Step by Step Guide to Email Writing Skills (Revised Edition)

序
 
　　The authors have identificd key problems that generally prove troublesome for the Chinese business writer. Samples, structural guidelines, and graded exercises show the student how to organize and write effective emails within the context of an actual business corespondence. The student thus concentrates on the common us-ages that tend to give Chinese writers the most trouble.
 
　　This book trains students to combine words, phrases, and clauses to express more complex thoughts in Standard English used and acccpted in international business correspondence.
 
　　作者們列出中國學生在英文商業書信寫作上經常會遇到的一些難題，並經由範例、結構指導，和漸進式的練習方式，教導學生寫出一封成功的商業電子郵件。而且經由這樣的練習，學生們亦可多專注於這些經常使用卻又容易出錯的地方。
 
　　本書訓練學生經由組合單字、片語及子句,進一步能以標準及國際商務往來上被接受的英文模式來做更複雜的語意表達。
 
　　The first unit--on formatting--is mainly intended to serve as a reference. It has some exercises at the end, to help learners internalize the formatting basics as much as possible. Each of the remaining eight units consists of the following eight parts:
 
　　第一個單元《格式》主要是概念的引言。單元最後的練習題，可幫助學生們僅可能熟悉基本格式。接下來獨立的四個單元，每個單元中包含以下六個部份：
 
　　1. Brief introduction~ At the beginning of each chapter the students are introduced to a specific type of business email. The introduction is kept brief with the understanding that the students will learn more from doing than reading. The training following the introduction provides them with additional relevant information, as its need arises.
 
　　簡介
 
　　一開始會先針對本單元所要進行的商業電子郵件形式做一個簡要的介紹。扼要的簡介中讓學生們明瞭，實際練習比閱讀更能增進書寫能力。另一方面，在簡介中也額外提供學生們必要的相關訊息。
 
　　2. Structure~ While the content of each business email varies, the structure in which the information is presented remains essentially the same; readers expect to see information in a certain order. This section provides students with a general scheme for organizing information in different types of business emails.
 
　　架構
 
　　每一個訊息的內容都因狀況的不同，有各種表達方式：然而從架構上而言，卻是沒有什麼很大的差異，閱讀電子郵件的人，對於想要知道的消息，緩急輕重的順序都差不多。此部份提供學生們在商業文書溝通上訊息表達先後順序的通則。
 
　　3. Samples~ Each chapter has at least one sample email that can also serve as a model for students to refer to whenever they write similar emails.
 
　　範例
 
　　每個章節中至少附有一個特定主題的電子郵件範例，可做為學生們日後在書寫類似性質電子郵件時的參考範本。
 
　　4. Guided writing practice through sentence combining~ This section consists of sentence-combining exercises, each culminating in an email. The exercise gives students a holistic, guided practice for producing structured emails.

　　This part of the book benefits its users in three ways. Firstly, it makes the daunting task of business writing less intimidating--all the students have to do is to combine the already-existing ideas. Secondly, the exercise strengthens and adds to their existing skills techniques for combining shorter ideas into one, more coherent and clear thought. Finally, it trains them to express their ideas using English sentence patterns and punctuation, not Chinese.
 
　　運用句子的組合練習完成文章
 
　　此單元提供例句組合:經由各種句子的組合完成一封完整的商業電子郵件。在此單元中，有三大特點。第一、減低對商業書寫的恐懼感。學生們只需將現成的句子加以組織即可完成文章。第二、訓練如何將片疫的句子組織成一蕭清楚且有條理的文章，幫助商業人士增進書寫功力。最終的目標，則是訓練學習者漸漸習慣以英文思考模式及標點斷句替代中文文法，寫出專業且標準的英文商業書信。
 
　　5. Unguided writing practice~ At the end of each chapter, based on situations related to actual needs of businesspeople, the students finally write, acknowledge, remind, and reply to the eight basic types of email messages that businesspeople need to write most commonly. This exercise lets them and their teachers find out whether they have learned the necessary skills for producing a particular type of business email. This is where, if necessary, the teacher can provide supplementary material to students needing extra help.
 
　　實際寫作練習
 
　　在每一章節的最後，學生們可以針對工作上溝通的實際需要，如確認通知、催告函、回覆詢問、需求，以及訂單等各種不同主題類型的商業電子郵件，開始做實際寫作演練。經由實際寫作，教師們可檢視學生們是否已具備以上各種商業書信的書寫能力，同時可依照實際需要再作加強輔導。
 
　　6. Email Tips~ Throughout the book, almost fifty email tips are provided. These tips help learners save time, increase productivity, and become better aware of how to use this new medium to their advantage.
 
　　電子郵件小秘方
 
　　本書備有超過六十個電子郵件小秘方，這些小秘方可讓學習者節省寫作時間，增加生產力，同時更熟悉如何使用電子郵件這個新媒體。