Τίτλος Μαθήματος:Αγγλικά για Οικονομολόγους ΙI
Ενότητα: Ελαστικότητα (Elasticity)
Διδάσκουσα: Θεοδώρα Τσελίγκα-Γκαζιάνη
Τμήμα: ΟικονομικώνΕπιστημών
Writing a business email in English
Nowadays, business communication is very often conducted via email. This does not mean, however, that emails are friendly and informal, as the ones you exchange with your friends. Business emails are formal and professional, similar to written letters, but as they are electronic, they have their own ‘netiquette’.
Here is a sample email format from my webmail account. Although email formats differ, their layout is rather similar.
------
As seen above, the HEADING of the email includes distinct fields, each providing different but key information.
-Identity (or From): ______This is created automatically and includes the sender’s email address.
-To: ______Here you need to write the recipient’s email address. Careful for any misspellings as these will result in your email bouncing.
-Cc (i.e. carbon copy): ______Here include the email addresses of additional recipients whom your email is addressed to.
-Bcc (i.e. blind carbon copy): ______Its purpose is the same as Cc, i.e. it indicates that copies of this email are sent to other recipients, but their identities/email addresses are withheld from the main recipient.
-Subject: ______This field is very important and needs to be precise and brief. Never leave this field empty! It might actually be marked as ‘possible spam’ by an anti-spamming software and not delivered at all! The subject line needs to state clearly the content/purpose of your business email and draw the recipient’s interest and attention at a glance.
The structure and language of an email depends of course on the PURPOSE for which it is sent, i.e. to give/request information, to express a complaint/apology, to make/confirm an order, to ask for payment, etc. Nevertheless, there are some fairly standardized expressions that might help you in writing a business email in most occasions.
HOW TO START AN EMAIL
When writing to someone you don’t know, it is best to start with a formal salutation:
-Dear Sir/Madam,
-To whom it may concern
If you know the name of the person you are addressing, the most formal opening, similar to business letters, is:
-Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms (+ last name)
BODY OF THE EMAIL
The following rules generally apply to most business emails:
-State your key question/message right away.
-Use short paragraphs and break up text regularly by leaving an empty line in between, i.e. similar to the ‘modified block style’ in letters.
-Write professionally and formally, using standard font size, colour, etc.
-Avoid punctuation, spelling, and grammatical errors. Avoid slang, abbreviations, shortenings (e.g. NOT they’re BUT they are), and CAPITALISATION unless you are obliged to do so (i.e. a firm’s name); it’s considered ‘shouting’ at your recipient’s face.
-Generally, try to keep your email as brief and informative as possible.
Possible ways to introduce your email:
-I am writing with respect to…
-I am writing in response to…
-I am sending you this email to inquire if / to inform you that...
-I am writing to express my interest in…
Help your recipient by clearly stating any additional information you include (e.g. attachments).
-Please see/find attached my report/CV…
-I am sending you….as an attached pdf file.
HOW TO END AN EMAIL
There are fairly standard ways of concluding a business email, such as:
-I look forward to hearing from you soon.
-I look forward to receiving your reply…
-We look forward to your early reply.
-I would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience.
Typical ways of ending such an email are:
-Sincerely, ______(+ your full name)
-Best Wishes, ______(+ your full name)
-Best/Kind Regards, ______(+ your full name)
Signature block
A signature block is located at the end of an email, below the signature line and is usually separated from the body with a short line of keyboard characters. For example:
- EqualSign ======
- Asterisks ********************
- MinusSign ------
- Underscore ______
Once you have created your personal signature, it is always added automatically in all your emails, so you don’t need to worry about it. A signature block should contain all the contact information a recipient might need in order to respond to an email, i.e. the Senders Name, Title, Full Address of the Business Organization, Phone/Fax Numbers, Email Address and Web site if available.
Useful tip!
Always keep a copy of your sent emails in your ‘sent folder’. If you tick this option, the system will save all your sent emails automatically. Emails do get lost in the cyberspace from time to time, so it’s a good idea to have a copy of your email in case you need to re-send it.
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•Το παρόν εκπαιδευτικό υλικό έχει αναπτυχθεί στα πλαίσια του εκπαιδευτικού έργου του διδάσκοντα.
•Το έργο «Ανοικτά Ακαδημαϊκά Μαθήματα στο Πανεπιστήμιο Ιωαννίνων» έχει χρηματοδοτήσει μόνο τη αναδιαμόρφωση του εκπαιδευτικού υλικού.
•Το έργο υλοποιείται στο πλαίσιο του Επιχειρησιακού Προγράμματος «Εκπαίδευση και Δια Βίου Μάθηση» και συγχρηματοδοτείται από την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση (Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινωνικό Ταμείο) και από εθνικούς πόρους.
Σημειώματα
Σημείωμα Αναφοράς
Copyright Πανεπιστήμιο Ιωαννίνων, Διδάσκουσα: Θεοδώρα Τσελίγκα-Γκαζιάνη. «ΑγγλικάγιαΟικονομολόγουςΙI. Ελαστικότητα (Elasticity)». Έκδοση: 1.0. Ιωάννινα 2014. Διαθέσιμο από τη δικτυακή διεύθυνση: .
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•Το παρόν υλικό διατίθεται με τους όρους της άδειας χρήσης CreativeCommons Αναφορά Δημιουργού - Παρόμοια Διανομή, Διεθνής Έκδοση 4.0 [1] ή μεταγενέστερη.
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