There is no doubt that email has become the dominant method of communication for people in the workplace. It is keeping us connected to our organisations and bringing us benefits like the ability to communicate over time zones. This Guide ‘Emails in English’ was designed to help you integrate your electronic arsenal more efficiently into your job functions. And although anyone can technically send an email, it tends to get more difficult when it deals with a foreign language. But applying what you read here will help you create a more productive union between your electronic communication and your international contacts.
Emails in English Sander M. Schroevers Haufe 2 Contents An Email’s Anatomy 5 Subject Lines That Work 6 Common Salutations and Openings 8 Ending an Email 15 Signatures and Disclaimers 19 Email Techniques: about CC and BCC 22 A Readerfriendly Approach 23 When to Use Email and When Not? 24 Structuring the Information 25 Formal or Informal? 30 Netiquette Guidelines 33 How to Deal with Attachments 36 Common Business Situations 41 Requesting Information or Favours 42 Hotel or Conference Enquiries 46 Giving Enquiries 49 Change of Address 53 Appointments 53 Invitations 56 3 Sending Agendas and Minutes 64 Refusing a Request 66 Complaints 69 Apologies 70 Congratulations and Season’s Greetings 72 Thanks 73 Payments and Reminders 74 Making Offers 78 Delivery and Incoterms 79 Numbers and Currency Symbols 81 Practical Reference 85 Linguistic Characteristics 86 Linguistic Differences: UKUSA 91 Useful Vocabulary and Key Terms 94 Abbreviations and Acronyms 99 False Friends 106 Email Features 107 Tables and Overviews 114 Electronic Guidelines on Internet 123 Index 124 4 Introduction There is no doubt that email has become the dominant method of communication for people in the workplace. It is keeping us connected to our organisations and bringing us benefits like the ability to communicate over time zones. This TaschenGuide ‘Emails in English’ was designed to help you integrate your electronic arsenal more efficiently into your job functions. And although anyone can technically send an email, it tends to get more difficult when it deals with a foreign language. But applying what you read here will help you create a more productive union between your electronic communication and your international contacts. The paragraphs cover a wide range of business interactions, which are organised into functional sections to provide a quick reference. The material in this TaschenGuide is written to give you the skills you need for effective business emails and to build your confidence in a systematic way. It is the author’s hope that you will find in this book encouragement to turn writing into a rewarding activity. Wishing you every success with this, Sander Schroevers, LL.M 5 An Email’s Anatomy This chapter focuses on the specific elements of English business emails, that we don’t always pay attention to, but can make all the difference. From the following pages you can learn how to make subject lines that work (page 5), which openings to use (page 8), and how to end an email in a friendly way (page 15). 6 An Email’s Anatomy Subject Lines That Work The subject line is one of the two most critical parts of an email message. Most people (approximately 80%) make decisions on reading and responding based on the subject line and the identity of the sender, not on a firstin – first out basis. Nevertheless a subject line seems to be one of the most neglected lines in emails. How to make subject lines in English The first step is to consider what your reader needs or wants to know from the subject line: Ideally, it is a summary of your message. Just like in journalism or direct mail: the more active and informative phrases are, the quicker they result in action. That’s why mentioning essential information like who, what, when already in the subject line is advisable. Try to keep it short and simple (‘kiss’) and avoid vague indica tions like project or update etc. Always try to write subject lines that stimulate the reader to open your message. Should you need anything specific from the addressee, then introduce this in the subject line. Subject lines are also handy for people who wish to ar chive messages. Therefore make sure that they aren’t left blank and that the subject line relates to the subject of the message. Avoid lines like: one more thing or on second thoughts, if you think that your message might be ar chived. Subject Lines That Work 7 Examples  ; Good news Schaffhausen project ; Action needed by 4 p.m. ; November 27 committee meeting : Update : Status report RE: automatically inserted Another thing is that when choosing ‘Reply’ most email programs automatically insert ‘RE:’ (short for regarding). The same happens after choosing ‘Forward’ when ‘FW:’ is inserted. The problem is – and certainly you know this from your emails in German – that when a message goes back and forth several times, it might lead to unnecessary auto matically expanded subject lines. This can easily result in subject lines such as: “Fw: Re: Aw: Re: Aw: Feedback on seminar Julle”. You may therefore simply want to change subject lines sometimes. This also allows you to show the progression in an email correspondence. Example  I: Request for finance Hamburg project II: Feedback requested – financing Hamburg project III: Feedback provided – Hamburg project IV: Hamburg project – finance request approved 8 An Email’s Anatomy Common Salutations and Openings Salutations Salutations or greetings can be formal or informal, depend ing on the situation or the relationship. And of course email doesn’t always follow the rules of formal business correspon dence. First name or last name? Do bear in mind however that many Englishspeaking people will be quicker on firstname terms, whereas for German speaking people it is less common to use one’s first name in an email message. Therefore be careful not to appear too distant in a culture which moves to first names easily be cause in addressing people with a more formal address, you do. And this could indicate you don’t consider being friendly to your correspondent. Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that in the English language there is no difference between Sie and Du, as they both are translated with you. A clear indication that it’s all right to move to the firstperson familiar is when a person signs her or his email with the first name only. You may also wish to take the first step yourself by writing something like: “Dear Helen (if I may)”. Common Salutations and Openings 9 Formal or informal? Which salutation to use may also depend on your company’s email policy. The table below gives an overview of the pos sible salutations: Type English German You do not know who you are writ ing to: – Dear Sir or Madam – Dear clients – Hi everyone Sehr geehrte Da men und Herren, You know the person but you’ve never written to or met this person – Dear Mr Smith – Dear Mrs Wade – Dear Dr Young – Sehr geehrter Herr Müller, – Sehr geehrte Frau Reusch, The person is a little bit closer Dear Sophie Reusch Liebe Frau Reusch, The person is a close business contact or she/he has signed her or his email with the first name – Dear Sophie – Hello, Sophie * – Hi, Sophie * – Sophie – Hi, – Hello, Liebe Sophie, Several persons / closer contact Hi everyone Hallo zusammen * Please note the extra comma! . position in the opening without using a person’s name, this can also be done in English. In this case, the specific word must be written with a capital. For instance. to have you over one day here in Munich. Ending an Email Closing remarks In English emails it is common to include a closing remark to let readers know