1. GuideANGLAIS
84/ Management / Septembre 2013
3. common expressions
Septembre 2013 / Management / 85
2. Cross Cultural
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Solutions: 1-a, 2-c, 3-a, 4-a, 5-b, 6-c, 7-b
1. situation
5. your turn4. flash lessons
178 mm x 116 mm
Reason for writing
• I am writing to enquire about the PDF
you sent me this morning.
• This is just a quick email to remind you
that I will be out of the office next week.
• Just a reminder that we have a meeting
tomorrow at 2 pm.
• The purpose of this email is to…
Request a response
• I await your response at your earliest
convenience.
• Please let me know as soon as you can.
• I look forward to hearing back from you.
• When you have a moment, can you...
Request action
• I would appreciate your immediate
attention on this matter.
• I would be grateful if you could forward
me the minutes from yesterday’s call.
• I really need your help on this.
• Can I ask you to do me a favor?
Give good news
• I am delighted to tell you that the job
is yours.
• It is our pleasure to inform you that…
• I have the pleasure in confirming our
business transaction.
• You will be happy to hear that…
Give bad news
• We regret to inform you that your
business proposal has been rejected.
• I am afraid I have some bad news.
• Regrettably I must decline your offer
due to…
Apologize and reassure
• I’m sorry for the delay and I’ll look into
the matter ASAP.
• Permit us to express our sincerest
apologies and ensure you that the issue
is being addressed.
• We are sorry for any inconvenience this
may have caused.
Follow up
• I am following up on our meeting
last week.
• Have you had the chance to review
the information we sent you?
• According to our records we still have
not received your payment.
• Further to our phone conversation…
Attach documents
• Attached is the file you requested.
• Please find attached the minutes
of yesterday’s meeting.
Conclude an email
• Yours sincerely
• All the best/Best
• Best regards/Kind regards/Regards
• See you soon/Talk soon.
• Feel free to contact me with any more
questions.
• I look forward to meeting you at the
conference next week.
Choose the best answer
1. Which country prefers to build a face-to-face
relationship before conducting business?
a) Turkey
b) New Zealand
c) USA
2. In which country should you be particularly cautious in
answering quickly to a business email?
a) USA
b) Turkey
c) New Zealand
3. What is an attachment?
a) A document which accompanies an email.
b) A computer program to write emails.
c) A term for a well-written email.
4. Which of the following is NOT a correct way
to introduce the purpose of your email?
a) I write to confirm our appointment.
b) I am writing to confirm our appointment.
c) This email is to confirm our appointment.
5. Which is a formal way to conclude an email?
a) Best regards.
b) I look forward to meeting you at the conference next week.
c) See you soon.
6. What should NOT be written in order to apologize?
a) “Permit us to express our sincerest apologies.”
b) “I am sorry for the delay and will look into the matter.”
c) “We are considering taking legal actions against you.”
7. In the United States emails are expected to be…
a) sincere and honest
b) Well-written, concise and direct
c) casual and friendly
Idiom of the month:
The proof is in the pudding.
La preuve est dans le pudding.
On juge l’arbre à ses fruits.
or
C’est au pied du mur qu’on reconnaît le maçon.
Translation of the month:
J’ai besoin de votre document d’ici à demain.
I need your document from now until tomorrow.
I need your documents by tomorrow
Rule of the month:
Merci d’envoyer votre réponse avant mardi
Thank you to send your reply by Tuesday
Please send your reply by Tuesday
We don’t use “thank you” to make a request, but rather
“please + verb”. We use “thank you for + ING” to give
thanks after someone has done something.
BobandSusanhadaveryimportantbusinesscallwithcolleaguesfrom
NewZealand.BobisfollowingupwithSusanaboutthemeetingminutes.
Howtowrite
aprofessionalemail
Bob : “Did you
email me the
updated document
from our meeting?
I would like to be
able to send you
my revisions by the
end of the day.”
Susan : “Yes. I also put
the rest of the team on CC,
so be sure to click on
“Reply” and not “Reply All”
which sends your revisions
to everyone in the group, just
like you accidentally did with
that personal email to Sylvia
in marketing last week!”
ILLUSTRATION :GwenkEraval
USA
Businesspeopleareusedtomakingup
theirmindsquicklyanddecisively.They
valueinformationthatisstraightforward
andtothepoint.Companiesexpect
well-written,concisemessages.
Do: place the main point of your email in
the opening sentence and keep the email
short, two or three paragraphs.
Don’t: overlook grammar, punctuation
and spelling. An unedited message
appears lazy and unprofessional.
Turkey
Companies believe in traditional
hospitality and want to do business with
those they know. They prefer to slowly
build relationships by communicating in
person rather than writing or emailing.
Do: be polite, briefly introduce yourself
at the beginning of an email.
Don’t:make a business proposal via
email. Turks prefer to communicate
directly, especially if the topic needs
to be explained or negotiated.
New Zealand
In New Zealand, they prefer to keep
business and personal life separate.
Companies do not want to appear overly
friendly and appreciate formality,
directness and honesty in corresponding.
Do: respond quickly to messages,
otherwise you may be perceived as
unreliable.
Don’t: add color, graphics, emoticons
(smileys) or slang to your emails. Write
themasiftheywereprinted,formalletters.