Conventions

Template for formal email

  • Subject: a clear and practical subject
  • Greeting
  • Body: clear and to the point
  • Sign off: formal or appropriate
  • Your name
  • Qualifications, contact information

Template for informal email

  • Subject: Enter enticing subject
  • Enter name of addressee here
  • Include a body that is brief and thoughtful
  • Include a casual sign off
  • Your name

Template for cover email (求职信/申请信/投稿信)

  1. Address, Phone, Email
  2. Today’s Date
  3. Contact Name, Organization Name, Address, Phone, Email, which job
  4. Dear Full Name: Mr./Ms./Dr. or position title
  5. Introduction (paragraph1)
  6. Body (paragraph2~3): highlight your most recent, relevant education, experiences, skills & demonstrate with examples
  7. Closing (paragraph4)
  8. Sign off - “Sincerely” or other
  9. Your full name signed clearly, attachment or enclosure

常见句

称呼

  • Dear Sir
  • Dear Sirs
  • Dear Sir/Mdm
  • Dear Sir/Madam
  • Dear colleagues
  • Dear organizers

开头

  • Sent from my iPhone.
    Please excuse the brevity.
  • Thanks for your letter.
  • Thanks for your help.
  • Thank you for your email.
  • Thank you for your reply.
  • Thank you for your response.
  • Thank you very much for the information.
  • Thank you so much for your response. This information is really useful.
  • Greetings.
  • I hope my email finds you well.
  • Thanks for your fast response. I appreciate it.
  • Thanks for your quick answer. Have a nice day!
  • I’m sorry to take your time.
  • Many thanks for your email, we will proceed as advised.

请保持联系

  • Should you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

请查看附件

  • Please find the attached file for the student information.
  • We need you to sign on this form attached.
  • In the attached form, I have …

询问帮助请求

  • May we seek your assistance to help us …?
  • We would appreciate it if you can …?
  • Please let me know.
  • Is it possible for us to …?
  • We are having a problem with …
  • I wonder if your develops of the site can help.
  • I can not find out how to do it.
  • We would like to find out whether …?
  • We would like to confirm whether …?
  • May I find out whether contact person or observer can register as an invigilator?
  • Can you edit and send the invoice again according to our request?
  • Due to sanctions and challenges we are experiencing in transferring the registration fees through bank transfer, we would like to check the possibility of extending the period of transferring the payment till July 15th as it would take more than the stated date (June 25th).

结尾

  • All the best.
  • This is greatly appreciated.
  • I am looking forward to hearing from you.
  • Thank you in advance.
  • Thank you in advance for your precious help and understanding.
  • Many thanks.
  • Many thanks for your help.
  • Thanks for your understanding.
  • Thank you for your effort, and all the best.
  • Thank you for your understanding and apologies for any inconvenience caused.
  • For urgent matters, please contact me via mobile.
  • Best wishes
  • Regards
  • Best regards
  • Kind regards
  • With kind regards
  • Yours sincerely
  • Sincerely Yours
  • Regards
  • Respectfully

其他

  • We are paying by telegraphic transfer (TT) //国外的银行转账很多是通过“电汇”的方式，简称TT.
  • Could you please confirm …?
  • Noted with thanks (收到，谢谢).

9 Tips and Tricks

Copyright by Susan Olmstead-Wang, PhD www.susanolmsteadwang.com

  1. write clear subject lines that match the content; one topic per email or per short email cycle; avoid swarms of emails in ineffective chains
  2. use bullet points for clarity and efficiency; tell the read what you want him/her to do as a result of the email (call to action)
  3. keep emails short - people are busy and flooded with emails
  4. be sociable, collegial - open your email with a simple pleasantry - you can write it first or go back after you have written your main point and add it in. Ex., “I hope you are doing well” or “Have a good weekend - enjoy the Spring weather.”
  5. tone - control it. With skill, you can create tone in which you intention and the audience’s perception of it are the same. Avoid overuse of exclamation marks, inflammatory words, flat direct accusations. No emojis, smiley faces.
  6. avoid quotes that could be offensive to others - Sometimes you see harmless inspirational quotes at the bottom of emails, such as “Be the best you can be every day” but avoid all quotes in your professional emails - and be careful when adding them to your personal emails because you can offend or exclude people.
  7. always proofread your emails - sending out an email with types, misspelled words, or unedited text, makes you look unprofessional. Take the time to proofread the email.
  8. never send an email when angry or frustrated - If you need to wirte about a problem, first do so in a Word document - think about it and MAYBE send it later when you are calm.
  9. legal ramifications - Your emails and those of your colleagues can be subject to a warrant should illegal activity occur or a lawsuit be filled. Remember that the emails sent to and from your work email address on the work server are the property of your employer.Do not put anything questionable in your emails.

12 tips for polite and effective emails

Copyright by Susan Olmstead-Wang, PhD www.susanolmsteadwang.com

from Goodwin College of Professional Studies, Drexel University

  1. Make subject line clear, specific, relevant - It’s a key way for recipient to organize, find, respond.
  2. Use bullet points and high main points - say what you expect the recipient or receiver to DO (and when)
  3. Keep it short and to the point - your reader is busy and won’t have time to read a long email.
  4. Use only one content area or topic per email, don’t mix business and personal topics, and don’t engage a different topic or client.
  5. Open & close your email with something “collegial” - pleasant but not too long or intimate.
  6. Control “tone” - avoid exclamation marks, words that may offend.
  7. Avoid emojis and exclamation points - save those for correspondence with friend.
  8. Avoid quoting anything that might offend others - especially political or religious.
  9. Proofread your emails - take a minutes to re-read or ask a friend - It’s always worth the effort.
  10. “Hold fire” - wait - do not send an email when you are angry or frustrated.
  11. Consider a phone call - Long email chains can get messy especially if anyone changes the subject without changing the subject line.
  12. Be aware - Your email is a legal document, say only what is true and necessary.