Differences in Format of British and American Business English Letters

In international trade, a transaction, in addition to face-to-face negotiations, is usually negotiated through letters and electronic letters, and finally an agreement is reached and a contract is signed to establish the economic relationship between the parties to the contract. Therefore, international business English letters are an important means of communication for international trade, and their position in foreign trade is becoming more and more important. It has its own unique language characteristics. At present, British and American people tend to use concise language in letters To express. For business people who are about to engage in or are currently engaged in business, it is an indispensable skill to be proficient in the format and structure of international business English writing and apply it.

British and American business English letters Format differences

Business or Commercial English Correspondence refers to the communication used in transactions. In the United States, Business writing is commonly used, which includes letters, telegrams, telephone calls, telexes, reports, postcards, etc. There are certain differences in letter styles between English and American English, such as letterheads and salutations, letter formats, word choice, and ending politenesses.

Generally speaking, British letters are more conservative. Many British people like to use old-fashioned epistolary style with more formal and rigid words. However, American letters have a very lively and energetic language and a simpler format. Therefore, when we are writing to the United Kingdom or its old colonies, we must use Standard English Queen's English; if we are writing to the United States or an area within the United States' sphere of influence, we must use American English. Of course, British language and culture have also changed in recent years, but overall, the differences between the two are obvious.

Business English letters are generally required to be printed neatly with a typewriter or computer. Each line on the left starts vertically, which is called vertical or block style. This format is commonly used in the United States; each paragraph The first word is indented, which is called indented style or indented style. This format is commonly used in the UK. Vertical job titles and signatures are bounded by the left sidebar. This format has been commonly used by American companies that highly respect work efficiency. Formal business English letters should include the name and address of the recipient company or the full name, position and address of the recipient above the title, which is called the inside address. There are also two ways to write addresses in letters: vertical and indented. The vertical and American styles put the lines side by side, and the indented or British style puts the lines in sequence.

However, in recent times, addresses in British business letters are not indented sequentially, which seems to be the same as the American style. /

In addition, there is also a popular way of writing ordinary recipient addresses in the United States, which is to omit the house number and street name in the Inside Address of the letter.

Use honorifics in English letters. The most common honorifics are Mr, Mrs and Miss (used for unmarried women). The British often use Esq. (the abbreviation of Esquire) after a male's name, but in business, they are slowly using Mr. Mmes. (the plural form of Madam) for more than two ladies. Messrs (plural form of Mr) is used for more than two men, or for a company or group composed of more than two men. In British English letters, Mr, Mrs, and Messrs are not abbreviated with periods. On the contrary, American English that tends to be progressive and liberal adds abbreviated periods, such as Mr., Mrs., Messrs.

In terms of titles, the two most common ones in business are Gentlemen (American style) and Dear Sirs (British style), which are equivalent to the respectful ones or the respectful ones in our country. If the letter is written to a company rather than a specific person, use Gentlemen (plural form) in American English and Dear Sirs in English. If there is only one person in the other company, Sir/Dear Sir must be used.

Punctuation marks are generally used after salutations. The British style uses comma (comma), and the American style uses semicolon (colon). There are many types of complimentary closes at the end of letters, which are equivalent to the sentences such as salute, salute, and good luck used at the end of letters in my country. The most typical American expressions are Sincerely and Best regards. The typical British expressions are Yours sincerely (acquaintance or know the other person's name), Best wishes, kind regards and yours faithfully (unknown name). In addition, there are special polite formats for British polite expressions, but these are no longer used except in special circumstances.