Tiếng Anh thư tín thương mại

Các mẫu Tiếng anh thư tín thương mại. Tài liệu đặc biệt cần cho môn Tiếng Anh thư tín, cho các bạn đang theo học các chuyên ngành Quản trị Kinh doanh, ngoại thương, Kinh doanh xuất nhập khẩu, Tiếng anh thương mại tại các trường Đại học, Cao đẳng chuyên ngành

Chapter One: THE STYLE OF THE LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS LETTERS 5

1.1 The language style 5

1.1.1 Simplicity 5

1.1.2 Courtesy 5

1.1.3 Clarity and accuracy 6

1.1.4 Brevity 6

1.1.5 Pertinence (Logic) 6

1.2 Example 8

1.3 Exercises 9

Chapter Two: PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER 11

2.1 Essential parts of a letter 11

2.1.2 References 12

2.1.3 Date 12

2.1.4 Inside address (Addressee / Recipient) 12

2.1.5 Salutations 13

2.1.6 Subject titles 13

2.1.7 Letter Body 13

2.1.8 Complimentary close/closure 13

2.1.9 Signature 14

2.1.10 ‘Per pro’ 14

2.1.11 Enclosures 14

2.2 Addressing envelope 15

2.3 Letter formats 16

2.3.1 Full-blocked format 16

2.3.2 Blocked format 17

2.3.3 Semi-blocked or modified blocked format (Indented layout) 18

Chapter Three: ENQUIRIES 19

3.1 Content requirements 19

3.2 Phraseology 19

3.2.1 Opening 19

3.2.2 Body 21

3.2.3 Closing 22

3.3 Points to remember 22

3.4 Examples 23

3.4.1 Enquiry 23

3.4.2 Enquiry with proposed terms and conditions 23

3.5 Exercises 25

Chapter Four: REPLIES TO ENQUIRIES & QUOTATIONS 28

4.1 Phraseology 29

4.1.1 Opening 29

4.1.2 Body 29

4.1.3 Closing 31

4.2 Quotations in tabulated forms 32

4.3 Examples 35

4.3.1 Reply to an enquiry about chinaware .35

4.3.2 Reply to enquiry, giving concessions 36

4.4 Points to remember 36

4.5 Exercises 37

Chapter Five: OFFERS 40

5.1 What is an offer 40

5.2 Types of offers 40

5.2.1 Firm offers 40

5.2.2 Free offers 41

5.3 Phraseology 41

5.3.1 Opening 41

5.3.2 Body 41

5.3.3 Closing 42

5.4 Examples of offers 44

5.5 Offers on printed form with covering letters 46

5.6 Exercises 48

Chapter Six: ORDERS AND THEIR FULFILMENT 54

6.1 Orders by letter 54

6.2 Order forms with covering letters 59

6.2.1 Covering letter 60

6.2.2 Sample order forms with covering letters 62

6.3 Acknowledging orders and sales confirmation 64

6.4 Advice of despatch 68

6.5 Delays in delivery 74

6.6 Turning down an order 76

6.7 Seller’s counter-offer 80

6.8 Acknowledging safe delivery 81

6.9 Exercises 81

Chapter Seven: PAYMENTS IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE 88

7.1 International bankers’ draft (banker’s draft) 88

7.2 Banker’s transfer (Bank transfer): 89

7.3 Bills of exchange 89

7.3.1 Notification of B/E being sent 91

7.3.2 Example of Bill of Exchange 92

7.3.3 Letter advising the despatch of a sight draft 93

7.3.4 Request to a bank to forward a bill 94

7.3.5 Request to a bank to accept a bill 94

7.3.6 Non-payment of a bill 96

7.4 Bankers’ commercial credits (Documentary credit) 97

7.4.1 Letter from exporter to the agents bank 98

7.4.2 Letter from the exporter to the importer 99

7.4.3 Payment by L/C 100

7.4.4 Stages of effecting payment by L/C 101

7.5 Promissory notes 105

7.6 Exercises 106

Chapter Eight: COMPLAINTS AND CLAIMS 117

8.1 When to write a claim? 117

8.2 Guidance for writing claims 118

8.3 The language of complaints 118

8.4 What to write in a letter of complaint? 119

8.4.1 Opening 119

8.4.2 Body 119

8.4.3 Ending 120

8.6 Favourable responses to complaints and claims 121

8.6.1 Opening 121

8.6.2 Saying that you are investigating the case 121

8.6.3 Explaining the mistakes 121

8.7 Specimen letters of complaints and replies 122

8.8 Further examples of complaints 130

8.9 A sample case 134

8.10 Additional reading 138

8.11 Exercises 140

Chapter Nine: ELECTRONIC CORRESPONDENCE 147

9.1 Faxes 147

9.1.1 Specimen faxes 147

9.2 Electronic mail (email) 149

9.3 Telegrames and cables 155

9.3.1 Layouts of telegrams and cables 155

9.3.2 The word ‘stop’ 156

9.3.3 The word ‘repeat’ 156

9.3.4 Abbreviations 156

9.3.5 Brevity but Clarity 156

9.3.6 Words not figures 157

9.3.7 Specimen telegrams 157

9.4 Telexes 157

9.4.1 Layout of telexes 157

9.4.2 Operating the telex 158

9.4.3 Common abbreviations 158

9.4.4 Telex details 160

9.4.5 Specimen telexes 160

9.5 Points to remember 161

Chapter Ten: PERSONNEL 163

10.1 Letter of application 163

10.1.1 Style of application 163

10.1.2 Points of guidance 163

10.1.3 Checklist 163

10.1.4 Phraseology 164

10.1.5 Examples of letter of application 166

10 2 References (favourable) 173

10.2.1 Letter taking up a reference 173

10.2.2 Favourable reply 173

10.2.3 Alternative reply 174

10.2.4 Applicant‘s ‘thank you’ letter 174

10.2.5 Enumerated enquiry for a reference 175

10.3 References (unfavourable) 176

10.3.1Unfavourable reference 176

10.3.1Alternative unfavourable reference 176

10.4 Testimonials 177

10.4.1 Formal testimonial for Secretary 178

10.4.2 Favourable formal testimonial 179

REFERENCES 180

The ability to use the English language in a simple, yet accurate manner in business transactions is undoubtedly the goal which students of business try to attain and it is with which objective in mind this book has been compiled The book may also be effective as a reference book for those in the foreign trade service upon whom English business correspondence is incumbent and a variety of readers whose interest might be different.

In the authors’ experience, the important skill in the study of commercial correspondence is the reproduction of the examples from learners’ memory This does not mean that the task should merely consist

of memorizing business terms involved; in fact, it requires a thorough grasp of the subject matter and the forms of expressions in a variety of letters If this process is strictly adhered to, students will shortly find themselves in a position to develop their power of initiative and self- confidence.

In the compilation of this book, focus on the form of letters and letters on business situations is given Because of limitation of time and other resources, letters on social situations are, regretfully, not incorporated in this book Given the actual work which students are later supposed to undertake, special attention is also paid to the translation and simulation tasks In broader sense, the tasks are destined to be some sort of practical work, plus a certain amount of creative work A wide range of examples is incorporated in order to meet the purpose of the book.

In view of the compilers’ limited knowledge, shortcomings and mistakes are due to appears at various points of the book Any suggestions, corrections, comments and improvements from our fellow teachers as well as students will, therefore, be appreciated.

Le Manh Tien, MA in TESOL

Le Tuyet Van, MA in TESOL

 Chapter One:

THE STYLE OF THE LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS LETTERS

The importance of writing good business letters

The exchanging of business letters is the most popular and effective means ofcommunications used by businesses to keep in touch with their customers Writing satisfactorycorrespondence is essentially important because this surely creates a pleasing impression aboutyour firm You may gain or lose your customers through the way you produce your letters Goodletters usually help readers form goodwill and generate co-operation so they contribute to thesuccess of a transaction

Communications through letters is convenient in international trade because sellers andbuyers are at remote distances They cannot usually travel to meet one another Besides,communicating by the telephone is also easy but it does not provide records in writing.Moreover, spoken details can be forgotten or denied later on If companies use letters, writtenrecords can be accessed when necessary to recall past information

1.1 THE LANGUAGE STYLE

 Avoid using stilted, stiff, pompous language or the use of clicheù (overused expressions)

 Try not to use too complicated structures

 Use simple words instead of jargons, abbreviations especially when writing to those whoare unfamiliar with these technical terms

 Avoid exaggerations

 Do not try to sound overly businesslike

 Avoid using such words or expressions as: ‘herewith’, ‘herein’, ‘therein’, ‘whereof’, etc.because they sound too formal and contribute nothing to the content of the letter.These are only fit in contracts, agreements or legal documents

 Write grammatically

1.1.2 Courtesy

Evidence of courtesy

 Use good stationery with letterhead and good presentation, standard letter formats

 Use complex sentences joined by conjunctions rather than simple sentences becauseseparate short sentences sound curt Avoid being too short and simple; otherwise itsounds rude and abrupt

 Use good styles by avoiding sarcastic, insulting style Avoid as far as possible attackingtoo directly, even when you have to write about most frustrating situations (e.g non-payment of an invoice, late delivery, etc.)

 Use full forms rather than abbreviated forms (e.g ‘I’d…’ and ‘I would/had…’) Except forabbreviations that are internationally accepted, such as FAS, Ltd, B/L, etc

 Use passive and active tactfully.

 Avoid inappropriate vocabulary, idioms, phrasal verbs, short forms (It is likely to lead toover-familiarity, confusions, and misunderstanding)

 Avoid curiosity - Do not ask for what you are not entitled to know, or somethingconfidential

 Draft and edit your letter Check your letter carefully for spelling and grammar mistakesbefore sending out your letter

 See to it that goodwill, feelings, favourable impression are built and sustained

 Be reasonable, especially with requests

 Use the ‘You approach’ and ‘I approach’ tactfully

1.1.3 Clarity and accuracy

Here are some hints for you to consider

 Be careful with figures, decimal points, measurement units, sums of money, andmonetary units of different countries The following examples show the differenceacross countries:

1 billion: 1,000,000,000,000 (one million millions) in the UK; 1,000,000,000 (one thousandmillions) in the USA

1 gallon: 4.546 litres in the UK ; 3.78 litres in the USA

1 ton: 2240 pounds (lb) or 1016 kg in the UK (long ton); 2000 pounds (lb) or 907.2 kg in theUSA (short ton)

1 metric ton (also tonne – abbreviated as MT): 1,000 kg.

1 mile: 1609 metres or 1760 yards on land, but a nautical mile (also sea mile) – a unit for

measuring distance at sea –is equal to 1852 metres

 Be careful with prepositions (E.g.: ‘come to…’ or ‘come up …’, ‘concerned about…’ and

 Be careful with references, catalogue numbers, and prices

 Avoid uncommon abbreviations Who may know O.N.O (‘or the nearest offer’)?

 Express your ideas, opinions explicitly, overtly and straightforwardly

1.1.4 Brevity

Evidence of brevity

 Be no longer than is absolutely essential; you should not enter into details unnecessarily

 Use shorter phrases where possible instead of long ones

 Avoid redundancies (e.g.: ‘discuss about’; ‘enter into’; ‘co-operate together’, ‘enclosewith this letter’ (in these expressions ‘about’, ‘into’, ‘together’ … are redundant)

 Write to the point; do not refer to things already known

 Write directly

 Write logically

 Enclose literature (leaflets, brochures, price lists, quotations where possible) to exactlysupport your ideas without having to give lengthy, but sometimes vague, descriptions ofthe goods and services

1.1.5 Pertinence (Logic)

Your letter must be fit to serve the purpose for which it has been written, to the point and itshould manifest a thorough knowledge of the subject with which it purports to deal Thus, a

publicity material Why should we give lengthy explanations about our goods or products whenthey can be judged from the stated specifications and a good bargain from the offered terms oftrade? Or simply by the enclosure of catalogues, pattern cards and samples?

Evidence of pertinence

 Ideas flow in a logical order (e.g reasons for writing, then comes the main features, andlastly conclusions are a good and logical sequence) You need to plan the points youwant to make in advance

 Always think of the main objectives to be achieved (sales letters, offers, mattersconcerning payments, claims, etc.)

 There is the right amount of information

 There must be logical connection between what is going to be said with what you havepreviously said (i.e do not jump around making a statement or switch to another subjectsuddenly and the come back to what you said a few sentences or paragraphs before)

 Employ connective devices (i.e discourse markers e.g ‘thus’, ‘consequently’, ‘moreover’,

‘firstly’, ‘secondly’, ‘finally’, ‘for the conclusion’, ‘on the one (other) hand’ etc.)

 Avoid using archaic styles, words and expressions (e.g ‘We remain’)

Yours sincerely

J Baker

James Baker

1.3 EXERCISES

1.3.1 Rewrite the following sentences, phrases or words so that the ideas are better expressed:

1 Your letter of the 1st June is at hand and the content has been duly checked

2 We thank you for your esteemed / honoured/ valued/ kind enquiry of 1st June

3 We acknowledge receipt of your invoice number…

4 We beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of …

5 Please accept our profuse apologies

6 The unlucky event was due to the sudden demise of Mr …, our Chief Accountant

7 Our company is for the time being seeking for someone who can fill in a vacancy of alandscape architect

8 Send us your catalogue and oblige

9 Attached / enclosed herewith please find our price list

10 beg, beg acknowledgment

11 favour / communication

12 terminate

13 purchase / acquire / procure

14 utilise

15 in the near future

16 at the present time / for the time being

17 in due time/ in due course

18 in the event of non-receiving your payment

19 and O.N.O

20 AOB

21 TBA

22 We cannot do anything about your problem

23 This problem would not have happened if you had connected the wires properly

24 Your excavator’s guarantee is up so you have to pay for it to be fixed

25 You’ve probably guessed that

26 You’ll get your money back

27 We are planning to go into property

28 A couple of hundred quid

29 Prices are at rock bottom

30 Prices have gone through the roof

31 Send me your prospectus for this academic year

32 We shall look into the problem

33 I will drop her a line

34 It’s not worth doing business on such small profits

35 It’s most disgraceful (shameful) to delay payment

36 We both together came to a conclusion that…

37 Thank you for your letter with regard to my trip

38 We are aware that you are a large company specializing in the manufacture offertilizers

39 The Christmas is approaching and there will be great demand for consumer goods inVietnam

40 My business associates, Messrs J Brown and Hughes Co, Ltd, enquired about drillingmachine and they asked me to help them in the purchase of some heavy-dutyequipment

41 Once again may we thank you for your enquiry

42 We remain yours truly forever

1.3.2 Rewrite this short letter; make necessary improvements and changes so that the letter will well serve the spirit of courtesy and goodwill

Dear Mr.A John

I have already written to you concerning your outstanding debt of US$5,000.This should have been cleared three months ago You don't seem to want

to co-operate in paying us and therefore we will sue you if your debt is notcleared within the next ten days

Yours truly

 Chapter Two:

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

2.1 ESSENTIAL PARTS OF A LETTER

Different letters may include different numbers of parts; the following letter shows the mostimportant parts and their sequence in the letter

1 Letterhead

(sender’s address) SOUNDSONIC LTD

Warwick House, Warwick Street, Forest Hill, London SE23 1JF Chairman John Franks O.B.E Directors S.B Allen M Sc., N Ignot, R.Lichens B.A.

Telephone (081) 566 1861 Fax: (081) 566 1385 Telex: 819713

2 References Your ref: 25 August, 20 _

Message) Thank you very much for your enquiry which we received today.

I am enclosing our catalogue (SM/06) and price-list for theequipment you said you were interested in I would like to drawyour attention to pages 31–35 in the catalogue where you will findfull details of the Omega range

We would welcome any further enquiries you have, and lookforward to hearing from you

11 Enclosures Enc Catalogue SM/06

N.B The sequence of some of the parts can be vary vertically, ie the date my go before the

references and so forth

2.1.1 Letterhead (Return address / Sender’s address)

The printed letterhead of a company gives a great deal of information about it such as type

of company (whether ‘Ltd’ or ‘PLC’ or sole trader (i.e a single person doing business in his ownname and on his own account or a joint stock company), board of directors, addresses,registered numbers – this usually appears in small print, sometimes with the country or city inwhich the company was registered – VAT number (Value Added Tax) – may also be given

2.1.2 References

References may either appear in figures, e.g ‘661/17’ in which case ‘661’ may refer to thechronological number of the letter and ‘17 ‘to the number of the department, or ‘DS/MR’, inwhich case ‘DS’ stands for ‘Donald Sampson’, the writer, and ‘MR’ for his secretary: ‘MaryRaynor’

2.1.4 Inside address (Addressee / Recipient)

Surname known

Mr / Ms + initial(s) (or his/her first given name) + family name: e.g ‘Mr J.E Smith’ or ‘Mr.John Smith’, not ‘Mr Smith’ ‘Messrs’ with or without a full stop; pronounced ['mesz] which isthe abbreviation of ‘Messieurs’, which is never used in full, is used occasionally for two or moremen e.g ‘Messrs P Jones and B.L Parker’ but more commonly forms part of the name of a firme.g ‘Messrs Collier & Clerke & Co.’

Title known

If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, you may know or be able toassume his/her title or position in the company, e.g.’ The Sales Manager’, ‘The Finance Director’.You can use it in the address on the envelope

Department known

Alternatively you can address your letter to a particular department of the company e.g

‘The Sales Department’, ‘the Accounts Department’

Company only

Finally, if you know nothing about the person who will receive your letter and do not want

to make any assumptions about the person or department your letter should go to, you can

simply address it to the company itself e.g Soundsonic Ltd., Messrs Collier & Clerke & Co.

Order of inside addresses

Name of the recipient  Name of house or building  Name of street, road, avenue, Name of town or city and postcode  Name of country (in a separate line)

E.g Industrial House

International Industries Ltd.

1–5 Greenfields Road

Liverpool L22 0PL

For the attention of the Production Manager

Dear Sir or Madam

Satex S.p.A Via di Pietra Papa

00146 Roma ITALY Attn Mr D Causio Dear Sir

2.1.5 Salutations

‘Dear Sir’ opens a letter written to a man whose name you do not know ‘Dear Sirs’ is used

to address a company ‘Dear Madam’ is used to address a woman, whether single or married,whose name you do not know ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ is used to address a person of whom youknow neither the name nor the sex and you do not want to make an assumption; if you kone thename of the recipient, use ‘Dear Mr Smith’, not ‘Dear Mr J Smith’, not ‘Dear Mr John Smith’(i.e we do not generally use initials or first names here) The comma after the salutation isoptional ‘Dear Sir,’ or ‘Dear Sir’; if you use the comma, there must be one after thecomplimentary closure Note that in the USA a letter to a company usually opens with

‘Gentlemen:’ followed by a colon, not with ‘Dear Sirs’

2.1.6 Subject titles

Some firms open their letters with a subject title which is stated one line spacing below thesalutation This provides a further reference, saves introducing the subject in the firstparagraph, immediately draws attention to the main topic of the letter, and allows the writer torefer to it throughout the letter Note that if the letter is short, it is not necessary to have this

line Also, the subject line may be underlined or in bold type to attract more attention

N.B The subject title is not usually a complete sentence, but a phrase and is often underlined or

typed in bold type to draw more attention ‘Re:’ which means ‘on the subject of’ or ‘with reference to’, is sometimes omitted.

E.g (Re:) Application for post of typist

(Sub:) Application for post of typist

Application for post of typist

2.1.7 Letter Body

It is usual to leave a line space between paragraphs in the body of the letter If the blockedstyle is used, this is essential because it separates the main point that you want to make Eachparagraph should carry one main idea

2.1.8 Complimentary close/closure

If the letter begins with ‘Dear Sir’, ‘Dear Sirs’, ‘Dear Madam’ or ‘Dear Sir or Madam’, ‘DearSirs or Madams’, it will close with ‘Yours faithfully’ If the letter begins with a personal name

‘Dear Mr James’ it will close with ‘Yours sincerely’ Avoid closing with old-fashioned phrasessuch as ‘We remain yours faithfully’, ‘Respectfully Yours’, etc A letter to a friend oracquaintance may close with “Yours truly” or “or Best wishes”

The comma after the complimentary close is optional and consistent with salutation Notethat Americans tend to close even formal letters with ‘Yours truly’ or ‘Truly yours’, which isunusual in the UK in commercial correspondence The position of the complimentary close - onthe left, right or in the centre of the page - is a matter of choice It depends on the style of theletter: blocked letters tend to put the close on the left, indented letters tend to put them in thecentre and on your firm’s preference

2.1.9 Signature

Always type your name after your hand-written signature because such letters as o, r, l, v … can easily be confused; and your position after your typed signature (This is known as signature

block) It is a matter of personal choice whether you sign with your initial(s) (D.Jenkins) or your

given names (David Jenkins) and whether you include a courtesy title (Mr, Miss, Mrs, Ms).Women usually give their courtesy titles because they want to make clear whether they aresingle, married or that their marital status is unclear This is also because many people still thinkthat only men hold important positions It is safer, to sign with your given name, and safest of all

to include your title If you give neither your given name nor your title, your correspondent willnot be able to identify your sex and may give you the wrong title when he/she replies to yourletter The following examples show you how to present the signature:

Tshugold (Miss)

T ShurgoldCompany Secretary

2.1.10 ‘Per pro’

‘Per pro’ or (p.p) (Latin words ‘per procurationem’) means ‘for and on behalf of’ Secretaries

sometimes use ‘p.p’ when signing letters on behalf of their bosses When signing on behalf ofyour company, it is useful to indicate your boss’s or your own position in the firm in thesignature

Enc - Clean, shipped on boad Bill of Lading (3 copies)

- Insurance Certificate (1 copy)

- Certificate of Origin (1 copy)

- Bill of exchange (1 copy)There might be other parts; for instance:

The ‘private and confidential’ notation

This phrase may be written at the head of a letter, right after the inside addressee, and moreimportantly on the envelope, in cases where the letter is intended only for the eyes of thenamed recipient There are many variations of the phrase – ‘Confidential’ or ‘StrictlyConfidential’ but little difference in meaning between them

Copies ‘c.c’

‘c.c’ (which means ‘carbon copies’) is written, usually at the end of the letter, when copiesare sent to people other than the named recipient Sometimes you will not want the namedrecipient to know that other people have received copies In this case, ‘b.c.c.’ – which stands for

‘blind carbon copies’ is written on the copies themselves, though not, of course, on the topcopy

2.2 ADDRESSING ENVELOPE

Envelope addresses are written in a similar way to inside addresses but, for letters in orgoing to the UK, the postcode is usually written on a line by itself at the end of the address, andthe name of both the town and the country are written in capital letters

WIN 9UZUNITED KINGDOM

2.3 LETTER FORMATS

Some common layouts are as follows:

2.3.1 Full-blocked format

 All letter parts, including the subject line, begin at the left margin

 On the top, the letterhead is either at the centre or at the right margin

 The complimentary closure begins at the left margin too

SOUNDSONIC LTD.

Warwick House, Warwick Street, Forest Hill, London SE23 1JF Chairman John Franks O.B.E Directors S.B Allen M Sc., N Ignot, R.Lichens B.A.

Telephone (081) 566 1861 Fax:( 081) 566 1385 Telex: 819713

Your ref: 6 August 20…

Our ref: DS/MR

1 September, 20 _

Ms B KaasenBelgrade 51Copenhagen KDENMARKPrivate and confidentialDear Ms Kaasen

Re: Non-payment of invoice 322 /17

I am sorry to see that, despite several reminders, you have not yet paid theabove-mentioned invoice Unless, therefore, the account is cleared within 14days of the above date, I shall have no alternative but place the matter in thehands of our solicitors

I look forward to hearing from you soon

Yours sincerely

Mary Raynor (Ms.)

Mary Raynor

pp D SampsonSales ManagerC.c Messrs Poole & Jackson Ltd., Solicitors

2.3.2 Blocked format

This format is similar to the full-blocked letter with one change, i.e the complimentaryclosure and the signature start from the centre of the page The subject line may be centred, orbegin from the left margin Also note that the date might be written on the top right corner Thefollowing is a letter in blocked format:

We have decided to accept the 15% trade discount you offered and terms ofpayment, viz D/P, but would like these terms reviewed in the near future

Would you please send this shipping documents and your sight draft toNorthminster Bank, Deal Street, Birmingham B3 ISQ?

We would appreciate delivery within the next six weeks, and look forward toyour confirmation

Yours faithfullyFor F.Lynch Co Ltd

L.Crane

Lee CraneImport ManagerEnc: order No TD 6544

c.c Mr Nguyen Quang Huy

2.3.3 Semi-blocked or modified blocked format (Indented layout)

It looks basically the same as the blocked format, except for one thing that the beginning ofeach paragraph is indented five or ten spaces The complimentary close is written in the bottomright corner

We have decided to accept the 15% trade discount you offered and terms

of payment, viz D/P, but would like these terms reviewed in the near future

Would you please send this shipping document and your sight draft to

Northminster Bank, Deal Street, Birmingham B3 ISQ?

We would appreciate delivery within the next six weeks, and lookforward to your confirmation

Yours faithfully,For F.Lynch Co LtdL.Crane

Lee Crane

Import Manager

Enc: order No TD 6544

c.c Mr Nguyen Quang Huy

 Chapter Three:

ENQUIRIES

An enquiry can be made by telephone, telegram, telex, fax or even a postcard (if made bypostcard, the salutation and the complementary close are not necessary) If you want to includesome information about yourself, a letter of enquiry is necessary The contents of your enquiresdepends on how well you know your supplier, whether your supplier is at home or abroad andthe types of the goods you are enquiring about

3.1 CONTENT REQUIREMENTS.

The rules that we learnt in chapter one for writing such request as an enquiry are essential.You also need tact and courtesy when you want your correspondent to act (esp when theenquiry is addressed to firms without previous transactions) Your requirement should beexplicitly stated to avoid any misunderstandings References as well as certain indications as tothe local trade practice have to be clearly given A careful description of the kind and quality ofthe goods desired, and the size of the probable orders should be given In some cases, it isadvisable to send or ask for samples of the commodities in question to preclude any doubts orconfusions, particularly with requirements concerning tropical products, arts and crafts, etc.Any special requirements that you, the buyers, may have with regard to packing, delivery, etcmust be clearly mentioned Of course, when special packing is required, the difference in thecost has to be borne by the buyers

Also note that because your enquiry offers the recipient no immediate rewards oradvantages beyond the prospects of a future customer or the maintenance of goodwill, yourletter must be attractive (e.g ‘If the goods conform to the requirements, we will place furtherbigger orders’.)

The following procedures should be observed:

 Be specific and brief (esp letter asking about commodity and its technical aspects.)

 Be reasonable

 If there is a limit to the price you are prepared to buy, do not mention it Otherwise, thesupplier may raise the quotation to the limit you mention

Most the suppliers state their terms of payment when replying so there is no need for you

to ask for them unless you are seeking special rates or concessions

3.2 PHRASEOLOGY

A common enquiry can include the following parts:

3.2.1 Opening

How you know the supplier or their products

How did you hear about the firm you are writing to, or the products they produce – through

a firm’s associate, or they were recommended to you by a consul, embassy or trade association?Examples:

 We are interested in the pure wool Gabardines you advertised in ‘The Economist’ of last week’s issue.

 We learnt from the Commercial Section of the Indonesian Embassy in Hanoi that you are producing rattan wares for export.

 We were advised by Mr J Jones of … (TCCI) that you are producing export hand-made shoes and bags in pure leather and other natural materials.

 We were impressed by the selection of gardening tools that were displayed on your stand

at this year’s Gardening Exhibition held in Hamburg.

 I am replying to your advertisement in the June edition of ‘Tailor’.

 We are indebted to the British Embassy in Hanoi for your company and know that you can supply us with metal fittings.

 We are indebted for your name and address to the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), who have informed us that you are a sole exporter of paraffin wax.

 The name of your firm was given to us by Messrs John Hopkins and Sons Ltd., London, who have been regular buyers (purchasers/customers) of your products for some years We asked them if they knew of a manufacturer/ producer who would be able to supply without delay (immediately) the goods specified on the enclosed list.

 We would like to say to you frankly that our usual supplier has rather let us down these months on delivery dates, qualities and quantities, and we are in danger of getting into deficiency with some of our contracts Mr James Taylor, one of your regular customers, kindly advised us that you can meet our requirements in quality and quantity.

 We were given your name by the Vietnam-Japan Association in Nagoya

 Your name has been given to us by the Japanese Commercial Attacheù in Hanoi.

 You were recommended to us by Mr J Wood, the British General Consul in Ho Chi Minh City

 We were advised by Saigon Shiptrans Co., Ltd that you were interested in supplying natural essential oils (including aniseed oil and citronella oil which are in large demand in Western Europe)

 The British Embassy in Hanoi informed us that you are looking for an agent in Da Nang to represent your interests in central Vietnam.

 We have seen your advertisement in the FEER this month for industrial generators.

 We have been informed by McDouglas & Hunter, with whom we have had business relations for quite a long time, that you are capable of designing and manufacturing a production chain for noodle.

 Our associate in the packaging industry spoke highly of your Zeta packing machines and we would like to have more information about them We would, therefore, ask you to send us your latest catalogues and price lists.

Tell the recipient what sort of firms you are

You should introduce your company in case this is the first time you have approached them

 We would like to take this opportunity of introducing ourselves as one of the leading importers of the commodities here in Vietnam.

 We would like to take the opportunity of introducing ourselves as one of the country’s prominent companies dealing in all kinds of commodities.

 We are a regular buyer of paraffin wax and are looking for a supplier of this material.

 We are a co-operative whole sale society based in Ho Chi Minh City.

 We are a subsidiary of Matsushita Electronics Corporation which specializes in the making of semi-conductors.

 We are one of the leading producers of chemicals in the region and are now looking for new business partners in Vietnam.

 We introduce ourselves as one of the leading Indian firms in the trade of chemicals and flavouring essences At present, we are in the market for some raw materials, natural essential oils (especially, linseed oil, solvents, aromatic chemicals, etc.)

 We are a regular buyer of the commodity and request you to send us your quotation of sweaters.

 We have been authorized by Chanderlier and Bros to negotiate the purchase of hand tools and machines for a construction project in Ho Chi Minh City.

Note: You may choose one or both options but the writing should be limited to a sufficient amount.

3.2.2 Body

Asking for details, samples, pattern cards, demonstrations

You might want to see what a material or item looks like before placing an order Mostsuppliers are willing to provide samples or pattern cards so that you can make a selection.However, few would send a complex piece of machinery for you to look at In that case youwould be invited to visit a showroom or the supplier would offer to send a representative.Nevertheless, if it is practical, ask to see an example of the article you want to buy

 Please could you send me a leaflet (brochure …) of this electronic apparatus and tell me how much it would cost?

 Please send me your illustrated catalogue with the price list and state your payment conditions for prompt delivery.

 Please give us by return your lowest quotation for ‘Suomi 205’ electric heater for delivery within four weeks from receipt of order.

 Please send us any information you can supply, marking the letter ‘For the Attention of Professor Kazuhiro’-Tokyo General Hospital, Kinuta-Setagayaku.

 When replying, could you please enclose a pattern card?

 We would also appreciate it if you could send some samples of the material so that we can examine the texture and quality.

 We require the under-noted items for export to the above market and shall be pleased to receive your offer stating keenest export prices, export delivery terms, and earliest delivery date.

 We would require 2,000 dresses in each of the sizes 10-14, and 500 in sizes 8 and 16 Please quote C.I.F Chicago prices Payment is normally made by Letter of Credit.

 Please let us know what quantities you are able to deliver at regular intervals, quoting your best terms F.O.B Brisbane We shall handle export formalities, but would ask you to calculate containerized transport to Brisbane for onward shipment.

Suggesting terms, methods of payment, discounts

Firms sometimes state prices and conditions in their advertisements or literature and maynot like prospective customers making additional demands However, even if conditions arequoted, it is possible to mention that you usually expect certain concessions Although it is truethat once a supplier has quoted a price and stated terms, he may be unwilling to change them

By suggesting your terms you indicate that certain conditions may persuade you to place anorder

 I would like to discuss the problem of maintenance before deciding which model to install in

my factory I would be grateful if you could arrange for one of your representatives to call

on me within the next two weeks.

 We usually deal on a 30 % trade discount basis with an additional quantity discount for orders over 1,000 units.

 As a rule, our suppliers allow us to settle by monthly statement and we can offer the usual references if necessary.

 We also like to point out that we usually settle our accounts on documents against acceptance basis with payment by 30-day bill of exchange.

 We intend to place a substantial order, and would therefore like to know what quantity discounts you allow.

Asking for goods on approval or on sale or return.

Sometimes wholesalers and retailers want to see how a product will sell before placing afirm order with the supplier They may be able to do this by getting goods on approval or on asale or return basis In either case, the supplier would have to know the customer well, or wouldwant trade references He will also place a time limit on when the goods must be returned orpaid for

 Your leaflet advertising your latest publications of History magazines interested us, and we would like to stock a selection of these However, we would only consider placing an order provided it was on the usual basis of sale or return If this is acceptable we will send you our official order.

3.2.3 Closing

Usually a simple ‘thank you’ is sufficient to close an enquiry However, you could mention

that a prompt reply would be appreciated, or show that certain terms or guarantees would benecessary

 We would be grateful for an early reply.

 Finally, we would like to point out that delivery before Christmas is essential and hope that you can offer us that guarantee.

 Prompt delivery would be necessary as we have a fast turnover We would, therefore, need your assurance that you could meet all delivery dates.

You can also indicate further business, or other lines you would be interested in if you thinkthey could be supplied If a supplier thinks that you may become a regular customer, rather thansomeone who has placed the odd order, he would be more inclined to quote competitive termsand offer concessions

 If the product is satisfactory, we will place further orders with you in the future.

 If the prices quoted are competitive, and the quality up to standards, we will order on a regular basis.

 Provided you can offer favourable quotations, and guarantee delivery within four weeks from receipt of order, we will place regular orders with you.

 We hope you will be able to meet our requirements in this instance, and would add that if your products are satisfactory and terms competitive, we should be interested in a long term contract with you.

 There is a steady demand here for high-class goods of this type, especially in brighter colours.

 Sales are not high, but a good price can be obtained for fashionable designs.

 If the concessions we have asked for could be met, we would place a substantial order.

 Ask for a sample if you are uncertain about a product

 Suggest terms and discounts, but be prepared for the supplier to make a counter-offer

 Close with an expression such as ‘I look forward to hearing from you’ and indicate the

possibility of substantial orders or further business

3.4 EXAMPLES

3.4.1 Enquiry

In this letter the customer is replying to an advertisement for CDs in a trade journal Theadvertiser gave little information, so the writer asks for details

Answer the following questions about the letter

1 Why does Mr Gerald say ‘We are a large music store’?’

2 How did he hear about the CDs?

3 What requirements does he suggest must be met before he places an order?

4 What concession does he ask for?

5 Which words or expressions in the letter have similar or the same meanings as:

3.4.2 Enquiry with proposed terms and conditions

This email is from the Chief Buyer for a chain of shops in Birmingham to an Italian knitwearmanufacturer The buyer explains how he got to know about the manufacturer, and suggeststhat a quantity discount and acceptance of his method of payment would persuade him to place

an order He is stating his terms in his enquiry because he feels that as a ‘bulk buyer’ he candemand certain conditions

Dear Sir or Madam

We are a large music store in the centre of Poiters and would like to knowmore about the re-writable and recordable CDs you advertised in this month’sedition of ‘Lectron’

Could you tell us if the CDs are leading brand names, or made by smallindependent companies, and whether they would be suitable for domesticrecording? We would appreciate it if you could send us some samples If theyare of the standard we require, we will place a substantial order We wouldalso like to know if you offer any trade discounts

Gerald (Mr.)

Chief BuyerYours faithfully

Yours faithfully

Answer the following questions about the above email:

1 What expression does Peter Crane use to indicate that Lynch & Co is a large company?

2 What market is Lynch & Co interested in?

3 Where did Lynch & Co get to know about Satex?

4 What kinds of discount is Mr Crane asking for?

5 How would payment be made?

6 How many sweaters is Lynch & Co likely to order?

7 Which words or expressions in the letter have similar or the same meanings as:

We were impressed by the new designs displayed on your stand at theHamburg Menswear Exhibition last month

As we usually place large orders, we would expect a quantity discount inaddition to a 20% trade discount off net list prices Our terms of payment arenormally 30-day bill of exchange, D/A

If these conditions interest you, and you can meet orders of over 500garments at one time, please send us your current catalogue and price list

We hope to hear from you soon

3 5 EXERCISES

3.5.1 English-Vietnamese Translation

Translate the following sentences into Vietnamese:

a Your name and address have been given to us by the Japan-Vietnam Trade Association

b First of all, we would like to take the opportunity of introducing ourselves as one of thecountry’s leading trading companies dealing in all kinds of materials for industry such aswoodchips, iron ore, coal, scrap, etc

c At present, we are extensively engaged in importing hardwoods and are now proposing toextend our business into the softwood area and are investigating the possibility ofimporting from Vietnam

d We have received a number of enquiries for floor coverings suitable to use on the roughfloors that seems to be a feature of many of the new buildings here

e It would be helpful if you could send us samples showing your ranges of suitable coveringsand, if one is available, a pattern card of designs

f We are indebted for your address to The Trade Delegation of Japan in Hanoi, who hasinformed us that you are the sole exporter of paraffin wax

g We would like to add that in the present time we are interested in about 1,500 metric tons

of paraffin wax for immediate shipment

h We are interested in the purchase of Vietnamese green and black tea for immediateshipment as well for shipments at regular intervals during 20 _

i We are pleased to note from your letter of 4th September that you are interested inestablishing business relations with us, which happily happens to coincide with our interest

j At present, we are in the market for silk yarn and shall be glad to receive your latest pricesfor whatever qualities available for export for November shipment, CIF London

k Will you please send us your catalogue and current price list for bicycles? We are the leadingbicycle dealer in this area where cycling is, as you know, very popular If the quality of yourproducts is satisfactory and the prices reasonable, we expect to place regular orders forfairly large numbers

l As it is our plan in the near future to start importing Vietnamese chinaware and pottery, weare interested in contacting a number of leading manufacturers in Vietnam with a view tochoosing items suitable for the British market

m Will you please quote for the supply of approximately 100 metric tons of good quality whiteposter paper suitable for general poster work?

n We require that the paper retains its white appearance after being pasted on walls and shall

be glad if you will state your prices, C.I.F Hai Phong including packing

o You have previously supplied us with chinaware and we should be glad if you would nowquote for the items named below, manufactured by Hai Duong Ceramic Factory

p We have good reasons to believe that we could place regular orders with you provided yourprices are competitive

q From the description in your catalogue we feel that your Lotus range is the one mostsuitable for our demand and should be glad if you would send us your quotation for men’sand women’s coats, in both small and medium sizes, to be delivered C.I.F Alexandria

r We would particularly stress the importance of price since the market here is for massproduced goods at popular prices

s As we usually place very large orders, we would expect a quantity discount in addition to a20% trade discount off net list prices and our terms of payment are normally 30-day bill ofexchange, documents against acceptance

t If these conditions interest you, and you can meet orders of over 500 garments at one time,please send us your current catalogue and price-list

u A number of my customers have been asking about your bookcase and coffee tableassembly kits which are listed in your summer catalogue under KT 31, and we would like totest the demand for them Would it be possible for me to have, say, half a dozen units ofeach kit, on approval, before placing a firm order?

v I have enclosed an order, No B1463, in anticipation of your agreeing and as there is noparticular hurry for the units, you could send them along with your next delivery

w We have checked our present stocks of similar kits and find that they are quite high, inparticular Kaman kits and Mend-it-quick kits However, if you are prepared to increase yourdiscount to 25% for the complete stock, so that we in turn can grant a special offer to ourcustomers, then we are willing to buy

x We are enquiring whether you could send us, say, a dozen of each type of theequipment, on approval basis so that we can test the demand for this new brand

y We are producers of fine arts and presently looking for new markets with high potentials.Therefore, we are enclosing a photo collection of our products for your interest

z We are writing to draw your attention to our newly brought out desk-top photocopierswhich are selling well in south east Asian countries

3.5.2 Vietnamese-English Translation

Translate the following sentences into English

a Chúng tôi rất vui mừng nếu các ngài gửi cho chúng tôi catalogue mới nhất và bảng giá hiện hành cho những mặt hàng nói trên.

b Chúng tôi là khách hàng thường xuyên mua mặt hàng này và chúng sẽ rất vui mừng nếu các ngài gửi mẫu và cho chúng tôi biết giá thấp nhất các ngài có thể chào bán.

c Chúng tôi muốn mua quần áo may sẵn cho nam và nữ của các ngài giao hàng ngay Đề nghị các ngài gửi mẫu hàng này và cho chúng tôi biết chi tiết về giá cả và thanh toán.

d Chúng tôi đã nhận được và xin rất cám ơn thư của các ngài đề ngày 1-12 hỏi mua apatit (apatite) Lào Cai (xi măng Hoàng Thạch, dụng cụ nhà bếp, ghế mây, thảm len các loại)

e Chúng tôi muốn mua 10 máy bơm X30 và 10 máy bơm loại K-25 và với số lượng này các ngài có cho chúng tôi được hưởng chiết khấu 5% không?

f Chúng tôi muốn các ngài giao hàng cho chúng tôi càng sớm càng tốt nhưng không được chậm quá 1/12.

g Chúng tôi sẽ rất biết ơn các ngài nếu các ngài giao ngay ½ số lượng chúng tôi đặt mua, và số còn lại sẽ giao tiếp sau đó hai tuần.

b Qua báo Vietnam News, anh/chị biết được công ty A đang quảng cáo chào bán xe máy

100 phân khối có nhãn hiệu X và công ty anh/chị muốn mở một cửa hàng bán loại xe này vì hi vọng rằng giá tiền của loại xe này hợp với túi tiền của người dân bình thường, ngoài ra còn vì mẫu mã của xe này trông gọn nhẹ lại có nhiều màu, đặc biệt còn có thiết bị chống trộm đồng bộ với máy Anh/chị muốn được xem ca-ta-lô của loại xe này và cũng muốn biết chế độ bảo hành, bảo trì, bảo dưỡng cùng với khả năng cung cấp ngay phụ tùng thay thế Đề nghị anh/chị hãy viết thư cho công ty A với tinh thần trên.

c Công ty anh/chị là một nhà nhập khẩu và phân phối các mặt hàng văn phòng phẩm hàng đầu ở thành phố Hồ Chí Minh đang muốn tìm một đối tác lớn có thể cung cấp mực dùng cho máy phô-tô với chất lượng đảm bảo và giá cả rẻ hơn giá thị trường Qua một bạn hàng Nhật, anh/chị biết được công ty A có thể đáp ứng yêu cầu đó Hãy viết thư cho công ty A, yêu cầu họ cho biết cụ thể các điều kiện giao hàng (giá C.I.F thành phố Hồ Chí Minh) và yêu cầu họ cho xem mẫu hàng Đồng thời cho ho biết rằng anh/chị có ý định ký hợp đồng lớn và lâu dài với họ nếu các điều kiện bán hàng có lợi cho cả đôi bên vì công ty làm việc với phương châm thỏa mãn bạn hàng tức là mình được lợi Đề nghị anh/chị hãy viết thư cho công ty A với tinh thần trên.

Dear Sir,

I am a small business in Ho Chi Minh City in Viet Nam and I want to buy some of

your products which we have known from one of your associates

Please let us have all of your catalogues so that we can have a full picture of

your products and decide what we would buy Please let us have all the prices

 Chapter Four:

REPLIES TO ENQUIRIES & QUOTATIONS

Replies to enquiries have to be made without delay, and should state honestly and in detailsthe conditions and terms of delivery and should also repeat the most important points such asthe specifications and time of delivery Enquiries indicate that the enquirer has interest in yourcompany's products and is a potential customer who is likely to become an influential customer

in the future Replies to enquiries must be designed not only to increase that interest, but also

to inspire the enquirer to actions

The substance of an enquiry reply is usually information You should, therefore, include notjust the specific facts your correspondent requested, but any others that may be of help

Sometimes in answer to an enquiry, you may wish to send a brochure or catalogue Thesematerials should be accompanied by a personalized covering letter to show that you do notbother at all to take time to write, and that you have given time and interest to the enquiry Theletter explains why you have sent them and arouses the customer's interest You should callattention to other products in it and attempt to encourage a sale

If you have to refuse something, you must do it tactfully There are many occasions on whichyou must say ‘No’ When granting a favour, awarding a contract, hiring an applicant or for thatmatter making any decision, saying ‘Yes’ to a person often means saying ‘No’ to others So wemust say ‘No’ gracefully so that you can maintain goodwill A common reply to an enquiry orquotation should follow this procedure:

Opening:

 Include an expression of thanks for the enquiry to the enquirer, acknowledging theinterest in your company and your products or services

Body: Confirm that you can help.

 State what actions you are taking (sending catalogues, samples, etc.)

 Answer any specific questions as to prices, terms of payment, delivery, etc

 Focus attention on the important information

 Suggest alternatives if you cannot supply exactly what customers asked for; or you mayrefer to other suppliers who can offer the product/service enquired about

 Suggest ways in which you can help the enquirer to make a decision

Closing: Close the letter with appropriate expressions.

 Offer further assistance (only when you want additional enquiries from the enquirer)

 Express hope to receive orders

4.1 PHRASEOLOGY

4.1.1 Opening

Thank the writer for his/her letter of enquiry and quote any other references:

 We were pleased to hear from your letter of 10 December, 20 that you were impressed by our selection of sweaters.

 We thank you for your interest in our products.

 We acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 7 July, 20 , in which you said you liked our garments.

 In reply to your telex of 7 July, 20 , we are pleased to enclose our latest catalogue and current price-list for the goods in question.

 We write to confirm our telephone conversation yesterday, in which we informed you that

we could deliver part of the goods required from stock, in accordance with the enclosed detailed offer For the remaining quantity, twe would require approximately three weeks from the date of receiving your confirmation that our arrangement is acceptable.

4.1.2 Body

Confirming whether or not you can help.

Let the correspondent know as soon as possible if you have the product or can provide theservice he/she is enquiring about On the other hand, if you cannot help, let your correspondentknow right at the beginning; it is irritating for your correspondent to read a lengthy letter only

to find that you cannot help

 We have a wide selection of sweaters that will appeal to all ages and in particular the teenage market which you specified.

 Our factory would have no problem in turning out the 6,000 units you asked for in your enquiry.

 We can offer door-to-door delivery services.

 We are in the position to offer you the goods you asked about from stock.

 We are extremely sorry that we do not have the samples of the commodity now.

 It is regretful that we no longer produce the file holders you enquired about.

 We are sorry to inform you that we no longer manufacture the models you enquired about

as there had not been enough demand for them.

 We regret that our prices are being renewed now, so we cannot send you our price-list right now.

 It is regretful that we are now out of stock of the commodity you enquired about Stock of

it has been sold out since we started our advertising campaign last month for it on television.

‘Selling’ your product.

Encourage or persuade your prospective customer to do business with you A simple answerthat you have the goods in stock is not enough Your customer might have made ten otherenquiries elsewhere, so remember it is not only in sales letters that you have to persuade.Mention one or two selling points of your product, including any guarantees you offer:

 We think you have made an excellent choice in selecting this line, and once you have seen the samples we are sure you will agree that this is unique both in texture and colour.

 Once you have seen the Delta 800 in operation we know you will be impressed by its trouble-free performance.

 We can assure you that the Omega 2000 is one of the most outstanding machines on the market today, and our confidence in it is supported by our five-year guarantee.

 The enclosed leaflet will supply full particulars of our range of products made for export, but if you have any further points that you want us to explain, then we shall be happy to render help.

 We hold large stocks to cater for your requirements.

 We would be happy to discuss discounts with you if you would kindly let us know how large your orders are likely to be.

Suggesting alternatives

If you do not have what the enquirer has asked for, but have an alternative, offer it to him.But do not criticize the product he/she originally asked for (because after all they are yours)while adding favourable comments on the alternative:

 While this engine has all the qualities of the model you asked for, the ‘Powerdrive’ has the added advantages of having fewer moving parts, so less can go wrong It also saves on oil.

 The model has now been improved: its steel casing having been replaced by plastic which is lighter, more durable, and stronger.

 Of course leather is an excellent material to work with in the upholstering of furniture but escalating costs have persuaded customers to look for something more competitive in price Fortunately, Tareton Plastics have produced an amazing substitute, ‘Letherine’, which has the same texture, strength and quality of leather, but is less than quarter of the cost The samples enclosed will convince you.

 The Litewate range you mention has been a great success wherever it has been introduced and we are already exporting it to several tropical countries, in both Asia and Africa Unlike many waterproof coats, the Litewate does not cause excessive condensation on the inside surface, and so would be suitable for your climate.

 As you have evidently realized, plastic kitchenware is here to stay – It has already ousted heavy and expendable metal, glass and china from the modern kitchen Dealers who have displayed our brightly coloured range have reported good sales even in the present season, when hardware sales are usually at their lowest.

 All of these materials are robust and hard-wearing, and we particularly recommend no.8 which is a synthetic substance developed by our Research Department to withstand the wear and tear of rough and uneven floors.

Referring the customer elsewhere

It is possible, of course, that you may not be able to handle the order or answer thequestions Your correspondent may be asking about a product you do not make or a service you

do not supply If this is the case, tell him and if possible refer him elsewhere

 I regret to say that we no longer produce the type of staplers you refer to since we find there is no longer sufficient demand for it I am sorry we cannot be of help to you We suggest that you contact Smith and Sons Ltd.,who I think may be able to help you

 We no longer manufacture pure cotton shirts as their retail prices tend only to attract the upper end of the market All our garments are now poly-cotton, which is stronger, needs little ironing, and allows variations in patterns However, if you are still set on pure cotton garments, we advise you to contact Louis Fashions Ltd 155 Bolton Street, Liverpool.

Even if the product is yours, you may still have to refer the enquirer elsewhere:

 I confirm that the product you require is one of ours, but since we are only able to deal with wholesalers, not retailers, may I refer you to Watson & Brooks, who carry a full stock of our goods?

 Our agents in Italy are Spiletti Di Angelo and they carry a full stock of our goods.

Sending catalogues, price-lists, prospectuses, samples

Make sure that you enclose current catalogues and price lists if you are sending them And ifprices stated in the price lists are subject to change, then let your customers know It is badpolicy to suddenly send a letter telling them that prices have been increased by 10% after youhave quoted a firm price And if you are sending samples, let your customers know that thesamples will follow the letter immediately by separate post

 Please find enclosed our current catalogue and price-list quoting c.i.f prices Kobe The units you referred to in your letter are featured on pp 31-34 under catalogue numbers Y32-Y37.

 When ordering could you please quote these numbers? The samples you asked for will follow by separate post.

 We have enclosed our booklet on the Omega 2000 and are sure you will agree that it is one

of the finest machines of its kind It can be adapted to your specifications and details of this are on page 12 under the heading ‘Structural Changes’.

 We have enclosed our price-list, but should point out that prices are subject to change as the market for raw materials is very unstable at present.

 While we appreciate your interests in our products, we feel we must point out that our prices specified in the enclosed price list have already been cut to the minimum possible, and that these goods are unobtainable elsewhere at these rates.

 However, we would be willing to allow you a special 2½% discount off the list prices if you could see your way to increasing your order to 50,000 units.

Demonstrations, representatives, showroom visits

Certain products, e.g heavy equipment or machinery, may need demonstrations In thesecases sellers might send representatives or advisers if the equipment is to be installed Theycould, however, suggest that their customers visits their agent in their own country, or astockist with a showroom

 We have enclosed all the details about the Laren welder, but feel that a demonstration will give you more ideas of its capabilities We would, therefore, like to invite you to our centre

in Birmingham where the equipment is set up so that you can see the machine in action.

 As the enclosed illustrated booklet cannot really show the efficiency of the Farmon word processor, can we send our representative to you with a model of the machine, and he can give you a demonstration? If you are interested in a visit, please fill in the enclosed pre-paid card and return it to us.

 The enclosed catalogue will give you an idea of the type of sound equipment we produce, but may we suggest that you visit our agent’s showrooms in Rotterdam where you can see a wide range of units?

 We will be able to install the equipment within three months but would like to send Mr.Greffith, our chief engineer, to look over your plant and prepare a report on the installations, taking into account your particular requirements.

4.1.3 Closing

Always thank the customer for writing to you If you have not done it at the beginning of theletter, you can offer your thanks at the end (but we do not necessarily thank someone twice).You should also encourage further enquiries

 We would welcome any further points you would like us to answer.

 We hope to hear from you again, soon, and can assure you that your order will be dealt with promptly.

 We think our articles will be just what you want for the fashion trade, and look forward to the opportunity of doing business with you.

You surely want your customers to have some positive opinions of your terms and conditions:

 We hope your clients will find our terms and delivery dates satisfactory, and we can assure you that you may count on our full cooperation and attention in this matter.

 We are grateful to you for your suggestion concerning an ultra-light coat for the Indian market, and are pleased to inform you that we have been looking into the question of a suitable material for some time now Our Research Department assure us that they will have

a model ready in the very near future and we will come back to the matter as soon as we have some definite news for you.

 After studying our prices and our liberal terms to the trade, you will understand why we are working to our full capacity to meet the demand We would advise you, therefore, to let us have your order by the end of the month, as this will enable you to have stocks of our attractive lines by Easter

 Please give the samples any test you wish We are confident that they will stand up to the roughest handling.

4.2 QUOTATIONS IN TABULATED FORMS

Many quotations are either tabulated or prepared in special forms Such tabulatedquotations are proved to be clear, since information is presented in a form which is readilyunderstood They are also complete since essential information is unlikely to be omitted

Tabulated quotations are particularly suitable where there are many items involved Bothtabulated quotations and quotations on specially prepared forms should be accompanied by acovering letter (cover letter) which:

 Expresses thanks for the enquiry

 Makes favourable comments on the goods themselves

 Draws attention to other products or services likely to interest the buyer

 Expresses hope of receiving an order

An example of quotations in tabulated forms

The Sales Manager

Messrs Smith Jenkins &Co

15 Holme Avenue

SHEFFIELD S6 2LW

Dear Mrs Jenkin

We thank you for your enquiry of the 15th August, 20 and are pleased to

enclose our quotation for leather shoes and handbags All items can be delivered

from stock.

These items are made from very best quality leather and can be supplied in a

range of designs and colours wide enough to meet the requirements of a fashion

trade such as yours.

We look forward to receiving your order, and meanwhile enclose a copy of our

catalogue in which you will find details of our other products These include

leather purses and gloves, described and illustrated on pages 18-25 The catalogue

will give essential facts about our products, but if you have any further queries,

please do not hesitate to let us know.

Yours sincerely

R Hall

Enc: quotation no JBS/234

b A tabulated quotation form

CENTRAL LEATHERCRAFT LTD.

85-87 Cheapside, London EC2V 6AA Telephone:071-242-2177/8

Messrs Smith Jenkins & Co

Ladies’ calf colt court shoesLadies’ Handbags – EmperorLadies’ handbags – PaladinLadies’ handbags – Aristocrat

For acceptance within 20 days

4.3 EXAMPLES

4.3.1 Reply to an enquiry about chinaware.

N.B This is a reply to the buying agent who emailed Glaston Potteries on behalf of her principals in

Canada As the agent made no reference to any particular line of chinaware she was interested in, and did not mention terms, this reply takes the form of a sales letter.

Answer the following questions about the above letter

1 How does Mr.Merton draw attention to his company’s many products?

2 How does he imply that his company has an international reputation?

3 What terms of delivery does Mr Merton quote?

4 How does he encourage further enquiries?

5 Which words or expressions in the letter have similar or the same meanings as:

 ‘investigation’

 ‘officially stated’

 ‘accept order for assorted types of products’

Dear Ms Lowe

We were pleased to receive your enquiry today, and are enclosing the catalogue

and price list you asked for

You will see that we can offer a wide selection of dinner and tea services ranging

from the rugged ‘Greystone’ earthenware breakfast sets to the delicate ’Ming’

bone china dinner service You can choose from more than fifty designs, which

include the elegance of ‘Wedwood’, the delicate pattern of ‘Willow’, and the

richness of ‘Brownstone’ glaze

We would very much like to add your clients to our worldwide list of customers,

and could promise them an excellent product with a first-class service We would

be glad to accept orders for any number of pieces, and can mix if required

You will see that our prices are quoted CIF Eastern Canadian seaboard ports and

we are offering a special 10% discount off all net prices, with delivery within three

weeks from receipt of order

If there is any further information you need, please contact us, or go to our

website at the address above

4.3.2 Reply to enquiry, giving concessions

This is a reply to the general enquiry in 3.4.2 in which Mr Crane, Chief Buyer at F Lynch & Co,asked for certain concessions Notice how Sig Causio of Satex does not turn down his requestsbut makes a counter-offer

Answer the following questions about the letter above:

1 Does Sig Causio agree to all Mr Crane’s requests concerning discounts?

2 What sort of payment does he require for initial orders from Mr Crane?

3 What does he suggest concerning the method of payment in the future?

4 What are enclosed with the letter?

5 How does Sig Causio indicate that his company deals internationally?

6 Which words or expressions in the letter have similar or the same meanings as:

 ‘bill paid on presentation’

We can offer you a quantity discount, which would be 5 % off net prices for ordersover £2,000, but the usual allowance for a trade discount in Italy is 15%, and wealways deal on payment by sight draft, cash against documents However, wewould be prepared to review this once we have established a firm tradingassociation with you

Enclosed you will find our summer catalogue and pricelist quoting prices CIFLondon We are sure you will find a ready sale for our products in England, ashave other retailers throughout Europe and America, and we hope very muchthat we can reach an agreement on the terms quoted

Thank you for your interest We look forward to hearing from you soon

Yours sincerely

D.Causio (Sig.)

D, CausioSales DirectorEnc Catalogue / Price list

 In salutations, use the customer’s name rather than Dear Sir/Madam Your tone will bemore friendly and pleasant to the customer’s ears.

 Let the customer know early in the letter whether or not you can help them

 Make sure that you have supplied all the information you think will help your customerincluding, if relevant, catalogues and price lists

 Thank the customer for contacting you, and encourage further enquiries

 When giving a customer a quotation, in addition to the price, mention additional costssuch as transport and insurance costs, any discounts, method of payment and deliverydate, etc

 Do not promise a delivery date that you cannot keep

4.5 EXERCISES

4.5.1 Translate the following sentences into Vietnamese.

a Our terms are payment against a Bill of Lading, an Invoice and a Works’ Test Certificate,

by an irrevocable letter of credit at sight to be opened in our favour with LondonCommercial Bank, for the full value of the goods intended for shipment

b We regret to inform you that we are not in a position to meet your requirements for thetime being since our country is, as you know, in need of all kinds of wood, hard and soft,for national construction

c Crates are charged for with an allowance for their return in good condition

d From many of the dealers in several tropical countries we have now had their repeatorders This range is popular not only because of its lightweight but also because thematerials used has been specially selected

e We feel you will be interested in some of our other products and enclose, therefore,descriptive booklets and a supply of sales literature for use with your customers

f There will be no need to wait until you receive another delivery I will tell myrepresentative in your country to drop them off on his next delivery to Swansea whichwill be on Monday

g The provisional order, No B1463, which you enclosed, will be sufficient, but would youreturn any part of the consignment you have not sold within two months?

h We have much pleasure in sending you herewith a fairly full collection of our latest andbest selling designs and hope some of them will interest you

i We would like to draw your special attention to our exclusive quality ‘Gold Ring’ whichhas been an outstanding success We believe that it represents the best value for money

in this type of goods and we are sure that you will find it sell very well indeed

j If the range of patterns we have selected does not contain anything you want, please donot hesitate to let us know your exact requirements

4.5.2 Translate the following sentences into English

a Giao hàng trong vòng một tháng kể từ khi nhận được đơn hàng của các ngài.

b Các mặt hàng thủ công mỹ nghệ do chúng tôi sản xuất bán rất chạy ở các thị trường khó tính như châu Âu và Nhật bản.

c Chúng tôi có thể giao hàng ngay cho những mặt hàng sản xuất hàng loạt theo mẫu mã có sẵn Còn những mặt hàng sản xuất theo qui cách và mẫu mã theo yêu cầu thì thời gian đợi làm hàng là khoảng hai tháng.

d Chúng tôi rất tiếc báo cho các ngài rằng chúng tôi không thể bán cho các ngài những mặt hàng này ngay được vì nhu cầu trong nước rât lớn mà chúng tôi không thỏa mãn được.

e Đối với khách hàng mới, chúng tôi thanh toán bằng L/C trả tiền ngay Chúng tôi sẽ xem xét lại điều khoản này khi chúng ta đã có một mối quan hệ nhất định.

f Chúng tôi không sản xuất các mặt hàng các ngài hỏi mua mấy năm nay rồi nhưng chúng tôi có thể chào bán cho các ngài những mặt hàng tương tự với trị giá 500 bảng Anh C.I.F Liverpool mỗi tấn.

g Chúng tôi đã gửi bằng bưu kiện hàng loạt mẫu thảm thuộc các đề tài và bằng các nguyên liệu khác nhau kể cả bằng sợi tổng hợp.

h Các ngài chắc sẽ đồng ý rằng các mặt hàng do chúng tôi sản xuất có tính nghệ thuật cao và rất độc đáo Vói mức giá chúng tôi chào bán thì chúng phản ánh đúng giá trị của đồng tiền.

i Chúng tôi rất tiếc báo cho quý ngài rõ là mặt hàng này hiện nay đã hết nhưng chúng tôi có thể bán cho loại xi măng nhãn hiệu con Rồng Xanh chất lượng tương tự và cùng giá như loại quý ngài hỏi mua Loại xi măng này được nhiều khách hàng ưa chuộng nên bán rất chạy.

j Chúng tôi rất tiếc là chúng tôi không bán hàng trực tiếp cho người tiêu dùng Xin giới thiệu với ngài công ty Leading Brands Co., Ltd ở Sydney Họ là đại lý của chúng tôi và họ sẽ tiếp xúc trực tiếp với ngài trong vài ngày tới.

4.5.3 Evaluation

Comment on the style, structure and the appearance of the following short letter and make any changes if possible to help it become more acceptable:

4.5.4 Writing

A Công ty anh/chị nhận được thư của công ty A đề ngày 1 tháng 9 năm 20 hỏi mua các

mặt hàng do công ty anh/chị sản xuất để bán lẻ tại các cửa hàng tại Pháp Đề nghị anh/chị hãy viết thư phúc đáp thư của họ theo những nội dung sau:

 Họ đề nghị mức chiết khấu thương mại là 20% nhưng anh/chị không thể chiết khấu trên 15% được Tuy nhiên anh/chị chiết khấu theo số lượng là 5% cho những đơn hàng trên 10.000 đô-la Mỹ Anh/chị tin rằng các điều kiện bán hàng của mình có tính cạnh tranh cao.

 Trong thư họ cũng yêu cầu giao hàng trong vòng 2 tháng kể từ ngày đặt hàng Vềø việc này anh/chị tin tưởng là sẽ không khó khăn gì nhưng anh/chị muốn nhấn mạnh với họ là yêu cầu thanh toán bằng hối phiếu trả tiền ngay cho đến khi nào hai bên có quan hệ làm ăn chắc chắn thì sẽ xem xét lại vấn đề này.

Dear Sir,

We have received your letter and are glad to make sure that what you want to

buy is available here

Enclosed here you will find the latest catalogue and once we know your exact

request we will send you our pricelist

Don’t worry when you buy anything here

Yours faithfully,

Jack Woods

B Công ty A có gửi thư đề ngày 1 tháng 9, 20 cho công ty anh/chị hỏi về mặt hàng thủ

công mỹ nghệ vì họ muốn mở một cửa hàng lớn chuyên bán hàng truyền thống của Việt Nam Họ có đưa ra những mẫu họa tiết và muốn anh/chị làm theo mẫu của họ và mong được thảo luận về các điều kiện bán hàng một cách chi tiết bởi vì họ muốn làm ăn lâu dài.

 Đề nghị anh/chị hãy viết thư phúc đáp thư đó Anh/chị có thể trả lời ngay là việc làm hàng theo mẫu của họ không khó khăn lắm song có điều phải mất thời gian nghiên cứu và đội ngũ làm hàng cần phải có thời gian để quen với các công đoạn làm hàng mới Thêm nữa hàng họ đặt theo yêu cầu riêng cho nên thời gian và công sức nghiên cứu bỏ ra quá nhiều mà mức lợi nhuận có vẻ không thuyết phục vì nếu vậy hàng chỉ bán được cho họ mà thôi (hay nói cách khác công ty anh/chị phải phụ thuộc vào họ) Nhưng anh/chị không muốn bỏ lỡ cơ hội được làm ăn với một công ty lớn như họ nên sẽ làm theo yêu cầu của họ song chi phí sẽ cao (cụ thể là cao hơn những mặt hàng hiện công ty bán là 25%).

 Anh/chị cũng gửi ảnh của các loại hàng của công ty với những mẫu mã mới có vào năm 20 Những mặt hàng này đang rất được chuộng tại thị trường Mỹ, một thị trường có tiếng là rất khó tính, với doanh số quý 1 năm 20 tăng gấp đôi so với cùng kỳ năm ngoái Anh/chị đã nhận được rất nhiều đơn đặt hàng của những khách hàng mới ở Đức, Nga.

C Một công ty Mỹ muốn nhập hàng hải sản đông lạnh của Việt Nam và họ đã liên hệ với

công ty anh/chị qua email hôm 1 tháng 9 năm 20 Họ quan tâm đến chất lượng hàng và rằng họ vẫn thường nhập hàng này từ Malaysia nhưng được biết hàng nhập từ Việt Nam rẻ hơn Hãy viết thư cho họ biết về chất lượng hàng thì họ có thể hoàn toàn yên tâm (họ có thể tham khảo để biết được uy tín của công ty anh/chị từ những khách hàng lớn ở thị trường Nga, Pháp và anh/chị có gứi kèm địa chỉ của các công ty này) Để củng cố lòng tin của họ anh/chị gửi kèm sách và ảnh giới thiệu hoạt động và quy mô sản xuất nói lên công ty anh/chị, một công ty có lịch sử phát triển lâu đời và là một trong những công ty hàng đầu ở Việt Nam Ngoài ra việc được hợp tác với một công ty lớn như họ là một niềm vinh dự và rất

hi vọng họ sẽ trở thành bạn hàng dài lâu Anh/chị gửi kèm báo giá hết sức ưu đãi mà anh/chị tin chắc họ không thể tìm được loại hàng này với mức giá thấp hơn.

D Công ty anh/chị nhận được một bức thư đề ngày 1 tháng 9, 20 của công ty A Trong

thư họ cho biết qua một bạn hàng mà họ biết công ty anh/chị có xuất khẩu hàng may mặc 100% vải bông mà họ muốn mua Nhưng đáng tiếc là anh/chị không còn làm hàng may này nữa do giá nguyên vật liệu lên cao nên sức mua không cao, và giá bán lẻ các mặt hàng này chỉ hợp túi tiền của những người có thu nhập cao Hơn nữa, kết qủa nghiên cứu thị trường của anh/chị cho thấy trên thị trường đang chuộng hàng sợi tổng hợp, mặt hàng mà công ty anh/chị hiện nay đang bán tại nhiều thị trường lớn trên thế giới So với hàng 100% vải bông thì những mặt hàng này bền hơn, mẫu mã lại đa dạng hơn Bày tỏ hy vọng là họ sẽ mua hàng và do đó có gửi kèm thư bìa mẫu hàng cùng bảng báo giá Tuy nhiên, nếu họ vẫn cứ muốn mua hàng 100% vải bông thì công ty cũng rất vui lòng cho họ biết là họ có thể liên lạc với công ty Vietgarments - anh/chị gửi danh thiếp của công ty đó.

An offer made in writing usually states:

 Name of the goods/ services

 Quality and specifications

 Quantity

 Price (unit and total value, discounts, if any)

 Packing and marking

Like a quotation without qualifying words, a firm offer is not legally binding, even whenmade expressly; but unlike a quotation, a firm offer is capable of acceptance and once it hasbeen accepted it cannot be withdrawn Although a firm offer is not binding until accepted, noreputable seller would risk his reputation by withdrawing his offer before the stated time

Firm offers may be expressed in such sentences or expressions as:

 We are pleased to offer firm until 30 October, 20 .

 Provided we receive your order within the next 10 days, we make you a firm offer for delivery by the middle of May.

 This offer is firm for ten days only.

 For acceptance within 10 days.

 This offer remains open for acceptance within 15 days.

 This offer is valid and effective until 30 October 20 and has to be confirmed by us thereafter.

 The prices quoted are fixed and not subject to any increase provided our offer is accepted within the next 15 days.

 This offer is firm for 10 days and has to be confirmed by us thereafter.

 Kindly cable your acceptance immediately for this offer remains open and valid for 10 days only.

 This offer is made subject to acceptance within 7 days by fax.

 The price quoted will apply only to orders received on or before 31 October, 20 .