main stages of business transactions, the role of person’s feeling for the proper use of phrases as well as his knowledge of grammar are highlighted. Moreover, those phrases which are more often used in business letters are examined from the point of view of their appropriateness in different situations. The practical part contains several examples of business letters; the occasions on which they were written and some of their characteristics are observed.
INTRODUCTION
Letter writing - is an essential part of communication,an intimate part of experience. Eachletter-writer hasacharacteristic way of writing,his style of writing,his wayof expressing thoughts,facts,etc. butitmust beemphasised that the routine of the officialorsemi-officialbusiness letters requirescertainaccepted idioms,phrases,patterns, and grammar which are foundin generalusetoday.Therefore certain skillsmustbe acquired by practice,anddetails of writing must be carefully and thoroughly learnt.
A cheque,a contract or any other business paper sent bymail should always be accompanied by a letter. The letter sayswhat is beingsentso that the recipient should know exactly what you intended to send.It is a typical businessletter whichsome peoplecall "routine".The letter may be short or long, it may contain some very importantandmuch lessimportant information -every letterrequirescareful planningand thoughtful writing.
In recentyears English has become a universal business language. As such,it is potentially an instrumentof order and clarity.Butwords and phrases have unexpected ways of creating binding commitments.
Letter-writing, certainly,is notthesame as casualconversation, it bearsonlythe samepowerof thoughts,reflections, and observations as in conversational talk, butthe form may be quite different.Whatmakes thelettersoattractive andpleasingis notalwaysthe massage ofthe letter, it is often the manner and style in whichthemassageis written.
E.g.: "I wish to express to you mysincere appreciation for your note of congratulation."
or
"I amsincerely happy that you were elected
Presidentof
Biological Society."
As yousee suchformulationsshow the attitude of the writer, his respect and sincerity.
The language of business,professional and semi-official letters is formal,courteous,tactful, concise, expressive, and to the point. A neatly arranged letter will certainly make a better impression on the reader, thus good letters make good business partners.
In the case of "scientific correspondence" the majority of letters bear mostly asemi-officialcharacter andare concerned with different situations associated with scientific activities concentratedaround the organisation of scientific meetings (congresses, symposia, workshops, etc.), the arrangement of visit, invitation, publication, the exchange of scientific literature,information, etc. Letters of this kind have a tone offriendliness,naturalism. ModernEnglish letters should not be exaggerated,overburdened, outmoded with time-worn expressions.Thekey noteis simplicity.Modern letters tend towards using the language of conversational style.
Writing is not onlyameans ofcommunicationand contract, but also a record of affairs,information,events, etc. Soit isnecessary to feel the spirit and trend of the style in order to write a perfect letter.
Business-letter orcontract law is a complex and vastly documented subject,only a lawyer candealwith itona serious level.A number of basic principles,however, can be outlined sufficiently to mark of encounters thatrequirethe use of specialised English.
Doing business meansworking outagreements withother people, sometimes throughelaborate contractsand sometimes through nothing but little standard forms, through exchanges of letters and conversations at lunch.
Nowadays more and more agreements aremade inEnglish, for Englishis thenearestthing wehaveto a universal business language.Joint ventures,bank loans, and trademark licenses frequentlyarespelled outinthis language eventhough it is not native to at leastone ofthecontracting parties.
As a beginning I am goingto lookatthe subjectof writing of businesslettersgenerally. Inthemain there are three stages transactions involving business contracts: first, negotiation ofterms, second,drafting documents reflecting these terms,and third,litigation to enforceor toavoid executing of these terms. To my mind, a fourth might be added, the administration of contracts.
I am going to look through the first two since the third and the fourth are related only to the field of law. A typical first stage of contract is two or more people having drink and talking about future dealing.A second phase might be letters written in order to work out an agreement.
In these two early stages itwill behelpfulto know something about rules of contract. But what rules?Different nations borrow or create different legal systems, and even within a single country the rules may vary according to region or the kind of transaction involved.
It is worth knowing that the distinctions in legal system of England are mainly historical.
The historyof writingbusiness letters is undoubtedly connected with the history of development oflegal language. English is in fact a latecomer as a legal language.Even after the NormanConquest courtpleadingsin Englandwerein French, and before that lawyers used Latin.Perhaps,some of our difficulties arisedue tothefact thatEnglishwas unacceptable in its childhood.
Contract inEnglish suggest Anglo-American contract rules. Themain pointis always to be aware that there are differences: the way they may be resolved usuallyisa problem for lawyers.With contracts the applicable law may be the law of the place where the contract is made; in other cases it may be the law of the place where the contract is to be performed. It is specified in preliminary negotiationswhichsystem of law is to apply.
Diversity is characteristic feature of English; here is a wide range of alternatives tochoose fromin saying things,although the conciseness is sometimes lacking.Consequently,the useofEnglish is acreativechallenge. Almosttoo many riches are available for selection, that leads occasionally to masterpieces but more frequently to mistakes.English is less refined in its distinctions than French,for example, and this makes it harder to be clear.
That does not mean that English isimprecisefor all things are relative.If we compare English with Japanese,we will seethat thelatterpossesses enormous degree of politeness to reflect therespectivenessof speakerand listener as well as of addresser and addressee.
Here Icannot help mentioning the fact that as contracts are so unclear in what every side intends todo,acontract can sometimes put a company out of business.
Thus everybody who is involved in anykind ofbusiness should study thoroughly thecomplexscience ofwriting business letters and contracts.
BUSINESS LETTERS THROUGHT LEXICS
From the lexicological point of view isolatedwordsand phrases meanvery little. In context they mean a great deal, and in the special context ofcontractual undertakingsthey mean everything.ContractEnglish isa prose organised according to plan.
And itincludes, without limitation,the right but not the obligation to select words from a wide varietyof verbal implements and write clearly, accurately, and/or with style.
Two phases of writing contracts exist:in thefirst, we react toproposed contracts drafted by somebody else,and in the second,which presents greater challenge,we compose our own.
A good contract reads like a classic story.It narrates, in orderly sequence,that one part should do this and another should do that,and perhapsifcertain eventsoccur,the outcome will be changed. All of the rate cards charts, and other reference material ought to be ticked off oneafter another according to the sense of it. Tables and figures, code words and mystical references arealmost insultingunlessorganised and defined. Withoutorganisationthey baffle, without definition they entrap.
In strong stance one can send back the offending document and request a substitute document incomprehensibleEnglish. Otherwise a series of questions may be put by letter,and the replies often will have contractual force if the documentis later contested.
A sampling of contract phrases
My observations about English so far have been general in nature. Now it appears logicaltoexamine theexamplesof favourite contractphrases, whichwill help ease the way to fuller examination of entire negotiations and contracts. a full glossary is beyond reach but in what follows there is a listing of words and phrases that turn up ingreatmany documents, with comments on each one. The words and phrases are presented in plausible contract sequence, not alphabetically.
"Whereas" Everyman's idea of how a contract begins.Some lawyers dislike "Whereas" and use recitation clauses so marked to distinguish them from the text in thecontract. Therethe real issue lies;one must be careful about mixing up recitals of history with what is actually being agreed on. For example,it would be folly to write: "Whereas A admits owing B $10,000..." because theadmissionmay laterhauntone, especially if drafts are never signed and the debt be disputed.Rather less damaging would be:
"Whereas theparties have engaged in a series of transactions resultingin disputeoveraccounting between them..."
On the whole "Whereas" is acceptable, but what follows it needs particular care.
"It is understood and agreed" On the one hand, it usually adds nothing, because every clause in the contract is "understood and agreed" or it would not be written into it.On the otherhand, what it adds is an implication that other clauses are not backed up by this phrase: by including the one you exclude the other. «It is understood and agreed» ought to be banished.
"Hereinafter" A decentenough little word doing the job of six ("Referred to later in this document"). "Hereinafter" frequently sets up abbreviated names for the contract parties.
For example:
"Knightsbridge InternationalDrapes and Fishmonger,Ltd(hereinafter "Knightsbridge").
"Including Without Limitation" It is useful and attimes essential phrase.Earlier I've noted that mentioning certain things may exclude others by implication. Thus,
"You mayassignyour exclusive British and Commonwealth rights"
suggests that you may not assign other rights assuming you have any. Such pitfalls may be avoided by phrasing such as:
"You mayassignany andallyour rightsincluding without limitation your exclusiveBritish and Commonwealth rights".
But why specify any rights if all of themare included? Psychology isthemain reason;people want specific things underscored in the contracts, and "Including Without Limitation" indulges this prediction.
"Assignees andLicensees"These areimportantwords which acceptability depends on one's point of view
"Knightsbridge, its assignees and licensees..."
suggests that Knightsbridge may hand you over to somebody else after contracts are signed. If you yourself happen to be Knightsbridge, youwill want that particular right and should use the phrase.
"Without Prejudice" It is a classic. The British use this phrase all by itself,leaving the reader intrigued."Without Prejudice" towhat exactly?Americansspell itoutmore elaborately, butif youstickto Americanway,remember "Including Without Limitation",or you mayaccidentally exclude something by implication.Legal rights,for example, are not the same thing as remedies the lawoffersto enforcethem. Thus the American might write:
"Without prejudice to any of my existing or future rights or remedies..."
And this leads to another phrase.
"And/or" Itis an essential barbarism.In the preceding example I've used the disjunctive "rights or remedies".This is not always good enough, and one may run into trouble with
"Knightsbridge or Tefal or either of them shall..."
What about both together?"Knightsbridge and Tefal", perhaps, followed by "or either".Occasionally the alternatives becomeoverwhelming, thus and/or is convenient and generallyaccepted, although more detail is better.
"Shall" If one says"Knightsbridgeand/or Tefalshallhave..." or "will have...",legally itshouldmake nodifference in the case you are consent in using oneortheother. "Shall",however, is stronger than "will". Going fromone to another might suggest that one obligation isstronger somehow thananother. Perhaps,one's position may determinethe choice. "You shall", however is bad form.
"Understanding" It is adangerousword. Ifyoumeanagreement yououghtto sayso.If youviewof affairsthat thereis no agreement, "understanding" as a noun suggeststhe opposite or comes close to it..it stands,in fact, as a monument to unsatisfactory compromise.Thesoftness of theword conjuresuppleasing images."In accordance with ourunderstanding..." can be interpreted in a number of ways.
"Effect" Hereis a little word which uses areinsufficiently praised. Such a phrase as "We willproduce..." is inaccurate, because the work will besubcontracted and thepromise-maker technicallydefaults. Somebody else does the producing. Why not say "We will produceor cause to be produced..."?This is in fact often said,but it jars the ear.Accordingly "Wewilleffect production..." highlights the point with greater skill.
"Idea" This word is bad for your ownside buthelpful against others.Ideas as such are not generally protectedby law. If yousubmit somethingtoa company with any hope of reward you must find better phrasing than "my idea".Perhaps, "my format"orpossibly "myproperty" is more appropriate. Naturally, if you candevelopan ideaintoa formator protectable property,themore ambitiousphrasingwill be better justified.
"As between us" It is useful,because people arealways forgetting or neglecting tomentionthat agreatmany interests maybe involvedinwhat appearstobe simple dialogue. "I reserve control over..." and "You have the final power of decision over..." sound likedivision ofsomething into spheres,but frequently"I" am in turn controlled by my investors and "You" - by a foreign parent company,making the language of division inaccurate. Neither of us really controlsanything, at least ultimately.
Thusit willbeuseful to say, "As between us, I control..." and so on.
"Spanning" Timeperiods areawkwardthings: "...fora period commencing August,1 andexpiring November,15..."is clumsy; "...fromAugust,1 to November,15..." is skeletal when informing how long a contract obligation endures.
Butduring particular timeperiodsone may be reporting for work,for example, three days out of every five, or doing something else that is within but not completely parallel to the entire time period involved.
A happy solution is the word "Spanning". It goes this way:
"Throughout the period spanning August,1 - November,15 inclusive you will render services asa consultant three days out of every five."
It willbe useful to put "inclusive" at the end for without it you may lose the date, concluding the period being spanned.
"Negotiate in Good Faith"The negotiatorshaveworked until late at night,all points but one have been worked out, the contract will never be signed without resolutionof some particular impasse.What is there to do?
Agree to "Negotiate in Good Faith" on the disputed point atlatertime. This is done frequently,butmake no mistake about the outcome. The open point remains open. If it happens to be vitalyoumay have no contract at all."Negotiate in Good Faith" is one of those evasions that must be used sparingly. At the right time it prevents collapse, at the wrong time it promotes it.
"Confirm" It suggests, of course, that something has been agreed upon before. You are writing now only to make a record of it. "I write to confirm that you admitsubstantial defaultin delivery" Frequently we encounter it in ordinary correspondence: "Confirming your order", "Confirming the main points of our agreement", and so on.
"Furnish" It is a handy word whichusefulnesslies in the avoidanceof worse alternatives. Suppose you transact to deliver a variety of elements asa package.
"Deliver"leaves out, eventhough itmaywell be implied,the preliminary purchase or engagement of these elements, and at the other end it goesvery far in suggesting responsibility for getting the package unscathed to where it belongs.
Alternatives alsomay go wrong,slightly, each with its own implications.
"Assign" involves legal title;"give" islame andprobablyuntrue; "transmit" meanssend.
Thuseach word misses some important - detail or implies unnecessary things.
"Furnish"is sometimes useful when more popular words fall short or go too far. It has a good professional ring to it as well:
"I agree to furnish all of the elements listed on Exhibit A annexed hereto and made part hereof by incorporation."
Who isresponsible for non-delivery and related questions can bedealt withinseparate clauses.
"Furnish"avoids jumping thegun. It keeps away from what ought to be treated independently but fills up enough spacetostand firm.
The word is good value.
"Right but NotObligation"One ofthemost splendid phrases available.Sometimesthegrant ofparticular rights carries with it by implication a duty to exploit them. Authors, for example,often feel betrayed by their publishes, who have various rights "but do nothing about them." Royalties decrease as a result; and this situation, whether or not it reflects real criminality,is repeated in varietyof industriesand court cases. Accordingly it well suits the grantee ofrights to makeclear at the very beginning that he may abandon them.This possibility is more appropriately dealt with in separate clauses reciting the consequences.Still, contracts have been known tocontain inconsistentprovisions,and preliminary correspondence may notevenreach the subject of rights. A quick phrase helps keep you out of trouble:"The Right butNot Obligation". Thus,
"We shall have the Rightbut NotObligationto grant sublicenses in Austria"("But if we fail, we fail").
Even this magic phrase has its limitations becausegood faith may require having a real go to exploiting the rights in question. Nevertheless "Right but Not Obligation"is useful, so much so asto becomeincantationand besaidwhenever circumstances allow it. I the other side challenges these words, it will bebetter toknowthis atonceand workout alternatives or finish up the negotiations completely.
"Exclusive" It’s importance in contract English isvast,and its omission creates difficultiesingood manyinformal drafts. Exclusivity as a contract term means that somebody is -barred from dealing with others in a specified area. Typically an employment may be exclusive in that the employeemay not work foranyone else, or a license may be exclusive in the sense that no competing licenseswillbe issued.
Antitrust problems clusteraroundexclusive arrangements but they are not all automatically outlawed.
It follows that one ought to specify whether or not exclusivity is part of many transactions. If not,the phrase"nonexclusive"does well enough. Ontheother hand, if a consultant is to be engaged solely by one company,or a distributorship awarded to nobody else exceptX,then"exclusive"is awordthat deserves recitation. "Exclusive Right but Not Obligation" is an example that combinestwo phrasesdiscussedhere.
Thelinking of concepts is astep inbuildinga vocabularyofcontract English.
"Solely on condition that" One of the few phrases that can be considered better than its short counterparts. Why not just "if"? Because"if"by itselfleavesopen the possibility of open contingencies:
"If Baker delivers 1,000 barrels I will buy them" is unclear if you will buy them onlyfromBaker. Therefore what about "only if"? Sometimes this works out, but not always.
"I will buy 1,000 barrels only if Baker delivers them" is an exampleof "only if" going fuzzy.One possible meaning is "not more than 1,000 barrels" with "only" assimilated with the wrong word. Here then a more elaborate phrase is justified.
"I will buy 1,000 barrels solely on condition thatBaker delivers them" makes everything clear.
"Subject to"Few contractscan do without this phrase. Many promises can be made good only if certainthings occur. The right procedure is to spellout theseplausible impediments to the degreethatyou canreasonablyforesee them.
"We will deliver these subject to our receivingadequate supplies";
"Our agreement is subject to the laws of Connecticut";
"Subject to circumstances beyond our control ".
Foreign esoteric words
Every nowand then a scholarly phrase becomes accepted in business usage."Pro rate"and"paripassu" are Latin expressions but concern money. "Pro rata" proves helpful when payments are to be in a proportion reflecting earlierformulas in a contract."Pari passu" is used when several people are paid at the same level or time out of acommonfund. Latin, however, is not the only source of foreign phrases in business letters.
"Force majeure"is a French phrase meaning circumstances beyond one's control.
English itselfhas plenty of rare words.One example is "eschew"; howmanytimes weseepeople struggling with negatives suchas "andwe agree not to produce (whatever it is) for a period of X". The more appropriate phrase would be
"we will eschew production".
But here it should be mentionedthatnoteveryonecan understand suchphrases. Therefore rare words should be used only once in a longwhile. Thosewhouses themsparingly appears to be reliable.
Some words against passive
Until now thestudyof writingbusinessletters has consisted largelyofcontract phrasesaccompanied by brief essays evaluatingtheirusefulness. The words are only samplings and are presented mainly to conduce writing business letters in a proper way.It will be wrong,however, to bring this listto an end without mention of a more general problem that arises in connection with no fixed word pattern at all. It arises, rather from using too many passives. Such phrases as "The material will be delivered";
"The start date is to be decided";
"The figures must be approved" are obscure ones leaving unsettled who it is that delivers, who decides,and who does the approving.Which side it is to be? Lawsuitsarethe plausibleoutcomeof leaving it all unsettled. Passives used in contracts candestroy thewhole negotiations. "Youwilldeliver" is better for it identifies the one who will do delivering.Certainly, "must be approved by us" violates other canons."We shall have the right but not the obligation to approve" is less unfortunate.There isno doubt that passives do not suit business letters,and if they go all the way through without adding something like "byyou" or "by us" they are intolerable.Once in a long while one may find passives used purposely to leave somethingunresolved. In those circumstancestheywill be in class with "negotiate in good faith", which I've examined earlier.
EXAMINING ENGLISH BUSINESS LETTERS
Now let's turn to the practical point of writing business letters. Theymay be divided into official and semi-official. The first kind of letters is characteristicof thosepeople working inbusiness: an executive,a department manager,a salesman, asecretary oraspecialist in business and technology. But also many people may want to buy something, to accept an invitation or to congratulate somebody - thisis a kind of semi-official letters. The first kindof letters may in turn be subdivided into such groups as: inquiries, offers, orders, and soon.I amgoingto examine this group more carefully looking at the correspondence of Chicago businessmen and English manufactures.
.
Example 1.
MATTHEWS & WILSON
Ladies' Clothing
421 Michigan Avenue
Chicago, III.60602
Messrs GRANT & CLARKSON
148 Mortimer Street
London WIC 37D
England October 21, 1993
Gentlemen:
We sawyour women'sdressesand suits at the London Fashion Show held in New York on October 17.The lines you showed for teenagers, the "Swinger"dressesand trouser suits would be most suitable for our market.
Would you kindly send us your quotation for spring andsummer clothing thatyou couldsupplyto us by the end of January next. We would require 2,000 dresses and suits in each of the sizes 10-14,and500 in sizes 8 and 16.Please quote c.i.f. Chicago prices. Payment is normally made by letter of credit.
Thank you for an early reply.
Very truly yours,
P.Wilson.Jr
Buyer
.
This is undoubtedly an import inquiry letter. In the first part of aletter thereisa kindofintroduction asa prospective customerapproaches supplier for the first time ,and itis fromthispart thatwefound outthat the correspondents are engaged in textile industry.
The second part expresses request for detailed information about the goods in question, their prices and terms of possible transaction.
In this example we come acrossthe abbreviation concerning the terms of delivery, that is commonly acceptedin the businessworld. It is interesting to know what this kind of abbreviations means:
c.i.f. - cost, insurance, freight.
If consignment istobe deliveredaccording to c.i.f., then the supplier insuresthegoods and pays for the whole delivery.
f.o.b. - free on board.
If consignment istobe deliveredaccording to f.o.b., thenthe supplier pays for transportation to port,steamer or air shipment and dispatch; and the customerpaysfor onwardtransportation and insurance.
f.o.r. - free on rail.
It is the same asf.o.b.,but forrailway transportation.
c & f - cost and freight.
If consignment istobe deliveredaccording to c & f, then the supplier pays for the whole delivery and the customer - for insurance.
It is worth mentioning herethatthe wholeletteris written in ahighlypolite way,neverthelessit is quite precise and sticks to the point.
.
Example2
GRANT &CLARKSON
148 Mortimer Street
London W1C 37D
MATTHEWS & WILSON
Ladies' Clothing
421 Michigan Avenue
Chicago, III.60602 30th October, 1996
Dear Sirs,
We are pleased to make you an offer regarding our ‘Swinger’ dresses and trouser suits in the size you require. Nearly all the models you saw at our fashion show are obtainable, except trouser suits in pink, of which the smaller sizes have been sold out. This line is being manufactured continuously, but will only be available again in February, so could be delivered to you in March.
All other models can be supplied by the middle of January 1997, subject to our receiving your form order by 15th of November. Our c.i.f. prices are understood to be for sealand transport to Chicago. If you would prefer the goods to be sent by air freight, this will be charged extra at cost
Trouser suits sizes 8-16 in white, yellow, red, turquoise, navy blue, black
Sizes 12,14 also in pink per 100 $2,650.00
Swinger dresses sizes 8-16
in white, yellow, red, turquoise, black per 100 $1,845.00
You will be receiving price-list, cutting of our materials and a colour chart. These were airmailed to you this morning.
Yours faithfully,
F.T.Burke
Export Department
As you can clearly see it we facethesecond phaseof business correspondence- theanswering letter.It is very important, because it adjusts therelationshipsbetween two partners. It does not only characterise the company,but also advertises it.The purpose of the letter is topersuade the partner that you are the best in business.
This lettercontainsthe quotationinreply to an inquiry. In lots of similar letters the quotations are simply prices and another information asked for.But this sampleis quite the opposite:itshows thecustomer that he met the sales-cautious businessman,whouses everyopportunity to stimulate his correspondents interest inhisgoods by including thesalesmessage. And theassurancethat the customer willreceivepersonal attention is read between the lines. In order to draw the attention of the customer tothe products inquestion thesupplieroffers "cuttings of our materials and a colour chart".On the whole a firmoffer is subject tocertainconditions, a deadline for the receipt of orders, or a special price for certain quantities.
Example 3.
A businesstransaction often starts with an inquiry which may later be followed by an order.
Both inquiryandorder are meant to arose and stimulate business activity on the part of recipient. They are typically asking letters.Ordersconvey thewriter's intention to do business with his correspondent,usually tobuy somegoods from them.
MATTHEWS & WILSON
Ladies' Clothing
421 Michigan Avenue
Chicago, III.60602
GRANT &CLARKSON
148 Mortimer Street
London W1C 37D November 4, 1996
Gentlemen:
Thank you for your quotation of October 30. We have pleasure in placing an order with you for
1,900 ‘Swinger’ dresses at Price: $38,745
in the colours and sizes specified below:
|
Quantity |
Size |
Colour |
|
50 |
8,16 |
white |
|
100 |
10,12,14 |
white |
|
50 |
8,16 |
turquoise |
|
100 |
10,12,14 |
turquoise |
|
50 |
8,16 |
red |
|
100 |
10,12,14 |
red |
|
50 |
16 |
yellow |
|
100 |
10,12,14 |
yellow |
|
50 |
16 |
black |
|
100 |
10,12,14 |
black |
Delivery: air freight, c.i.f., Chicago
We shall open a letter of credit with your bank as soon as we receive your order acknowledgement. Please arrange for immediate collection and transport since we need the dresses for Christmas.
Very truly yours,
P. Wilson
Buyer
It is indisputably an import order,and as we can notice placing orders is simple from the pointofview ofletter writing. Thefact isthat usually the purchasing department or the buyerfillsin anorderform. Butinthis case the correspondentprefersto write a letter in order to make certain pointsquiteclear. There are special import regulations whichare touched upon in the last paragraph:it is necessary to complete formalities and tostressdelivery instructions.
It shouldbementioned herethatthe supplier must send order acknowledgement as an answer to order promptlyto thank his customer for the order and to confirm it.
If some conditions havechanged,the customermustbe notified. In the casethegoods orderedareno longer available, a substitute may be offered.
Example 4.
What follows the order acknowledgement is the adviceof dispatch.
GRANT &CLARKSON
148 Mortimer Street
London W1C 37D
MATTHEWS & WILSON
Ladies' Clothing
421 Michigan Avenue
Chicago, III.60602 20thNovember,1996
Dear Sirs:
We have pleasure in notifying you that your credit was confirmed by our bank yesterday, 19th November. We have had the 1900 ‘Swinger’ dresses collected today for transport by British Airways to Chicago on 25th November.
Enclosed is our invoice for the goods in question plus the extra charges for air freight, packing list to facilitate customs clearance at your end, certificate of origin, air waybill and insurance policy.
Hoping that this initial order will lead to further business, we are
Yours faithfully
F.T.Burke
Export department
The firstthingto be done before writing such a letter is to examine carefully whether the partners account isvalid or not. So in the first paragraph we come across phrase "your credit was confirmed by our bank yesterday". Air shipment for "Swinger" dresses is also mentioned here.
The next paragraph deals withthedocuments whichare necessary while importing goods:Invoicepacking lists, certificate of origin, air waybill and insurance policy. As it is theinitialorder byMATTHEWS& WILSON,theGRANT & CLARKSON hopes to encourage them to place furtherorders,so their last phrase sounds very polite.
Example 5
No matterhowefficient abusinessfirm tries to be, mistakes will happen.There might be a misunderstanding about the goods tobesupplied; sometimestheconsignment is dispatched too late or delays are caused in transit; defect is discovered whenthe equipment is put into operation and so on.
Therefore a letter with the complaint expressed is sent.
MATTHEWS & WILSON
Ladies' Clothing
421 Michigan Avenue
Chicago, III.60602 November 22, 1996
GRANT &CLARKSON
148 Mortimer Street
London W1C 37D
Gentlemen:
Thank you for your delivery of ‘Swinger’ dresses which were ordered on November 4. However we wish to draw your attention to two matters.
Of the red dresses supplied one lot of 100(size 12) included clothes of a lighter red than the other sizes. Since we deliver a collection of various sizes to each store, it would be obvious to customers that the clothes are dissimilar. In addition the red belt supplied does not match these dresses. We are returning two of these by separate mail, and would ask you to replace the whole lot by 100 dresses size 12 in the correct colour.
As far as your charges for air freight are concerned, we agree to pay the extra costs which you invoiced. However your costs for packing and insurance must have been lower for air cargo, and we request you to take this fact into consideration and to make an adjustment to the invoice amount. Would you please send us a rectified invoice, reduced accordingly.
We look forward to your dealing with these questions without delay.
Very truly yours.
Wilson.
If this kind of letterissent thecustomeris understandably annoyed,nevertheless thereis noreasonto write an angry letter of complaint.In the EXAMPLE 5 there are two complaints:the first is about the "Swinger" dresses colour andthe second - about the fact that air freight seems too expensive to MATTHEW & WILSON.
From thisletterwe see that the results are better for the correspondent takes the trouble to explain hiscomplaint clearly and proposes ways in which matters can be put right.
Example 6.
Letters thatare writteninresponse to claims may be called adjustments. These letters are among the most difficult to writeas theyrequireunder all circumstances patience, tact, and diplomacy.You will not lose your customerifyou react at his claim promptly.
GRANT &CLARKSON
148 Mortimer Street
London W1C 37D
MATTHEWS & WILSON
Ladies' Clothing
421 Michigan Avenue
Chicago, III.60602 2nd December, 1996
Dear Sirs:
The colour of the dresses about which you complain is indeed lighter than it should be. Apparently this was overlooked by controller responsible. Please accept our apologies for the oversight.
We are sending you a new lot by air this week, and would ask you to return the faulty clothes at your convenience, carriage forward. Alternatively you may keep this lot for sale as seconds at a reduced price of &1,120.
You are perfectly correct in saying that packing and insurance costs are normally less for cargo sent by air. May we remind you, however, in this case your request to send the goods by air was made at very short notice. It was not possible for us to use the lighter air freight packing materials, as most of the dresses were ready for shipment by sea freight (please see our letter of 9th November). Furthermore, our insurance is on an open policy at a flat rate, and depends on the value of the goods, not the method of transport. For these reasons our invoice No.14596 dated 15th November 1996 is still valid, and we look forward to receiving your remittance when due.
Yours faithfully
Burke
The suppliersshowtheir understanding of situation and express their willingness to adjust it.They say exactly what steps they are going to take, because a disappointed customer cannot be put off with mere apologies - he is entitled toknow how the mistake will be remedied.The supplies convince their partners that they are really interested inmaintaining good will. Theytryto avoid negative statements,and what even worse, accusations;theynever forgetthatit is their customer who keeps them in business.
Even when theywritetheir customersaboutrejecting their claimon air freight,they try to give logical reasons for the refusal.
CONCLUSION
The conclusionthattherefore suggestsitself is that writing of business letters is highly complicated science.It is not enoughforagoodbusiness letter writing to know lexics and grammar,but you should comprehend the whole range of such things as: occasions on which the particular letter is written, the style of letter, useful expressions, and accepted idioms.
There are certain rules which not everybody couldlearn since theyhave tobefelt by correspondents.Letter writing requires long practice and experience.Those who write letters should always remember,that what makes the letter attractive and therefore promotesone'sbusiness isnotalways the message of the letter, but it is the manner and style in which the message is written.
The
"golden rule" that must be followed by every business correspondent
is that the official lettershouldbe
formal, courteous, tactful, concise, expressive, and to the point
.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.WINCOR, RICHARD Contracts in plain English
2.БАСС Э.М.
Научная и деловая корреспонденция
3.GOWERS, ERNEST The complete plain words
4.Ãðîìîâà Í.М.
Основы деловой переписки
5.Naterop
Business Letters for All.