The Internet has changed a lot of things within the business world, including business correspondence. here once traditional, formal business letters were normal, quick business e-mails now rule the day. The ease and informality of the Internet often makes it seem we can write business e-mails poorly and get away with it; yet, it’s actually the contrary. Because e-mail is so accessible, people receive that much more of it and disregard anything less than perfect. Your business e-mails must stand out from the junk. The following tips will help you to create concise, engaging business e-mails for any purpose.

网络改变了商务世界的很多方面，商务信函便是其中之一。曾经，传统且正式的商务信件很常见，而今，快捷的商务电邮成为主流。网络的便捷性和随意性常常让我们觉得，似乎商务电邮写得糟糕没什么大不了的。然而，事实恰好相反。因为写一封电子邮件太轻而易举了，所以人们收到那么多之后，便只处理那些写得好的——你的商务电邮必须从电邮堆中脱颖而出才行。以下要点能帮助你写出适用于任何目的的简洁、抢眼的商务电邮。

STYLE

The human eye reacts differently to a computer screen than a piece of paper, so how you format your e-mail is vital. Use short, succinct sentences that get to the point immediately; remember, your goal here is to dispense important information, so give that to the reader right up front. Always include a greeting and a signature, and use as many line and paragraph breaks as possible; this makes the e-mail easier to read. And resist the urge to write a book. Business e-mails are better off short; the equivalent of a page or so is sufficient.

风格

人眼对电脑屏幕和纸张的反应不同，所以如何安排电邮的格式非常重要。使用短小简洁的句子直奔主题；记住，写电邮的目的是为了传达重要信息，所以要让读邮件的人首先看到要点。不管什么情况都要包含问候语和署名，并且尽量多折行多分段——这能使邮件更易读。还有，要抑制长篇大论的冲动：商务电邮最好简短；相当于一页纸左右的量就足够了。

TONE

For better or worse, the Internet breeds a nasty habit of informality. It’s okay to be slightly informal with your e-mail (people tend to expect it lately), but don’t write as if you’re talking to your mother or best friend. You need to strike a balance between traditional formality and e-mail informality. Think about your recipient and how they’d most likely write an e-mail. What words would they use? Would slang or jargon offend your readers? Use these considerations to create a concise, customized e-mail.

语气

暂不论其好坏，网络滋生了“非正式”交流的恶习。电邮稍微非正式一点没有关系（人们最近开始接受了），但是不要写得好像是在跟妈妈或最好的朋友谈话一样。你需要在传统意义上的正式和电邮的非正式中找到平衡。想想收件人的风格，以及他们最可能怎样写电邮。他们会使用什么词汇？俚语或行话会不会冒犯到读邮件的人？将这些因素考虑在内，才能写出一封有针对性的简洁邮件。

GRAMMAR

Informality, whatever its root, does not excuse grammatical errors, and these can damage your e-mail. Grammatical errors show that you didn’t put much time into your business e-mail and you probably don’t care much about your message. Go through your e-mail carefully to make sure you have spelled correctly, and you have fixed all grammar and punctuation mistakes. Remove all redundancies and get rid of any clichés. Recipients, especially professional business people, will appreciate your attention to details and they will respond better to your message when no errors exist in your e-mail.

语法

不管“非正式”如何发展而来，这都不意味着允许犯语法错误—这些错误会毁了你的电邮。语法错误说明你没有在商务电邮上下多少功夫，而且你很可能不太在乎你所传达的信息。仔细通读电邮，以确定拼写正确，并且修订了所有的语法和标点错误。删除所有的多余信息和陈词滥调。收件人—尤其是那些职业商人—会很欣赏你注重细节，而且，如果你发给他们的电邮里没有错误的话，他们会态度更好地回复你的消息。

RESPONSE

Since e-mail is an immediate medium, and a highly accessible one at that, it’s far easier than in paper letters to request a response – and far more likely that you’ll get one! Before signing off with your signature, be clear about what you want the recipient to do. Need a response via phone or with certain information attached? Say so! Your recipient will have a difficult time responding if they have no idea what you want from them. But remember: be polite when requesting action. There’s little worse than an overly forward or pushy ending.

回复

电邮是即时媒体， 也因此是一个高度普及的媒体。和纸质邮件相比，通过电邮要求对方回复更便捷—而且，你更有可能收到回复！在落款之前，一定要清楚你期望收件人做什么。需要电话回复还是附上特定的信息？ 说出来！ 如果收件人不知道你想要什么，他们答复你的时候就会很费神。但要记住：要求回复时一定要客气。几乎没有什么比在邮件结束时过度催促或强求更糟糕了。