A standard UK or USA business letter has a particular layout, though there may be slight variations. The outline below is typical of a standard business letter.
4568910
Business Information Centre
Nesson House, Newell Street, Birmingham B3 3EL
Telephone No: 021 236 6571 Fax: 021 236 8592 Telex: 436572
Our ref.: LB/DS
Your ref.: SK/1061
Foreign Trade Enterprise POVEX
12 Zelena Street
29006 Lviv
Ukraine
17 May, 2010
Dear Mr. Wilby,
Price list
Due to worsening rates of exchange, we produce a new price-list.
Therefore, may we ask you if your enterprise is planning any price increase in the nearest future, please inform us.
Yours sincerely,
Diana Sinclair
Diana Sinclair,
Secretary
Enc. Price list
1237
1. The Letterhead or Heading. Øàïêà ëèñòà.
This is normally printed on the paper. It includes the name and address of the company, the telephone number, fax and telex. If the printed heading is absent the company’s address (NOT name) is typed on the right side.
2. The References. ²íäåêñ.
This consists of the initials of the person who signs the letter and those of the typist. It may be digital, verbal and digital-verbal:
Ref.: 104, Ref.: DA, Ref.: DA/104, Ref.: DA/SP/104, äå
"Reference" (Ref) - ³íäåêñ (âèõ³äíèé íîìåð);
"DA" - ³í³ö³àëè àâòîðà – the author’s initials;
"SP" - ³í³ö³àëè ñåêðåòàðÿ – the secretary’s initials;
104 - ïîðÿäêîâèé íîìåð äîêóìåíòà – the ordinal number of the document.
If it is a reply-letter the customer’s number is also present:
The generally accepted way of writing the date is as follows:
October 17, 20___
17 October, 20___
17th Oct., 20___
17th October, 20___
October 17th, 20___
4. Receiver’s Address. Àäðåñà îäåðæóâà÷à.
This is typed on the left. Messrs is used to address in general to the members of the firm. When we write to a man, we use Mr. before his name. When we write to a married woman, we use Mrs. before her name, Miss – to an unmarried woman and Ms – either for a married or an unmarried one. If we don’t know the name of the person we’re writing to, we can write: The Personnel Manager.
The address includes:
a. the customer’s name;
b. his/her position (if necessary);
c. the company’s name;
d. the building number and the name of the street;
e. the name of the city and state (for the USA), and county (for the UK);
f. the name of the country.
5. The Salutation. Âñòóïíå çâåðòàííÿ.
If you know your reader’s name, you should always use it. This should be followed by a comma, but in American English a colon is used.
British
American
Formal or Routine
Informal
Dear Sir, Dear Sirs,
Dear Madame,
Dear Mr. Brown,
Dear Miss Smith,
Gentlemen:, Dear Mr. Brown:
Dear Miss Smith:, Dear Mrs. Brown:
Dear Mr. Brown:
Dear Miss Smith:
6. The Subject Line. Çàãîëîâîê äî òåêñòó.
The subject line summarizes what the letter is about.
7. The Body of the Letter. Òåêñò ëèñòà.
The body of the letter should be clear and polite. Business letters are usually quite formal. Try to use short sentences and short paragraphs. Extra spacing is used between paragraphs to separate different points more effectively.
8. The Complimentary Close. Çàêëþ÷íà ôîðìà ââ³÷ëèâîñò³.
The complimentary close depends on how well you know the reader. Letters that begin with a name (Dear Mr…/Mrs…/Ms…) end Yours sincerely (Sincerely yours – in the USA). Letters that don’t begin with a name (Dear Sir/Madam/Customer) end Yours faithfully (in the USA – Truly yours).
9. The Signature. ϳäïèñ.
Always sign the letter by hand and in ink. Write your mane and title under your signature:
Yours truly,
(ï³äïèñ Â. Ïåòðåíêà)
Victor Petrenko
Marketing Manager
10. The Enclosures. Äîäàòîê
Enc. Refers to anything that you Send with the letter.
Enc: Catalogue
Enc: Drawings.
Ex.21. Set out the following dates and addresses according to the sample:
DATE
THE NAME OF THE COMPANY
THE NAME OF THE COUNTRY
THE NAME OF THE CITY
THE NAME OF THE STREET
HOUSE NUMBER
5/V.2008
JOHNSON & Co., Ltd.
Great Britain
London
Leadenhall Street
22/Ï.2007
John Brown & Co., Ltd.
Great Britain
London
Conduit Street
1/Ø.2008
The Sheffield Engineering Co., Ltd
Great Britain
Sheffield
Park Street
3/VI.2008
Alford & Son., Ltd
Great Britain
Bristol
Carter Lane
15/I.1999
Smith & Co., Ltd.
Great Britain
Liverpool
Exchange Street
23/Õ.2005
Parker & Co., Ltd
the USA (Pennsylvania)
Philadelphia
Chestnut Street
18/VI.2008
S.K.O. Forum
Ukraine
Kyiv
Volodymyrska Street
4/IV.2009
Brain Sourse International Ltd
Ukraine
Dnipropetrovsk
Khlibna Street
12/IX.2008
Leo Burnett Ukraine Ltd
Ukraine
Kyiv
Pochaynynska Street
Ex.22. Read and translate into Ukrainian the following samples of business letters.
Cray Electronics Company Limited
36 Dover Street, London WIX 3RD
Telephone: 0716291133 FAX: 0714950022
Our Ref: BS/MB
H. Geneen
105 Packard Road,
Thamesbank,
London NW 22 5HX 19th October, 200…
Dear Sir,
Thank you for your letter of the 14th October 200.., in which you requested a brochure on our latest stereo cassette/radio Model ECR/10.
We do not supply brochures ourselves, as this can be done more cheaply and conveniently by our distributors. We have looked at our list of distributors, and find that the nearest to your address is Scott's of 123 High Street, Thamesbank. You may know it.
They stock copies of the brochure you require, and they will give you a copy on demand, free of charge.
We trust that they can be of assistance.
Yours faithfully,
M.R. Collins
Sales Department
Cray Electronics Co. Ltd.
Mitchell Electronics Company Limited
56 Dover Street, London WIX 3RB
Telephone: 0716561178 FAX: 0714865021
Our Ref: BS/MB
Your Ref: BAT/SN
Adhams Wire Products Ltd.,
183 Commercial St.,
London, SE7 3RD 12th November, 200...
Dear Sirs,
Your Order No. 1257/S
Thank you for your letter of the 8th July 200.., in which you requested a copy of the consignment note of the above order.
We have pleasure in enclosing a copy. It details the method of transport, as well as the type of container and the quality of the packing.