Rules of business correspondence in English

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If you have foreign colleagues and partners, you must speak English. It is an international language that is used by representatives of different countries.

Let's look at the basic rules of business correspondence in a foreign language:

Shorten . Write as simply and clearly us companies board of directors email list as possible. Avoid complex language structures and compound tenses. Your task is to convey the information in full, not to write a fiction essay. Remove anything that may make the text difficult to understand.

Check the gender of the person you are talking to in advance . In Russian, it helps to use the correct ending of the last name (Ivanov/Ivanova). If you are communicating with a person in English, difficulties may arise. For example, you have to write to a person named Alex Johnson. This can be the name of both a man and a woman. Check this point with colleagues or on social networks to understand how to address: Mr. or Mrs.

Simplify . First of all, remove prepositions. For example, instead of “The agreement on trade” it is better to write “The trade agreement”. The meaning has become more precise, and the phrase is more laconic. The same applies to phrasal verbs. So, instead of “carry out” you can use “conduct”. Both mean “to conduct”.

Use only the active voice . There is no place for the passive voice in business correspondence.

Add lists . If you need answers to several questions or you offer a choice of several options, add lists. This improves the structure and readability of the text, and increases the chance that you will get a detailed answer rather than a monosyllabic one.

Although English is a universal language, its use may differ when communicating with people from different countries.

Eastern countries (Japan, China, UAE, Egypt, Syria and other representatives of the Arab world).

When communicating with representatives of these countries, be as polite as possible. Observe all formalities, norms and rules of decency and etiquette:

I am sorry if I am bothering you.

Hopethis email finds you well.

Might I take a moment of your time?

Extreme politeness should be exercised when writing requests:

Could you please be so kind... - Be so kind...

I would appreciate it a lot if you could…

Germany, UK .

Representatives of these countries do not expect such involvement from you as their Eastern colleagues. It is enough to observe etiquette and basic rules of business correspondence. Avoid modal verbs would, might and could.

Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

I will be looking forward to your response.

I would appreciate your help in this matter.

USA .

Modality can also be dispensed with. The most direct and clear communication is encouraged.

Africa and South America .

Take the time to talk about personal matters. For people in African countries, this is a sign of good manners. In the letter, ask the interlocutor how he is doing and ask a couple of personal questions. This will make communication more effective.