Polite Emailing in Business
Emailing is possibly the most used part of business English and therefore it is important to ‘get it right’ because employees in other countries, potential & current customers, suppliers, and others may only have your email to judge you by – they can’t hear your voice. When people can’t hear your voice or see your face then they can only fall back on written language from the way you write, which sends a message about you. You may be unintentionally sending the wrong message because you use the wrong words and expression.
Here’s an email I received from a Chinese tire manufacturer when I worked for a tire importing company.
“we have best tire and good service.
We happy to meet do you. We want good relationship. We give best price”, this was followed by a list of prices and then the final line was , “do you want it or not?”
In English people may accept wrong grammar, but they may be offended if they take what you say the wrong way because of your wrong choice of words. So there are many things you need to learn, but to start off with it is useful to include modal verbs and some other phrases that will really help in your writing.
For example:
“We look forward to hearing back from you”
“We look forward to doing business together”
“Our tires are excellent value and our service aims to please”
“If you agree to these terms then we would require payment by March 31st”
“It would be appreciated if you could reply by March 31st”
Guessing the Meaning of Words From Context
Try to guess the meaning of the underlined words from the story and match the words/phrases with the numbers on the right which best matches it.
|
get it right |
A |
1 |
misunderstand |
|
fall back on |
B |
2 |
Approve of conditions |
|
send a message |
C |
3 |
Do something correctly. |
|
take something the wrong way |
D |
4 |
Rely on |
|
to start off |
E |
5 |
Give an impression, communicate something |
|
look forward to |
F |
6 |
Expect, excited or happy about some future event |
|
agree to terms |
G |
7 |
To be thankful |
|
It would be appreciated |
H |
8 |
To begin |
A=3, B=4, C=5, D=1, E=8, F=6, G=2, H=7
Make Your Understanding Stronger by Answering these Questions
1. Describe a product that a company got it right with. For example Apple got it right when it made it’s first iPod back in 2001 because…..
2. If you have a problem in your job, then who can you fall back on for advice or support?
3. What message do you think your fashion style sends?
4. Describe a time you said or did something and it got taken the wrong way.
5. When you write a business email, what words should you start off with?
6. What do you have to look forward to this week in your work or personal life?
7. Describe the terms that you agreed to in a contract such as your employment contract or some other agreement.
8. What kinds of things would and would not be appreciated when you write a professional email?
Some Example Sentences Using Today’s Reading
I think I really got it right by buying energy shares last year because they have increased by 40%.
When I have a problem at work I know that I can fall back on my coworker JungHee for help.
Bankers in Swiss banks are expected to dress conservatively so that they send a message of trust and reliability.
In western culture you should be careful about asking someone if they are married because it might be taken the wrong way. For example, if you are a man and you ask a woman if she’s married then it could mean that you are interested in her.
If I’m emailing someone I know well then it’s okay to start off my emails with friendly expressions like “Hi” or “How are things?”
This week I’m looking forward to meeting some customers from Japan.
We could not agree to the terms of the contract because our profit margin was too small.
If you get invited to dinner in someone’s house in the U.S. then it would be appreciated if you bring some wine or desert.
ECK Education
