Mail is still the most popular form of communication. Losing the phone, fax, skype in the speed of information delivery, the letter compares favorably with the accuracy of information transfer, representativeness, low price. When sending commercial offers, the letter is simply irreplaceable, only it will help to create the most favorable impression about you and your activity during the first impersonal contacts with foreign partners. Legally competent, written in a good business language on letterhead, the letter is the key to great success and the subsequent prosperity of international business.
Recently, the base language of international communication among business people has become English. Business correspondence in English today will be understandable to any businessman anywhere in the world, so every business person must know the basic rules for writing a business letter. Before starting business correspondence, you must determine the following points for yourself:
1. Type of letter:
o letter of order
o request letter,
o letter of offer,
o claim letter,
o letter of thanks,
o regulatory letter
o cover letter
o resume
o invoicing,
o apology
o response to the request,
o invitation to cooperation,
o personal letter).
2. Whether a response letter is intended (there are a number of cases where a response letter is not expected, for example, in a newsletter).
3. Will the addressee understand the contents of the letter, will it leave any ambiguities regarding the question of correspondence.
Business correspondence in English is quite different from spoken English , and first of all, of course, by a restrained and serious official style. In order to conduct correspondence in English, it is necessary to learn the rules for writing official letters and compiling English documentation. Business correspondence in English is a business card of an enterprise, with the help of which it can be made to foreign business partners, especially at the first contact. It is the first impression of reading the letter that will play the main role in your subsequent relationships, on which the prosperity of your business depends, which means that this issue deserves special attention.
Business correspondence in English should be carried out in a logical sequence, so that the reader had the first thought about the need for an immediate decision on this issue. Regardless of the purpose of the letter, the tone of correspondence should be calm and correct, and the combination of simplicity of presentation and correct vocabulary will provide understanding and exclude subsequent correspondence with explanations and additions. Conducting business correspondence is unacceptable using familiarities and professional slang, even if it seems appropriate to resolve this issue. When conducting business correspondence, ambiguity, inaccuracies and unnecessary abbreviations should be avoided.
Business correspondence in English should be impeccable in all respects, even a slight deviation from the rules can make it legally inferior. This fact should be taken into account, because abroad it is not customary to stamp important commercial documents, just one official’s signature is enough. Naturally, all the facts mentioned in the letter must be carefully checked and endorsed by the contractor. Business correspondence in English is one of the important components of international business activities. The professionalism of an employee of any large company largely determines his ability to correctly compose a business letter in English .