In practice business communication special attention is paid to compliance with norms and rules speech etiquette in letters of various contents. Speech etiquette of a business letter is a manifestation of the culture of the addressee.
The opening address and closing form of politeness are generally accepted standard formulas.
Opening address- This is a way to attract the recipient’s attention and establish contact with him.
In the practice of domestic correspondence, until recently, the address was traditionally used in letters of a semi-official nature; in letters of invitation addressed to specific persons (honored figures of science, art, culture, deputies, persons occupying a high social position, etc.) or a group of persons related to the nature of their activities; in commercial correspondence. In modern official letters, the role of address has increased; it is used in cases where the situation requires a direct appeal to official or persons.
The appeal is placed on a separate line in the center. The exclamation mark gives the letter an emotional character and indicates special meaning, given by the author to the content of the question being posed.
When contacting the addressee, one should take into account his official position, field of activity, the nature of the relationship between the parties, the purpose of the letter, etc.
If a letter is sent to an institution, organization, enterprise, company or is addressed to an official whose name, surname and gender are not known, then the generally accepted addresses are the following:
- Dear Sirs!
- Gentlemen!
When addressing persons of the same professional circle, it is possible to address:
- Dear colleagues!
- Dear colleagues!
For Russian speech etiquette, gender leveling is a characteristic feature, since before 1917 there were practically no women in the civil service, and in the Soviet period the asexual address “comrade” was common (Comrade N. S. Ivanova). In recent years, when addressing a letter to a female official, a masculine noun is used (investigator, general director, manager, etc.).
If the recipient of the letter is a particularly important person: a high official (governor, mayor), an honored figure of science and culture, a famous public figure, president (chairman) of a society, campaign, company, etc., then use the following appeals:
- Dear Alexey Petrovich!
- Dear Pavel Anatolyevich!
It is possible to apply with a position and without a surname:
- Dear Mr. Minister!
- Dear Mr. Governor!
- Dear Mr. Deputy!
- Dear Mr. Publisher!
- Dear Mr. Chairman!
When addressing a person with a title, you can use the following option:
- Dear doctor!
- Dear Professor!
Authors of letters should keep in mind that today, more than ever, a personal appeal is important, which arouses increased interest in the letter among the addressee and demonstrates the sender’s attention and respect for the business partner.
The inclusion of the addressee's surname in the address formula gives the text of the document a polite and official character. If the address indicates the first and patronymic, but does not name the last name, then it takes on a somewhat personal character. Addressing by first name and patronymic is allowed in a letter of invitation, letter of message, letter of gratitude and some others. These differences are due to the traditions of Russian speech culture:
- Dear Mr. Petrov!
- Dear Mrs. Petrova!
- Dear Mr. Smirnov!
- Dear Mrs. Demina!
- Dear Mr. Gorsky!
- Dear Mrs. Pronina!
- Mr. Martynov.
- Dear Dmitry Ivanovich!
- Dear Ksenia Petrovna!
-Igor Konstantinovich,...
Final form of politeness completes the main text, is placed on the right side on the same vertical with the date located at the top, and is separated from the body of the letter by two or three intervals. At the end of the final politeness formula, as a rule, a comma is placed, but its absence is also acceptable. The “Signature” detail (name of the position of the person who signed the document, personal signature and its explanation) is placed below the final courtesy formula in accordance with GOST R 6.30-97. In letters issued on official letterhead (as well as in some private letters), the name of the position and the signature are not included.
In business correspondence, there are several options for the final politeness formula. If the letter begins with the phrase: Dear Sir ..., then it should end with the phrase: Sincerely,...
In letters of congratulations and thanks, in letters of a personal nature, the following language formulas are used:
- Sincerely yours; ...
- Sincerely yours...
- WITH the bestwishes, ...
- With the best wishes and greetings, ...
-With warm regards, ...
- With heartfelt greetings and wishes, ...
-With gratitude. Your...
- WITH friendly greetings,...
- With friendly greetings,...
- Our Best wishes Mr. (name).
In a real situation, the sender must be guided not only by the standard, but also by the rules of good manners.
In letters to unfamiliar people or business partners, you should use formal language:
- Sincerely,...
- With gratitude and respect, ...
- With deep respect, ..
LETTER OF THANK YOU
As a rule, such letters are personally addressed.
Words of gratitude are appropriate both at the beginning and at the end of the letter. A letter expressing gratitude can have different contents, for example: a letter of request, a letter of confirmation, a letter of invitation, a letter of response to an invitation, a covering letter, a letter of request, etc. When choosing one or another wording for expressing gratitude The nature of the business and personal relationship between the sender and recipient of the letter should be taken into account.
At the beginning of the letter, you can testify your respect, respectful attitude towards the addressee, recognition of his merits, positive assessment of the business partner’s intelligence, etc., or express gratitude for the correspondence received:
-Very kind of you ...
- I greatly appreciate your kindness...
- Recognizing and appreciating your contributions to...
- We were happy to receive...
- This is a letter - expression of deep gratitude (appreciation) ...
- We gratefully acknowledge receipt of your order for...
- Thank you very much for the fax from...
- Thank you for the catalog we received...
- Thank you for your letter from...
- Please accept my sincere (deep) gratitude for...
-I would like to express my deep gratitude for...
-I am (sincerely) grateful for your...
- Let me express my gratitude for participating in...
- Let me thank you for...
- Let me express my gratitude to you
- We are grateful to you for...
- We express our gratitude on behalf of...
- Thank you for your participation...
At the end of the letter You can also once again use words of gratitude, express hope for a quick response, for continued cooperation, for possible prospects for business relations, etc.:
WITH I remain grateful for your interest in this matter, ...
- Thank you in advance for your assistance, I remain, Your...
- I will (we will) be very grateful (grateful) for a quick (urgent) response.
- We would be very grateful if wouldYou answered as soon as possible.
- Thank you very much for your (kind) assistance.
- Your assistance in this matter will be greatly appreciated.
- With heartfelt greetings and gratitude for your action (patience) in this matter.
- I truly appreciate your patience and continued progress. interest.
- We are waiting for your kind response.
With best wishes and confidence in the development of mutually beneficial cooperation...
LETTER OF CONGRATULATIONS
A letter of congratulations is proof of the sender’s goodwill towards the recipient
Congratulations and wishes are most often the main aspect of a letter, postcard, telegram, but they can also be part of a multifaceted letter. In this case, words of congratulations and wishes are usually placed after the address and greeting.
For letters that are written and sent long before the significant date, it is possible to place congratulations at the end of the letter.
In official letters of congratulations, the most common formulas are:
allow me to congratulate you;
Let me congratulate you;
Please accept my (our) congratulations.
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Please accept our congratulations |
with a new appointment. Happy New Year and upcoming Christmas. Happy anniversary. |
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Welcome |
on the occasion of the national holiday. on the occasion of your anniversary. in connection with the opening of the international conference. |
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On occasion |
electing you to the post... |
allow me (allow me) to congratulate…. |
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About |
successful defense of your dissertation |
Please accept my (our) congratulations... |
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Allow me Let me |
wish |
Much success to you, health, prosperity, happiness... Good luck to you in implementing your plans |
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Please accept our (sincere, warm, heartfelt, etc.) wishes |
new successes. great achievements. health, fulfillment of hopes (wishes) |
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LETTER OF INVITATION
A letter of invitation can be addressed to a specific person or several persons, or to institutions. An invitation to a specific person should be drawn up taking into account the status of the addressee, the nature of the relationship between the parties, as well as the degree of formality of the event.
The most common expressions in business correspondence are the words: allow me to invite; let me invite.
Expressions that are neutral in style emphasize the interest of the inviting party. Such expressions also have the nature of a discussion, that is, a unilateral invitation without the consent of the other party. In the case when the other party agrees, an official invitation is sent.
- We would be glad to see you at...
- We will be very grateful for your participation in ...
-We would be grateful if you could accept our invitation to...
In the case when the initiator of the invitation is the other party (We would like to take part in your owl longing), In a response letter of invitation, the following expressions are appropriate:
- We will (with great) joy receive (meet) your representatives (your delegation).
- We are glad to invite you...
- We agree to receive your delegation ...
- We can accept your representatives.
- We have no objection to your participation in the meeting.
- For our part, we are (with joy) ready to receive (invite, meet) your representatives.
If the first party is particularly interested in agreement, then after the actual invitation phrases the following expressions are used:
- We hope that you will accept our invitation.
- We would like to hope for your consent.
- We express our hope that you will accept our invitation (offer).
LETTER OF APOLOGY
The generally accepted formulas for expressing regret are as follows:
-Unfortunately,...
- To our great regret, ...
- To my great regret, ...
- With regret...
- We are very sorry ...
- We are extremely sorry ...
- I'm very sorry that...
- I regret to learn from your letter that ...
- Regret ...
Expressing regret about a failed transaction, late payment, delay in delivery of ordered goods, etc. may not be enough to maintain good relations between both parties and the possibility of further successful cooperation, therefore, the rules of business etiquette recommend that you apologize for the inconvenience caused. Apologies in letters can accompany requests (Sorry for asking you), failures (Sorry, but unfortunately we cannot fulfill your request) etc.
The typical and most commonly used apology formulas are the following:
COVERING LETTER
A covering letter is drawn up when sending any material assets to the addressee; documents that do not have an address part; documents requiring additional clarification. Covering letters are also required in cases where the documents being sent include several sheets. Covering letters indicate the name of the document being accompanied and the purpose of its sending, the deadline for execution, the reason for the delay, etc., is explained.
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- In response to your letter from... (at your request, at your request) Referring to your (our) letter from... (your request, our agreement, our telephone conversation), ... According to your request According to our agreement In accordance with the additional protocol for... a year (with our agreement, with your request) Based on an additional protocol for... a year (your request, our agreement) In connection with your request (our agreement) In confirmation of our agreement (our telephone conversation) |
we direct we send we send we forward | ||||
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We direct We send We send We forward We return |
in the application... with this letter... separate package... registered parcel post... today's mail... by postal parcel... separate postal parcel... |
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With pleasure |
we send we send we forward | ||||
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We are glad In the application At the same time Due to this Simultaneously |
send forward we direct we send we send we forward are being sent are sent are sent forwarded | ||||
- (We) attach...
- We send an application to ...
- We send (to you) cash on delivery ...
- I submit for approval ...
- We forward (to you) for consideration ...
- According to the attached list ...
- We are sending you samples along with this letter...
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In response to |
Your letter from Your request your request |
we direct we send we send we forward | |
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Referring to |
Your request our agreement |
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According to |
your request our agreement |
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In accordance with |
additional protocol our agreement by your request |
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Due to |
by your request our agreement |
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In confirmation |
our agreement our telephone conversation |
This article is the result of my observations of what aspects create a good impression of a business letter.
It happens like this: you receive an answer to your letter and immediately make an internal decision: I want and will continue to communicate with these guys, but with these guys I want to say goodbye right away. Has this ever happened to you? For me, yes. The last such practice happened to me quite recently: I corresponded with different companies regarding the selection of language courses.
Below are my summarized conclusions about what you should keep in mind if it is important for you that yours makes a good impression on the recipient and makes him want to continue doing business with you.
1. Letter response time.
- Positive ending of the letter
– the last thing that remains in the recipient’s attention when reading your letter. Secure the emotional and positive atmosphere of business communication in the last phrases. Create at the addressee good mood so that he wants to communicate with you again!
Compare:
| Answer option 1 | Answer option 2 |
| Hello, Masha! First of all, thank you for choosing our institute! We are confident that you will be satisfied with our cooperation. In order to send you an invoice, we need to receive from you the details of your employer company. Please send them in response to this letter...... | Hello, Masha! First of all, thank you for choosing our institute! We are confident that you will be satisfied with our cooperation. In order to send you an invoice, we need to receive from you the details of your employer company. Please send them in response to this letter. If you have any questions, please contact us! |
Tip #4: Set up the recipient to continue the dialogue. Show respect! Create and strengthen the mood of comfortable cooperation! Share with the recipient your positive mood and sincere desire to continue business interaction!
Options for final phrases:
I will be glad to cooperate!
I will be happy to answer your questions.
If you have any questions, please contact us!
With hope for fruitful cooperation,
Always ready to help and answer your questions.
With sincere respect,
Sincerely,
With respect to you,
With respect and hope for fruitful cooperation,
5. Signature and contact information block.
It is important for a person conducting business correspondence to understand who is “on the other side of the monitor”: the addressee’s first and last name, position, contact coordinates.
What is this for?
First and last name – allows for personal communication.
Position – gives the recipient an understanding of the boundaries of authority and professional competence in resolving issues.
Coordinates – provide the possibility of additional operational communication if necessary.
Compare: which answer looks more professional and inspires more confidence in the information.
| Hello! I passed the preliminary test when registering for Spanish courses at your institute. Based on the test results, I am enrolled in group PS-A2.1. My tuition will be paid for by my employer. Please send me an invoice for tuition fees. Thank you. Best regards, Masha Petrova | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Answer option 1 | Answer option 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hello, Masha! First of all, thank you for choosing our institute! We are confident that you will be satisfied with our cooperation. In order to send you an invoice, we need to receive from you the details of your employer company. Please send them in response to this letter. If you have any questions, please contact us! Do you write business letters in English every day? Or are you just learning the basics of official correspondence in business English courses? Our selection useful phrases and expressions will teach you how to write correct business letters in English and help diversify your speech. Thanks to business etiquette It is common knowledge that clients should be greeted at the beginning of the letter and goodbye at the end. Do problems begin when composing the body of the letter? How, for example, can you tell customers that the cargo is delayed, or how can you hint that it would be nice to receive money for services rendered? All this can be explained competently if you use the right “blanks” for various situations. With such “blanks”, writing letters will be a simple and enjoyable task. Starting a letter or how to start a correspondence in EnglishAt the beginning of every business letter, immediately after the greeting, you need to explain why you are writing all this. Perhaps you want to clarify something, get additional information or, for example, offer your services. The following phrases will help with everything:
To confirm... - confirm... Establishing contacts or how to tell your interlocutor how you know about himSometimes it is worth reminding your business partner when and how you last saw each other or discussed your cooperation. Maybe you already wrote a business letter on this topic a couple of months ago, or perhaps you met at a conference a week ago and started negotiating then.
Expressing a request or how to tactfully ask your interlocutor in EnglishIN business letters sometimes you have to ask your partners for something. Sometimes you need a delay, and sometimes you need additional samples of material. To express all this, business English has its own established phrases.
Complaining in English or how to make it clear that you are not happyUnfortunately, it often happens that we don’t like something. But when writing business letters, we cannot give free rein to our feelings and say with a direct test what we think about the company and its services. It is necessary to use business English and carefully express your dissatisfaction. This way we can save business partner and let off some steam. Standard business correspondence phrases that will help with this:
How to communicate bad or good news in business letters in EnglishIn business correspondence it often happens that we have to upset clients. It’s worth doing this gracefully so as not to anger your partner even more. Bad news
Good newsFortunately, sometimes everything works out well and we can please our clients with good news
Apologies or how not to anger the client even moreOf course, in business there are often problems. And it’s you who has to apologize for them. Be friendly, put yourself in the position of your interlocutor. Remember that it is better to apologize several times than to lose a valuable client.
Money or how to show your partner that it's time to paySometimes you want to write in plain text that it’s time to pay. But you can’t do this in business correspondence. Instead, we have to use softer constructions, behind which there is still the same tough question.
Politeness in correspondence or how to hint at new meetingsThere is no need to say goodbye to business partners completely. Even after the end of the project, you are better off maintaining the relationship for future orders. See you soonAt the end of business letters in English, it is often appropriate to remind your partner between the lines when you next expect information from him.
Until we meet againAfter a successful order, you should write the customer a short letter in English, informing him that you are not against a new project with him.
Of course, business English is not always easy. Luckily, our selection of business phrases should make your task a lot easier. Now it will take you much less time to compose a letter. So choose the right phrases, add your information and please your boss with beautiful business letters in English.
It is built on lexical formalities that make it harmonious and accurate. IntroductionThe introductory lines of business letters refer to previous correspondence and explain how to find the recipient or the reason for the request.
Formal connectivesConnective phrases structure business correspondence.
ApplicationConclusionThe closing lines of business letters anticipate future events, repeat an apology, or offer assistance.
PartingChoosing the right goodbye in business letters depends on getting to know the recipient. English Joke The child came to his mother in tears. “Oh, mama,” he confessed, “I broke a tile in the hearth.” “Never mind, dear,” the mother consoled. “But how ever did you come to do it?” “I was pounding it with father’s watch?”  (No ratings yet)  Loading...Share with friends:
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