淺談商務電子郵件格式及用語簡介

1. Openings and Closings　開頭與結尾

The standard way to begin a formal e-mail is by using "Dear (persons name). However, in informal e-mails, it is also common to use "Hello (persons name)" or even "Hi (persons name)". As for the punctuation after the salutation, it varies depending on which country you are from. For example, for formal business letters, Americans and Canadians use a colon: e.g., Dear John:

(In informal e-mails, North Americans sometimes use a comma: e.g., Dear John,) In contrast, the British do not use any punctuation after the salutation: e.g. Dear John

開始撰寫一份正式電子郵件的標準方式是使用 "Dear 某人的名字"。然而，在非正式的電子郵件中，使用 "Hello 某人的名字"或 "Hi 某人的名字" 也是很常見的。至於稱呼語之後的標點符號，這就會取決於你來自哪個國家而有所差別。舉例來說，美國人和加拿大人在書寫正式商業書信時會使用冒號。例如：Dear John:

（在非正式的電子郵件中，美國人有時會使用逗點。例如：Dear John,）相對地，英國人在稱呼語之後不會使用任何標點符號。例如：Dear John

If you are using a formal title, such as Mr., Ms. or Dr., it must be followed by a persons last name or full name, but never simply by just his or her first name. That is, Mrs. Bolton, Ms. Bolton, Dr. Bolton and Ms. Dorothy Bolton are all correct, but Ms. Dorothy is not. Some people use only a persons first name when writing (e.g., John:). Using just a persons first name provides a sense of seriousness. However, never use just the persons last name.

如果你要使用正式的稱謂，諸如 Mr.、Mrs.、Dr.，之後必須接某個人的姓氏或全名，但就是不可以接他們的名字。也就是說，Mrs. Bolton、Ms. Bolton、Ms. Dorothy Bolton都是正確的，但Ms. Dorothy 就是錯的。有些人寫信時只會寫出他人的名字。只寫他人的名字給人一種嚴肅的感覺。然而，絕不要只寫一個人的姓氏。

Once youve correctly typed the salutation, youre ready to begin writing the content of the e-mail. One very common method of beginning correspondence is to state the reason you are writing. Some common phrases for doing this are as follows:

一旦你已正確鍵入了稱呼語，你就準備開始撰寫該封電子郵件的內容了。一種替書信往來開頭的普遍方式就是陳述你寫信的原因。下面列出了一些這類的常見用語：

Another common way to begin an e-mail is to mention a specific item or previous event that the person you are writing to is familiar with. For example:另一種替電子郵件開頭的方式則是提及某特定事項，或是你的信件收信者所熟悉的先前事件。

If you are responding to an e-mail that was sent to you, you can begin by expressing a sense of appreciation and warmth.

如果你在回覆一封寄給你的電子郵件，你可以先表達一種感激和溫暖的感覺。

Regarding closings, the most common are Sincerely, Yours truly, Best regards, and Regards. Other less used endings include Yours faithfully and Warm(est) / Kind regards, while Cheers is frequently used for very informal messages.

關於結尾辭，最常見的就是Sincerely（敬上）、Yours truly（敬上）、Best regards （順頌安祺）、Regards（祝安好）。其他較少用到的結尾辭包括了 Yours faithfully （敬上）、Warm(est) / Kind regards（祝安好），而在極非正式的信件中最後常會用到 Cheers（再見）。

Before using these endings, however, its also convenient to wrap up the content of your letter by using one of the following expressions:

然而，在使用這些結尾辭之前，使用下列這些用語來總結信件內容也是很方便的：

2. Key Expressions Commonly Used in the Body of E-

mails 常用於電子郵件主體中的關鍵用語

Your choice of which phrases to use in the body of your e-mail depends largely on your purpose for writing. This book contains 50 units designed to cover the majority of scenarios most people face in the business world. Below you will also find some more general expressions that are useful in everyday situations.

在你電子郵件主體當中用語的選擇大部分取決於寫作的目的。以下是一些你會更常見的一般用語，這些用語在日常情況中非常管用。

Giving Good and Bad News　告知好消息和壞消息

Making Requests　提出請求

Offering Help　提供協助

Indicating If You Can Comply or Not　說明是否能遵守指示

3. Dealing with Attachments　處理附件

When attaching files to your e-mail, its necessary to make reference to it in the content of your correspondence. Here are some simple phrases you can use to do that.

當你把檔案附夾到電子郵件上時，你有必要在書信內容裡提到那個附件。這裡有些用語你可以使用。

4. The Tone of the E-mail: Formal or Informal?

電子郵件的口吻：正式還是非正式？

In the business world, a lot of correspondence－especially to clients－is formal. Formality is largely achieved in several ways, such as using titles (Mr., Mrs., Dr., etc.), using polite language and avoiding the use of too many contractions. How do you achieve politeness in a letter or an e-mail? Compare the following sentences:

在職場上，許多書信往來都是正式的──與客戶的通信尤是如此。正式禮節大多透過一些方式就可達到，諸如使用頭銜稱呼（Mr., Mrs., Dr., 等等）、使用禮貌用語及避免使用太多的縮寫形。你要如何在信件上或是電子郵件上表現得有禮貌？比較以下的句子：

Although formality is common in business, there are numerous situations when you want to be informal in e-mails (in some cases, being overly formal can be seen as being unfriendly). When seeking casualness, its useful to be more direct; however, dont forget to still be polite – you just dont need to be over-polite. One method is to use more contractions. As well, abbreviations, which are discussed in the next section, are another way of gaining informality.

雖然在商場上正式的情況較常見，還是有許多情況下你會想在電子郵件中表達非正式的感覺。（某些情況中，過度正式會被視為不友善。）想要隨性時，直接一點會有幫助，然而，別忘了還是要有禮貌──就是不需要太禮貌。一個方法就是多用縮寫形。同樣，下一段要討論的縮寫字也能提供非正式的感覺。

5. Acronyms & Abbreviations　縮寫字

AGM – annual general meeting　股東週年大會

Our AGM is scheduled to take place in March.

我們的股東週年大會預計於 3 月舉行。

ASAP – as soon aspossible　儘快

I need that report finished ASAP, please.

拜託，我需要這份報告儘早完成。

BTW – by the way　順道一提

BTW, did you get my invitation to the party?

附帶一提，你收到了我那場派對的邀請函嗎？

B2B – business to business　企業對企業

The company only does B2B.

這家公司只做企業對企業的生意。

B2C – business to customer　企業對顧客

Our B2C business is increasing.

我們企業對消費者的業務在增加中。

CC – carbon copy　副本

Could you please cc Joanne on this?

請你把這個副本一份給喬安好嗎？

CRM – customer relationship management　客戶關係管理

Ask Jim – he really knows a lot about CRM.

問看看吉姆，他真的對客戶關係管理懂很多。

DIY – do it yourself　自己動手做

I went to a DIY store over the weekend.

上週未我去了一趟自己動手的商店。

FAQ – frequently asked questions　常見問題

Check out our FAQ page for more information.

查詢我們的『常見問題』那一頁以獲得更多資訊。

FYI – for your information　供你參考

FYI, Mary is now in charge of that project.

供你參考，瑪麗現在正負責這個專案。

KPI – key performance indicators　關鍵業績指標

Make sure to check the KPI.

請務必查看關鍵業績指標。

LOL – laughing out loud (*slang used when making a joke; used for very,very informal e-mails)　放聲大笑（生活常用俚語，用在極不正式的電子郵件中）

I cant believe you said that. LOL!

我不敢相信你說了那話。笑死我了！

GM – general manager　總經理

The GM has called an important meeting for Thursday at 2 p.m.

總經理召集了一場重要的會議，時間是在星期四下午兩點。

NA (N/A) – not applicable or not available　不適用或不提供

Sorry, these items are NA right now, Joe.

抱歉，阿喬，這些商品我們暫不提供。

PR – public relations　公共關係

Henry works for a big PR firm in Chicago.

亨利任職於芝加哥某大型公關公司。

Q&A – question and answer　問與答

There will be a Q&A session after the speech.

那段演講後，會有段常見問答說明會。

Re – in reference to　關於

Re the conference in May, there is still a lot to be done.

關於 5 月的那場研討會，還有很多工作要做。

R&D – research and development　研究與開發

That company spends a lot on R & D.

那家公司在研發上花了很多錢。

ROI – return on investment　投資回報率

The investors are looking for ways to increase their ROI.

那些投資客正在尋找能夠增加投資回報率的方式。

RSVP – réspondez sil vous pla?t (French for "please respond") 敬請賜復（法語的答覆）

Please RSVP by October 13.

請在 10 月13 日前答覆。

TBA – to be announced　即將公佈

The date of the meeting is still TBA.

本次會議的日期即將公佈。

VIP – very important person　貴賓

Weve got a few VIPs coming to the office tomorrow.

明天我們會有一些貴賓來公司。

6. Comparison of an E-mail to a Formal Written Letter

電子郵件和正式書寫信件的比較