Chapter 7 Written Communication Patterns 5th Ed

8/12/2019 Chapter 7 Written Communication Patterns 5th Ed

1/33

Chapter 7Written Communication Patterns


2/33

2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing asPrentice Hall

Written Communication Patterns

International English Writing Tone and Style

Letter Formats

Facsimiles (Fax)

Electronic Mail (E-mail)

Rsum and Job Search Information


3/33


What percent of outgoing

international correspondence is

sent in English?

97% in English

1% in French, German, and Spanish Percentages for incoming

correspondence

96% in English

4% in French, German, and Spanish


4/33


What are lexical errors?

Content errors; errors in meaning.

Examples of lexical errors:

We baste (based) this conclusion on our

research.

Thank you for your patients(patience).

Our office will be closed on this wholey

(holy) day. With your aide(aid), we will soon have our

office fully staffed.


5/33


What are lexical errors?

The results will be worth the weight(wait).

Since you plan to visit an ant (aunt) inNew York, perhaps we could meet atyour convenience.

According to the senses(census), thenumber of exported trucks has declined

in the last decade.


6/33


What are syntactic errors?

Errors in the order of the words in a

sentence. Native speakers of a

language will discover syntactic errors

in a sentence more readily than lexicalerrors. In Spanish, for example, the

noun is given first, then adjectives

follow. Example: Paseo del Rio(River Walk)


7/33


Know Your Reader

In spite of all the trade between the United States

and the Far East, Americans fail to study evencommon Asian customs and business practices.

Consider one of the most popular words in the

English language - you. U.S. people try to

personalize writing by taking the you approach.

But in some other countries, such as Japan, people

do not like this personal touch. They believe that

writers should refer to their company: Wouldyour companybe interested in this plan? Not

Would yoube interested in this plan?


8/33


International English

Use the 3,000 to 4,000 most common

English words. Uncommon words, such

as onusfor burdenand f luxfor continual

change, should be avoided.

Use only the most common meaning of

words. The word highhas 20 meanings;

expensivehas one.

Choose words with singular rather than

multiple meanings.


9/33


Select action-specific verbs and words

with few or similar alternate meanings.

Use cook breakfast rather than make

breakfast; use take a taxirather than get a

taxi.

Avoid redundancies (interoffice

memorandum), sports terms (ballpark

figure), and words that draw mentalpictures (red tape).



10/33


Avoid using words in other than their most

common way, such as making verbs out of

nouns (impactingthe economy and faxinga

message).

Be aware of words that have a unique

meaning in some cultures; the word check

outside the U.S. generally means a financial

instrument and is often spelled cheque.



11/33


Be aware of alternate spellings in countries

that use the same language; e.g.,

theatre/theater, colour/color, and

judgement/judgment.

Avoid creating or using new words; avoid

slang.

Avoid two-word verbs, such as to pick up;

use lift.



12/33


Use the formal tone and maximum

punctuation to assure clarity; use no firstnames in letter salutations.

Conform carefully to rules of grammar;

be careful of dangling participles andincomplete sentences.

Use more short, simple sentences than

you would ordinarily use; avoidcompound sentences.



13/33


Clarify the meaning of words with more

than one meaning.

Adapt the tone of the letter to the reader if

the cultural background is known; e.g., use

unconditional apologies if that is expectedin the readers culture.

Try to capture the flavor of the language

when writing to someone whose culturalbackground you know.



14/33


Remember also:

To avoid acronyms (ASAP), emoticons (),and shorthand (4 representing for).

That numbers are written differently insome countries; for example, 3,000 may be

written as 3.000 or 3000.



15/33


Tone and Writing Style

Tone and writing style are more formal and

traditional in other countries than in U.S.

companies.

Good news messages in the U.S. use the direct

approach.

In the U.S. bad news messages use the

indirect approach.

Latin Americans avoid bad news completely.


16/33


In the U.S.:

End negative letters on a positive note. Avoid apologies.

In France: Use formal beginnings and endings; endings

tend to be flowery. Apologize for mistakes and express regret for

any inconvenience caused.

In Japan: Begin letters with a comment on the season. Present negative news is a positive manner.

Tone and Writing Style


17/33


Letter Formats Preferred styles in the U.S. are Blocked and

Modified Blocked with standard or openpunctuation.

The French use the indented style; they place

the name of the originating city before thedate.

The format of the inside address varies. In

the U.S. the title and full name are placed on

the first line, while in Germany the title

(Herr) is on the first line and the full name

on the second line.


18/33


The street name comes after the number in

the U.S. but before the street number in

Germany, Mexico, and South America.

Dates are written differently also. In the

U.S. dates are written month/day/year (May5, 2---); in other cultures, they may use the

5th of May, 2--- or 5 May 2---.

Letter Formats


19/33


Salutations and closings are more formal in

many other countries. Salutations for Germanletters would be the English equivalent of Very

Honored Mrs. Jones; complimentary closings

would often be the English equivalent of Very

respectfully yours. The Japanese have a traditional format

beginning with the salutation followed by a

comment about the season/weather; then comes

a remark about a gift, kindness, or patronage;

they close with best wishes for the receiver's

health or prosperity.

Letter Formats


20/33


Examples of Japanese

Seasonal Greetings

March: Spring has just begun, but the cold winds of

winter are still with us.

June: Rice paddy fields are ready to be planted.

August: Indian summer is still around this week.

November: The tree on the boulevard is bare of leaves.


21/33


How an address is written shows the

relationship:

In Asian cultures, thefamily is the basic unit

and society as a whole is

the larger family:

JAPAN, Tokyo

Hachioji-shi

168-46 Shimoyuki

47-25 Nanyodai

Nakamura, Yoko

In the West, theindividual is most

important and the self

is the key:

Mr. John R. Smith

2350 Walnut Road

Memphis, TN 38152

U.S.A.


22/33


Facsimiles (FAX)

Fax may be more dependable than the

mail in many cultures.

Fax would be written as you would

write a letter.

Use a transmittal sheet so the operator

knows to whom the FAX is directed,

the sender, and the total number of

pages.


23/33


International Electronic Mail (E-

Mail)

Use a memorandum format; no insideaddress.

Observe proper e-mail courtesy, including

addressing the receiver by name in theopening sentence.

In your introductory e-mail, include some

phrases such as hello in the customerslanguage.


24/33


International E-mail

Be positive, cheerful, and honest; avoidhumor.

Avoid dwelling on cultural differences.

Use short, simple sentences; avoidabbreviations, contractions, possessives,

slang, jargon, or idioms; show humility;

be deferential.


25/33


International E-mail

Do not ask questions starting with the

word why; such questions require that

readers defend their positions.

Be generous with compliments.

Do not express anger. If you make a

mistake, apologize (even when you may

feel you are not at fault). Do not assign

blame.


26/33



In the U.S., a one- to two-page rsum is

preferred; include personal information, jobobjective, educational background, workexperience, references, and a cover letter.Exclude age, religion, gender, marital status,

or a photo.

In Germany, rsums are 20-30 pagesincluding: copies of diplomas, photo,

employment verification, names of parents,family, religious affiliation, financialobligations, and professional activities.


27/33


In France, the rsum includes: a cover letter,

photograph, family information, age, hobbiesand foreign language expertise. Age

discrimination is common and legal.

Rsums in China contain personal

information: age, gender, and marital status.

In the United Kingdom, the rsum is one or

two pages; it does not include a photo, family

information, military service, or any otherpersonal information.



28/33


In Spain, the rsum is two pages in

letter form including: chronology of

experience, military service, education,

family information, professions of

parents, clubs, and professional

objective; picture is acceptable.



29/33


Canadians want rsums with educational

background, work experience, skills,

achievements, and references

Important to select key words and industry

jargon

Need a cover letter



30/33


Chinas rsums contain personal

information which comes first

Then job objective, education, and

employment history

Specialized training includes computer

skills and language competencies and

follows education



31/33


Rsums in the Netherlands include work

experience and education

Letters of recommendation and school

grades may be requested later

Personal questions may be asked during the

interview



32/33


South Koreas rsums include workexperience and education

Details of achievements and duties should

be included



33/33

2011 Pearson Education Inc publishing asP ti H ll

Documents

Chapter 7 Written Communication Patterns 5th Ed