Luận văn A study on some difficulties of translating business corespondence

t to use words to express meaning they neither do nor bear. In the book, “English for Business Studies” Gartside (1979) calls these words “encroaching words”. The verb “encroach” means, “to take more than what is right, usual and natural”. Many translators use encroaching words in the wrong way that forces them to take on meanings that they do not, in fact, have. For example, After a great deal of hard working, he got his goal đ achieved The verb got here is not exactly right because, in the above sentence, his goal was obtained by his effort. You may get something, probably, without any effort. It should be replaced by achieved. In reference to your letter of 4th May we would like to advise (to offer counsel) you that your order has been filled. đ Inform (to tell). How will these changes effect (to bring about) our employees đ affect (to produce an effect). I find his continuous (without a break) gossip annoying đ continual (recurring frequently). Please write out the details of your life but only those details appropriate to the job đ relevant. We carried out an investigation to find out whether the plan was (1) probable and also to find out the (2) feasible effect if we agree to the plan đ (1) feasible (2) probable. Knowing that a good business letter is a letter that concise, clear, and direct, many translators use general words. When reading a letter that contains too many general words, readers usually have a feeling of getting in circulation. They may feel the point you make but they do not exactly what it is. Supposing that you are a manager of a company and you have recently instituted a successful incentive program for sales people. You are now writing to your boss to tell him about it. Which of the following sentence is likely to arouse his interest? The incentive program proved worthwhile. The incentive program was effective in raising sales. The incentive program raised sales by 4 percent in three weeks. The last sentence provides the most specific information and as a result is the sentence most likely to interest your boss. One of the best ways to invigorate your sentence is to use specific verbs. Sentences with specific verbs are not only clearer but also more concise. The consultant affected a complete overhaul of the organization of the office. This is not a very bad sentence but it can be improved by using a more specific verb than affected. First, you should notice that the real action that the consultant performed is hiding in the noun overhaul. If we convert this action noun to an action verb, we have: The consultant completely overhauled the organization of the office. This sentence is three words shorter than and five times as vigorous as the first one. 4.3.3. Difficulties in conveying the original writing styles Chart 5: Difficulty levels of set expression and using words in translating business correspondence. Arrangement of logical ideas is considered difficult by 41.66% of the total respondents. In which, no one regards it as very difficult. Additionally, the item only ranks fifteenth out of the sixteen items mentioned. This suggests that it is not too hard for Vietnamese translators. When I asked them for the reason, they expressed that translation is to convey the information first. The arrangement of logical ideas depends on the original’s writing style as well as the characteristic of the letter itself. In fact, there are differences between the writing styles of Vietnamese and English. Generally, due to the differences in cultures, disparities in the level of economic advancement and so on forth, the English writing often directly goes to the point, whereas Vietnamese sometimes prefers going about the bush before coming to the main ideas or final conclusion. Therefore, these two items are intermingled with a view to providing the readers with actual Vietnamese letter, the last goal of translators. In addition, the way the information has been presented and organized sometimes would be examined because the original was probably poorly put together, or it may be that the Vietnamese language calls for the information to be organized differently. Clearly, in any cases, it is impossible to assume that the original layout is perfectly made or the ideas are logically settled together. 4.3.3.1. Problems in tone Obviously, your business translating is to give information to get reader’s action. It sounds easy but, in fact, when being asked to translate a business letter, translators usually try to have a correct form and give enough information that the situation requires. They do not pay much attention to the tone of the letter. For example, Dear Mr. Jutaporn, Please be advised that the letter under the date of 7th July would have been answered at a prior date to the present if it had not been addressed to the wrong department. Hereinafter, kindly address correspondence in reference to your claim for damage benefits to The Automobile Liability Claims Division. You claimed that three individuals were witnesses to the alleged accident. However, this office cannot undertake any consideration of the claim until the names and addresses of these individuals are sent us. If you were in the position of the reader, you would have a bad feeling by the end of it because we can easily see four basic faults in it: First, it contains archaic phrases as “under date, hereinafter”. Second, the writer chooses to use long complex words while short simple ones would serve just as well. “Sooner” is better than “a prior date”, “about” is more effective than “in reference to”. Third, it has too many negative thoughts and words. Look at the first sentence for an example. Certainly, the reader, who happens to be a customer of the company, makes a mistake, but there is no need to make her feel ashamed. Forth, the letter is too impersonal. The writer avoids mentioning her/ himself or her/ his firm by using the passive voice. When she/ he do refer to her/ his firm, she/ he calls it this office. The following letter is certainly more effective though it makes the same information that the first letter does. Dear Mrs. Jutaporn, I would have answered your letter of 7th July but it has just forwarded to me from our Actuarial Department. I assure you that you will receive much more efficient service from us if you address all the future letters concerning your claim for automobile damage benefits to me, care of the Automobile Liability Claims Division. In your letter, you said that three people witnessed the accident. May I have their names and addresses? As soon as I receive them, we will be happy to consider your claim. 4.3.3.2. Using inflated language Inflation in translating is also to be avoided. Inflated language keeps your writing from being natural and courteous. This kind of language is accepted years ago, now it is considered unnecessary and old – fashioned as in the following expressions. I regret to inform you that your contest entry arrived after the closing day. I am writing with reference to your order, which we sent out subsequent to your cancellation order. It is deemed advisable that all production of the pump be stopped until you discover the source of the leaks. We have sent your order by rail as requested by you. They should be written as: I am sorry but your contest entry arrived after the closing day. I am writing about your order, which we sent out after your cancellation order. I suggest all production of the pump be stopped until you discover the source of the leaks. We have sent your order by rail as you asked. A letter contains inflated archaic language sounds cold, pompous and unfriendly. Look at the two following letters and you will see how this kind of language affects the tone. Dear Mr. E. Green, It is regrettable to have to inform you that we could not replace your car radio as requested by you in your letter of 8th August, since the breaking down occurred subsequent to the expiration of the warranty. However, I have been informed that in the event that your car radio undergoes repaired at one of our service centres, the cost that will be incurred by you will be only for the labour of those individuals involved such labor. Dear Mr. E. Green, I am sorry but we could not replace your car radio as you asked in your letter of 8th August, since the breaking down occurred after the warranty expired. However, if your car radio is repaired at one of our service centers, the cost will be only for labor. Getting yourself in to the reader’s position you will find how lovely to read the second letter. 4.3.3.3. Using negative ideas Most of the letters you write will have some sales content. You do not have been selling a product, a small percentage of business letters are written for this specific purpose. However, if you are a good writer, you try to make or keep friends and customers, persuade readers to accept an idea. First, you should be aware of the emotional meaning of the words you use. For instance, when reading or hearing words like efficiently, truth, thank you, improve, or beautiful we react pleasantly or positively. In addition, when we see words like silly, impossible, or cannot our reactions usually are unpleasant or negative as in the following letter. Dear Mr. Dillon, I am sorry that we are presently our of stock of black silk and will unable to fill your order at this time. An order has been placed with the manufacturer in the color you want, but it will be at least ten days before we receive the shipment. I trust this delay will not cause you much inconvenience. The underlined words and phrases make the letter sound negative and certainty do not give the reader a good feeling that could be obtained in a positive writing. Dear Mr. Dillon, Thank you for your order of black silk. The color you choose proved to be very popular, and we quickly sold all we had in stock. However, we have placed a rush order for more and are promised delivery within ten days. I know you will be delighted with this. There is still another thing that can make your letter positive apart from using positive language is your attempt to do more than you have to. It costs quite little to do a bit more than you actually have to when answering a letter. Not only will extra effort make friends; it will also make you feel better. For example, Dear, Mss. Douglas, I am sorry to inform you that The Creighton Academy of Art is not a school, it is a private museum. Therefore, I am afraid we cannot help you. This letter just supplies the information as asked but so simple and easy. The reader got the information in a bad mood because the tone of the letter was put aside. You can compose another much more effective letter by doing a little more than you simply give out the information. Dear, Mss. Douglas, I appreciate your letter asking about art education at The Creighton Academy of Art. Although our name does suggest that we offer art education course we are actually a private museum. However, several reputable art schools are accredited by the government in the area. I enclose a copy of the art school section for your reference from the state directory. With this letter, Mss. Douglas feels satisfied with the provided information and you did buy a friend with the expense to have a copy from the directory. 4.3.3.4. Using impersonal style People write letters to people. Whether you use a company letterhead and represent for an organization when translating letters, it is still you who deliver the message. This means that you treat people as live human beings and not as “to whom it may concern”. People are much alike in certain respects. Most are thoughtful and friendly. All have an ego, which means they like to be treated as though they have better-than-ever-age intelligence and are important to the company they work for. Nothing in a letter is more personal than”I” and “You”. You should use them as though you are carrying on a conversation with your friend. The use of “I” and “You” sets up a writer-reader relationship through the letter and make your letter more friendly and persuasive as illustrated below (See sample letter 14 in Appendices). In this chapter, the three kinds of the most common mistakes of the translators in writing a business letter called “mistakes in using words, in grammar, and in style are pointed out and analyzed. This analysis, together with the essentials in writing business letters and their review in the previous chapters have led to the writer’s attempt to some solutions to recommend helps the translators deal with business letters effectively. 4.4. Summary This part is aimed at providing the comparison between the mentioned items, which are divided into two major groups. The first one includes items involving the general difficulties in translation of business correspondence, including the grammar, lexis, power of conveying writing-styles and ideas-expression accuracy and genuine. On the other hand, the second group will take into account the issues of using and understanding the two languages, English and Vietnamese, including terminology, etc. Chapter V: Implications, Suggestions and Conclusion 5.1. Implications No one can boldly state that he/ she faces no difficulties in translation of business correspondence. It is actually soft to understand since it requires many characteristic abilities. Based on the survey questionnaire’s result and analysis in Chapter III and IV, in this chapter, I would like to give some recommendations and solutions to certain major difficulties in translation of business correspondence. However, as a student of the Interpreting and Translation Division whose major is other than business correspondence, the road leading to become a so-called “fledged-translator” is so long, so that there are certain shortcomings and much room for further discussion. In addition, although my opinions can be disagreed by many professionals, I wish my solutions and recommendations will partly help clarify the problems that other students may share. 5.1.1. Using correct language In my opinion, a successfully translated version must be the one that its style should be Vietnamese, and should not read like a translation. To do that, the translator should feel free to paraphrase rather than translate word for word. It means that, in the translation process, the translator can change the writing style as well as re-organize the order of ideas presented. However, it is unacceptable if it is wrongly translated or that the original’s implication is distorted. To avoid it, the translator firstly should pay attention to the grammatical aspects, the written structural expressions to find the most correct meaning of the sentence. Besides, skimming and scanning the whole text before translation is advisable to help the translator own an overview about the topic of the text, the readership, and then he/ she can have the best translation method with suitable word-choice. Lexis For this item, I think that the best way is to try to get in touch with the relevant documents as often as possible to update the new words, as well as the newly derived ones. Perhaps, to study the vocabulary of all fields is difficult for many translators; it is that the translator should intensively study to master a field before entering a new one. However, it does not mean that the translator has the reasons to abandon the fields that he does not use at the time, Instead, he should sometimes translate some business letters from English into Vietnamese and vice versa. Terminology Translating of terminology or concepts is always the non-stop topic encountering the translator. In such the cases, using both monolingual and bilingual dictionaries, in my opinion, is advisable. In addition, for the unfindable terminology I think that the translator should confer or seek advice from many different sources, including the experienced people regarding to these difficulties to get a consensus on the term or concept. However, it is not often in all cases that when the translator can manage to conduct discussion with the professionals, he/ she then must decide by himself/ herself and this time will naturally enrich his/ her experience. By analyzing the most common mistakes of the translators which should be avoided when translating business letters the author tries to bring the idea of a good business letter to reader’s attention. A good business letter is one that obtains the results the writer hoped for. To make definite work, we have to assume that the writer wants what is good for the organization s/he works for and the individual to whom the letter addresses. To obtain these the letter should be clear, concise, well-organized, natural and coteries. Saying that a letter should be well organized is saying that it should be thoroughly thought out. You should not sit down to translate unless you have thought out what you will write. In other words, you cannot expect your letter either clear or concise until you have weeded out irrelevant ideas and placed the meaning, relevant ideas in an effective order. Supposing that you are answering a letter of inquiry. In order to obtain the necessary information you have to go to the company library and credit files and talk with several executives about the letter. Should you inform the reader all this research? Probably not. The reader is primarily interested in the information you have obtained not how you obtained it. Thus, if you open your letter “Upon receiving your letter, I went to the company library and also look on our credit files as well as talk to;” you would probably write a disorganized letter. This does not mean that you should go through an elaborate procedure, especially if your letter is short and simple or if you have a large volume of correspondence to handle everyday. However, it does mean that some preparations are necessary for almost every letter you write. Write down your aim: What is the purpose of the letter? Take some time to familiarize yourself with the circumstance surrounding your letter. Obtain as much background material as necessary. The small amount of time you spend on research can save you much time and expense latter on. Jot down a short list of ideas you plan to include in your letter. In this way, you can exclude those ideas, which are irrelevant. Arrange the ideas in a relevant order. Write an outline in note form. Check it through considering these questions. + Have you left any important points out? + Can the order of presentation be made clearer? + Have you included any thing that is not relevant? Write a first draft, leaving plenty of space for changes and revision. Revise the draft by considering these questions + Is it written in the correct form? + Does it cover all the essential points? + Is the information relevant, correct and complete? + Are the grammar, spelling and punctuation correct? + Does it sound natural and sincere? + Is it clear, concise and courteous? + Is it the kind of letter you would like to receive yourself? Type or dictate your final version. Different people may access to the issue differently, but no matter what you take, you should make sure that your reader must be able to understand each sentence as it appears. S/he should never have to go back and read the entire paragraph to understand what point you are trying to make. 5.1.2. Solution to conveying the original writing styles “Working out the correct version” in translation of business correspondence appears to be one of many difficulties facing the translators. Yes, to find the correct version for translation requires not only hard work in finding equivalents, but also in putting the right style. For example, in Vietnamese it is like this: “We would be very glad if you could send us your latest catalogue and price list”. We should translate it in such a way that the reader will feel pleased and will be willing for further business transactions. The translator sometimes faces difficulty when trying to meet this requirement. You have to understand clearly about the business relation between two counterparts. And the information about the business relation in which such business letters is very useful for your translator. With the English version above, because it is the first order so that you should make it as polite as possible like this: “Chúng tôi sẽ rất vui mừng nếu quý Ngài gửi cho chúng tôi catalô và bảng giá mới nhất của quý Ngài”. However, if it requires a reply for an outstanding debt or late delivery, it can be put like this: “Yêu cầu quý Ngài gửi cho chúng tôi…” So that the right style of translation of business correspondence is very important. It is better for the translators to distinguish between such business correspondence like first request letter or letter of reply for outstanding debt or late delivery, etc. then to put the right version. a) Letter of inquiry (See sample letter 15 in Appendices). b) Letter of reply (See sample letter 16 in Appendices) In the above two types of letters, the language used is formal and mainly, in the form of question and answer. Although the former is not written down with question mark, we understand that it indicates the request for information. For it is very polite, it is mainly written down like a request. For example “We would be very glad if you could send us your latest catalogue and price list” should be “Chúng tôi sẽ rất vui mừng nếu như quý Ngài gửi cho chúng tôi catalô và bảng giá mới nhất của quý Ngài” not “Yêu cầu quý Ngài gửi cho chúng tôi…” Because as mentioned above, this version is the first request, not a reply for late delivery. For the first order, we never use the “Strong language”. Usually, the inquiry is very short and to the point, like the former letter above. If that is for your regular partner, you don’t need to indicate where you get the information. However, if that is for a new supplier you should tell him where you get the news. For the inquiry, what the translator takes into consideration is the use of language. You should use the polite language and although it is a form of a question, it is preferable to be written in the form of a request. For the reply, the language should also be polite enough, and still, provide the necessary information. It is also preferable if the reply is short and to the point. The translator then needs to keep in mind these characteristics to have the correct translation, both in style and in language. So for the sentences such as: “We would like to draw your attention to our…” we should make it in Vietnamese like this: “Chúng tôi cũng muốn quý Ngài dành sự quan tâm đặc biệt cho sản phẩm … của chúng tôi” and not like this: “Chúng tôi muốn lôi cuốn sự chú ý của quý Ngài tới sản phẩm … của chúng tôi”. This is not the style of business writing. Other sentences such as: “We shall be obliged if you send us your new quotation for the goods” in Vietnamese should not be: “Chúng tôi sẽ rất cảm kích nếu quý Ngài gửi cho chúng tôi bảng báo giá mới nhất cho các loại hàng này”, but it will be like this: “Chúng tôi sẽ rất biết ơn nếu quý Ngài gửi cho chúng tôi bản báo giá mới nhất của loại hàng này”. And it is the same for this sentence: “We should be glad if you could send us the pattern for ladies’ woodens” should be “Chúng tôi sẽ rất vui mừng nếu các Ngài gửi cho chúng tôi mẫu áo len phụ nữ” or “Chúng tôi lấy làm tiếc báo cho quý Ngài rằng hiện nay chúng tôi không có khả năng cung cấp loại hàng mà quý Ngài cần” will be “It is our regret to inform you that we are not in position to meet your requirement for the time being for the goods you need”. It is the right style put into the translation of business correspondence helps to improve the business relation between counterparts. This style of translation should be in business language as we are translating business correspondence. Others may not be grammatically wrong but it does not sound like a business letter. Translator sometimes encounters difficulty when trying to put the right style in their translation and one of the reasons for this difficulty is that the right style is partly similar to the set expression. Therefore, the best way to over come this is to learn by heart as many translations of right style as possible. Some business versions and equivalent translations. - We are very much interested in your … and hope you will send us a copy of the newest catalogue together with the price. - Chúng tôi rất quan tâm tới sản phẩm … của quý Ngài và hi vọng quý Ngài gửi cho chúng tôi catalô mới nhất cùng bảng giá. - We would like to have samples of yours … with its quotation. - Chúng tôi mong muốn có mẫu sản phẩm … cùng với bảng giá. - I would be appreciated if you would send us at your earliest convenience your quotation of the new … - Chúng tôi sẽ rất biết ơn nếu các Ngài gửi cho chúng tôi các bảng giá của sản phẩm … mới của các Ngài. - Please quotes us the supply of the following items, giving your best C.I.F Haiphong. - Đề nghị cho chúng tôi biết điều kiện cung cấp những mặt hàng sau đây cùng với bảng giá thấp nhất theo phương thức C.I.F Hải Phòng. - We would like to know if you could guarantee delivery within one month after the receipt of order. - Chúng tôi muốn được biết liệu các Ngài có thể đảm bảo giao hàng trong 01 tháng sau khi nhận được đơn đặt hàng? - We would appreciate you letting us know what discount you can grant us if we order in large quantity. - Chúng tôi sẽ rất vui mừng nếu được các Ngài cho biết sẽ dành chiết khấu bao nhiêu nếu chúng tôi đặt hàng với số lượng lớn. - Your inquiry dated … regarding the … has been received. - Chúng tôi đã nhận được thư yêu cầu của các Ngài về … đề ngày … - We received with thanks your inquiry of September 23 and are pleased to reply as follow … - Chân thành cảm ơn về thư yêu cầu đề ngày 23 tháng 9 mà chúng tôi nhận được và hân hạnh hồi đáp như sau … - As requested, we have today sent you … - Thể theo yêu cầu của quý Ngài, hôm nay chúng tôi gửi … - Our revised price list will be ready by the end of this month and we will send you it as soon as it is ready. - Biểu giá điều chỉnh của chúng tôi sẽ hoàn tất vào cuối tháng này và chúng tôi sẽ gửi tới quý Ngài ngay sau khi hoàn chỉnh. - We are very sorry for the delay in sending you the revised specifications. - Chúng tôi rất tiếc về sự chậm trễ gửi đến quý Ngài bản chỉ dẫn thông số kỹ thuật đã duyệt lại. - Please is good enough to study the catalogue we send you and inform us of your requirements. - Xin quý Ngài nghiên cứu kỹ catalô mà chúng tôi gửi tới và xin thông báo cho chúng tôi mọi yêu cầu của quý Ngài. - All the items listed are now in stock and ready for shipment. - Tất cả các mặt hàng liệt kê hiện chúng tôi đã có trong kho và sẵn sàng gửi đi. - At the moment, we regret to inform you that we are not in a position to offer you any … for any immediate shipment. - Chúng tôi lấy làm tiếc báo cho Ngài biết hiện nay chúng tôi không có khả năng đáp ứng … giao hàng ngay. - The goods you required are not available at the price you specified. - Các mặt hàng quý Ngài yêu cầu không thể tính theo giá quý Ngài đề xuất. - The enclosed price list carries our lowest quotation F.O.B Hong Kong. - Biểu giá gửi tới quý Ngài là giá thấp nhất theo phương thức F.O.B Hồng Kông. - We would be pleased to grant you a discount of 3% from our price list for an order of 100 sets. - Chúng tôi hân hạnh dành 3% chiết khấu từ biểu giá của chúng tôi cho hợp đồng đặt hàng 100 bộ. - You will be certain that the quality of this article will give you full satisfaction. - Chúng tôi chắc chắn chất lượng mặt hàng này sẽ làm vừa lòng quý Ngài. - The export price of … is going up, it is almost certain that we will not be able to quote the same price next month. - Giá xuất khẩu của … đang tăng, vì vậy chúng tôi chắc chắn sẽ không thể chào hàng theo giá cũ vào tháng sau. - As we want to expand our sales to you, we have quoted you very low price this time. - Vì muốn tăng số lượng bán cho quý Ngài nên lần này chúng tôi bán giá rất thấp. - We thank you for your interest in our product and wait for your early reply. - Xin cảm ơn quý Ngài đã dành sự quan tâm tới sản phẩm của chúng tôi và mong sớm nhận được hồi âm từ quý Ngài. - We are looking forward to your first order. - Chúng tôi chờ đợi đơn đặt hàng của quý Ngài. - Any order you will give us will receive our careful attention. - Mọi đơn đặt hàng quý Ngài gửi tới đều sẽ được chúng tôi đặc biệt quan tâm. Translation of business correspondence must satisfy all the characteristics of business correspondence that were presented in Chapter II. Generally, translation of business correspondence requires the accuracy in meaning of the words and sentences. For that fact, the translator cannot apply the preferred methods used for literature translation where the metaphors are commonly used. The accuracy here can be found as the ability to convey the terminology and terms employed in the business correspondence from English into Vietnamese. Additionally, time is always limited for the “timely” feature of the information, so this is not easy for translators at all. Moreover, to be a good translator of business correspondence, he/ she must have some background knowledge in this field since this can help him / her more profoundly understand the importance and requirements of that. These are not easy. True, as a result, the translator must find the way to tackle his/ her own difficulties. To solve these problems, it is initially important for the translator to be hardworking and patient in gradually improving his/ her own abilities in business correspondence. There, reading as much books, magazines, presses and relevant documents is always a good suggestion. The translator must try his/ her best to create his/ her own opportunities to get in touch with the business correspondence world, to translate the business correspondence and evaluate it as often as possible. Additionally, it would be a good way if he can manage to be severed with this job, to find interest in running the translation and so on. 5.2. Suggestions for future research As seen, this graduation paper has mentioned the difficulties in translation of business correspondence, but I think many aspects remain for discussing in. Firstly, it is possible to analyze the difficulties in translation of business correspondence from Vietnamese into English rather than English-Vietnamese in this paper. Secondly, reseach should attempt to futher investigate professional translators. The questions concerning proficiency in Vietnamese should be paid attention to. Because it is a very decisive factor that directly affects the translation. Thirdly, the data generated in this study is not enough, it is necessary to conduct further research to have better understanding of finding out more difficulties in translating of business correspondence and solutions to these problems. 5.3. Conclusion After graduation, we, students of English, will go out to earn for a living as English teacher, translators, interpreters or staff in companies. Nowadays, commercial activities are not limited within our country but expand to countries in the region and in the world. Therefore, the ability to communicate in English especially the ability to write English business letters may be indispensable in our luggage when applying for a job in a company as well as when working for companies in the future. With all of my efforts, in this graduation paper, I have tried to find out some difficulties and solutions to translating business letters in by giving basic theory about English business letters: their features including the layout, contents, language and grammar; some common mistakes in translating them and some suggestions to overcome mistakes. By devoting a lot of time, effort and dedication and especially thanks to the invaluable help and instructions from my supervisor, Mr. Hoang Van Hoat, M.A, senior Lecturer of the Interpreter and Translator Training Division of the English Department, Hanoi University of foreign Studies. I hope my graduation paper will contribute to your success in life although what I have mentioned is only what is the most typical, and I cannot cover every aspect relating to business letters because of the limited time. Here and there, there is still some weakness in the paper; I would like my teachers and my friends to forgive me. People all over the world study English for different purposes. My friend studies English to exploit news on the Internet because she is a journalist. Your friend studies to be a teacher because he /she, probably, love children. Jonh takes an English course for construction because he is an architect. Jinn follows an evening class for a course of Medicine English because she is a doctor. In addition, you who may be a businessperson, a manager, a secretary learn English for business. Business English, as its name suggests, deals with the use of English in doing business under different remedies known as memos, reports, letters, etc. On the limitation of this study, the author mentions letters only. She tries to present the units and the way to perform them in a business letters. The objectives to be achieved are analyzed when translating by pointing out some common mistakes and primary suggestions to overcome. The work is not one that you need read with the thought that you must retain items of advice in your active memory. Many points of the study can be skimmed and returned when you are actually confronted with a specific problem. On the completion of this study the author, expect it should be kept close at your hand to help improve the ability of translating business letters. Due to the time is short as well as the limited knowledge of the author on this matter, mistakes and errors are inevitable and the work has doubtlessly left much room for further discussion, criticism and improvement .Therefore, all remarks, comments and suggestions are well-received and highly- appreciated. References Alexander. L. G. (1998, p.13). Longman English Grammar. London: Longman Group Ltd. Can, L.M. (1997, p.27). Contemporary Commercial Correspondence in English & Vietnamese. Dong Nai: NXB Đồng Nai. Coles Notes, How to write Effective Business Letters (1993, p.69). Dan, N. T. (1997 – 1998, p.9). The Language of Business Correspondence in English. Hanoi: NXB Giáo Dục. Dan, N. T. (1999, p.35). International Business Correspondence. Hanoi: NXB Thống Kê. Gerfner, A. B. (1991, p.11). Business Letters the Easy Way. New York: Barron Educational Series, Inc. Hoit, R. & Sampson, N. (1999, p.84). International Business Correspondence. HCM city: NXB TPHCM. Mc Comas, D. C. (1995, p. 51). Modern Business Correspondence. HCM city: NXB Thống Kê. Mill, B. A. (1995, p.1). Complete Business Letters. Da Nang: NXB Đà Nẵng. Newmark, P. (1995, p.155; p.75). A Textbook of Translation. Quirk & Green Baum, A University Grammar of English (1996, p.110). R.A. Close, (1992, p.1). A Teachers Grammar. Poe, W. (1993, p.54). Handbook of business correspondence in English. Truong Hoang Tat, (1993, p.2). Basic English Lexicology. Appendices Appendix A QUESTIONNAIRE This questionnaire is composed in order to function as a study for my graduation assignment “Research on difficulties encountered in translating business correspondence”. You are kindly expected to spare time to answer the following questions. Your comments and ideas will surely be helpful and make a significant contribution to the success of my graduation assignment. Thank you very much for your assistance. Please mark a stick (n) in the appropriate boxes for your choices and write down your answers to these following open questions. 1. The translator’s ages Between 20 & 30  30 & 40  40 & 50  over 50  2. The translator’s gender Male  female  3. Working status Professional  Non-professional  Field-students  4. Duration of working in the field Under 2 years  from 2 to 5 years  From 6 to 10 years  over 10 years  5. Frequency of working in the field Frequently  not frequently  6. The levels of difficulties expectedly mentioned in translation of the business correspondence. Please tick (n) in the appropriate boxes The levels of difficulties Very difficult Difficult Rather difficult Not sure Not difficult Opt % Opt % Opt % Opt % Opt % 1.Using correct grammar 2.Power of lexis + Terminology in business correspondence + Difficulties in using words +Set expression 3. Difficulties in conveying the original writing style Other difficulties 1 2 3 4 5 ….. 7. Could you please write down the solutions to these difficulties? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Thank you for your cooperation! Appendix B Letter 1 Dear Mr. Dan, We would like to invite you to the reception held in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel. 1 Le Thanh Tong Street, Hanoi, from 6.30 p.m. to 8.00 p.m. on Friday 11 June 2000 on the occasion of the Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Please let us know if you plan to attend. I look forward to meeting you. Yours sincerely, Letter 2 Dear Mr. Robert, I am writing to convey my warm congratulations on your appointment as Managing Director of your firm. My fellow directors and I are delighted that the many years of your service you have given to your firm should at last have been rewarded in this way and we therefore, join in sending you our best wishes for the future. Yours sincerely, Letter 3 Dear Sirs, We thank you for your letter enclosing an account of the organization and handling of Dan & Son’ Co Ltd. I am very grateful for the interest you have shown in your proposal to include details of the company in the next issue of the Trade Association Yearbook and for your trouble in providing such an interesting account of its activities. Your account is sure to be of great help to us in your business. Yours sincerely, Letter 4 Dear Mr. Fraser, I was very sorry to learn that you had been unwell on your way home from Hanoi, but relieved to learn that you are now making progress and likely to be back at work in a few weeks’ time. I expect to be in London in a month’s time when I shall call on you. Meanwhile, I hope you will continue to make good progress. Yours sincerely, Letter 5 Dear Sir or Madam, I recently saw some samples of your White Heather tweed cloth, which could be made into woman skirts. I would be grateful if you would send me full details of this material. We have a large tailoring department and would like to stock a new type of material. I would like to know the price for a meter and how soon the material will arrive. If your terms are favorable, I shall probably order about 100,000 meters and more in the future. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, Letter 6 Dear Sirs, Thank you very much for your inquiry of 18th March for a further supply of ceramics and in replying we are pleased to quote as follows: No. 112TD, Gilt Rims Tea cups $ 150 per thousand Tea saucers $ 110 per thousand Tea plates $ 110 per thousand Tea pots, 2 pint $ 50 per hundred These prices are C.I.F. London including packing. We can deliver from stock and will allow you a discount of 5% but only on items ordered in quantities of 50,000 or more. We hope you will find these items satisfactory and look forward to the pleasure of your order. Yours faithfully, Letter 7 Dear Mr. Okykia, We would like to thank you very much for your inquiry of 6th May 2000 and are happy to offer you the goods you are interested in on the following terms and conditions. Commodity: sweaters for all age groups. Specifications: As per enclosed catalogue, No. 259/ LT and sample sent to you by post today. Quantity: as required and specified in your order. Price: as per attached price, list and all the prices should be understood to be C.I.F. Kobe including packing. Packing: in seaworthy cartons. Delivery: in one lot in Mid October 2000. Payment: in USD by an irrevocable L/C to be opened through Tokyo Commercial Bank. 15 days prior to the shipment valid for 45 days to the A/C of the Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam in your favor for the total amount of the goods to be shipped; Transshipment and re-export are not allowed. We assure you that our sweater is good in quality, attractive in design and comparative in prices. If your order is for 4,000 pieces or more, we will give you a discount of 0.3% of the total value of the order. In the meantime, we are looking forward to hearing from you soon. Yours sincerely, Letter 8 Dear Sirs, We thank you for your offer of 25th May 2000 for Diesel engine, Model $238-200 PS and confirm our today’s cable reading as follows: YR 7678 AGREED MD 4238-200 PS $ 15,690 LCASTSIGHT NOVSHIPMENT In addition, we should like to make clear the following terms and conditions: Description: Diesel Engine, Model 4238-200 PS completes with spares parts as stated in your catalogue No 24/ 5189 attached to your said order. Price: $ 15,690, F.O.B. Kobe, Japan including packing in seaworthy wooden cases. Shipment: In one lot in November, 2000 Payment: By irrevocable letter of credit as sight to be opened with the Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam to the account of Misuit Bank Tokyo in your favor 15 days prior to the date of shipment, valid for 90 days, amounting to the whole value of the goods to be shipped. Technical documents: You are required to send us all necessary technical documents concerning operation, assembling or maintainance of the machine. Guarantee: Within 6 months after commencements of operation or 12 months after dispatch. We are looking forward to your kind confirmation of sales. Yours faithfully, Letter 9 Dear Sirs, It is great regret that we have to inform you that your last delivery is not up to your usual standard. The material seems to be too loosely woven and is inclined to pull out of shape. By separate mail, we have sent you a cutting from an earlier consignment so that you can compare the two and see difference in texture. We have always been able to rely on the high quality of the material you sent us and we are even more disappointed in this case as we supplied the cloth to new customers. As we shall have to take it back: therefore, ask you let us know, as soon as possible, what you can do to help us getting over this difficulty. Yours faithfully, Letter 10 23 Main Road Mandai Singapore 3 June 1997 The Manager Southeast Traders 25-A Serangoon Road Singapore Dear Sir, In answer to your advertisement in the New Strait Times, I wish to apply for the post of junior clerk in your office. I have passed the Primary 6 examination and am at the moment looking for work to help my poor parents. In my school, I took prizes in English and Arithmetic and was considered a good scholar, as the certificate of my Headmaster, which I enclose, shows. I am young, active, and willing to work hard. I can assure you that, if I am selected for the post, I shall do my best to give satisfaction. I enclose copies of my testimonials. Yours faithfully, Samir Mandy Letter 11 12 Mill Street Taunton Somerset SS 12 3 BQ England 10 September, 1990 Mr. Ettore Galli Marco Gardini (UK) Ltd, 73 Brook Street London W2B 3CD Dear Mr. Galli, I am writing to apply for the post of Regional Sales Manager (Southwest) with Marco Gardini UK advertised in the Daily Telegraph on 6 September 1990. As requested, I am enclosing a brief resume. I believe that my experience and contacts in the furniture industry would contribute considerably to the future success of Marco Gardini in this country. I also feel that my success in previous and current posts have prepared me for a career move involving greater responsibility. I would be happy to supply the names of referees on request. In the meantime, I hope that you will be able to consider my application. Yours sincerely, Maria Glover (Ms.) Letter 12 Thưa quý Ngài, Thể Theo yêu cầu của quý Ngài gửi đến ngày 23 tháng 6, chúng tôi hân hạnh được báo với quý Ngài như sau: Mặt hàng : Gạo Chất lượng : Loại 1 Theo tiêu chuẩn Việt Nam Số lượng : 5000 tấn Giá đơn vị : US$…. / 1 tấn C.I.F Hồng Kông Thời gian gửi hàng : Tháng 9 – tháng 10 Điều kiện : Hối phiếu kí phát thanh toán sau 30 Theo điều kiện trong tín dụng, thư không huỷ ngang. Chúng tôi tin chắc rằng đây là điều kiện chào hàng tốt nhất của công ty chúng tôi mà không có hãng nào có thể đưa ra những điều kiện tốt hơn được. Hiện nay, chúng tôi đang nhận được nhiều đơn đặt hàng từ khắp nơi trên thế giới và có khả năng chúng tôi sẽ hết hàng dự trữ trong những ngày tới. Vì vậy, để bảo vệ quyền lợi của quý Ngài, xin quý Ngài đặt hàng ngay. Chúng tôi mong đợi đơn đặt hàng sớm của quý Ngài. Kính thư, (Bui Viet Nguyen, P. 53, 1999) Sample translation: Gentlement, We are please to quote your firm subject to your reply reading here by June 23 as follows: Aricle : Rice Quality : Grade number 1 Vietnam standard Quantity : 5000 tons Prices : US$ … per ton C.I.F Haiphong Shipment : September – November Terms : Draft at 30d/s under irrevocable Letter of Credit We are sure that this is the best offer we can make and no other firm can offer you better terms like this. At present we are receiving a lot of orders from all over the world and there is an opportunity of our running out of stock one of these days. Therefore, we think it will be to your interest to place an order at once. Your early order is looked forward to. Yours very truly, Letter 13 Dear Sirs, We have learned from the “Yellow Pages Directory” that you are on importer of computer and its accessories. We are one of the leading producers and exporters of these products for 10 years now and we would like to have a business relation with you. Our products are well received all over the world because of its reliability and durability. Enclosed is our illustrated catalogue and price list covering all the products we are handling? Prices in the list are all C.I.F. Haiphong in British pound sterling. As for our financial standing, please refer to the Vietnam Commercial Bank, Hanoi Head Office. We look forward to receiving your reply. You’re faithfully, (Bui Viet Nguyen – Trinh Quang Dung, P 18, 1991) Sample translation: Thưa quý Ngài Thông qua niên giám điện thoại “Những trang vàng”, chúng tôi được biết rằng quý Ngài có nhập khẩu máy Vi tính và phụ tùng máy Vi tính. Công ty chúng tôi là một trong những nhà sản xuất và xuất khẩu hàng đầu về mặt hàng này trong 10 năm nay và chúng tôi muốn đặt quan hệ giao dịch với quý Ngài. Sản phẩm của chúng tôi được cả thế giới ưa chuộng vì độ bền và độ tin cậy cao. Kèm theo đây chúng tôi xin gửi tới quý Ngài catalô và bảng giá của tất cả mọi sản phẩm hiện có của chúng tôi. Giá này được tính bằng đồng Bảng Anh theo cách thức giao hàng C.I.F Hải Phòng. Về tình hình tài chính của chúng tôi, xin mời quý Ngài liên hệ với Ngân hàng Thương Mại Việt Nam, Văn phòng chính tại Hà Nội. Chúng tôi mong nhận được sự hồi âm của Quý Ngài. Kính thư, Letter 14 Dear Mrs. R. Morley, We have your request for a copy of “Cook with the Experts”, which we recently published. We regret to say that this book is temporary out of stock. A copy will, however, go forward promptly when a new supply is available. This should be approximately 10th April. Personal, Dear Mrs R. Morley, Thank you for your request in “Cook with the Experts”. It seems that this book is attracting more attention than we predicted, and at the moment there is not a single copy left. Naturally, we ordered a new priting before we ran out and we expect to receive copies by 10th April. To speed up delivery, I am having your book sent directly from the printer, so you should have it by the time we get ours. Letter 15 Dear Sirs, We have seen your advertisement in the “PC world” and would be glad if you could send us the Latest catalogue and price list for your latest servers. We are waiting your early reply. Yours faithfully, Letter 16 Dear Sirs, Thank you for your inquiry dated 1st April for our servers’ catalogue and price list. We have much pleasure in sending you here with the latest catalogue of our best selling servers and hope they will be of your interest. We would also like to draw your special attention to our newly NH9000 server for it is an outstanding success. We believe that it presents the best value of this type of goods and we are sure that you will find it sells well indeed. If you have any further inquiry, please do not hesitate to let us know. We look forward to your order, which will have our best attention. Yours faithfully, Sample Translation a) Thư hỏi hàng Thưa quý Ngài, Chúng tôi đã đọc quảng cáo của quý Ngài trên tạp chí “Thế giới vi tính” và chúng tôi sẽ rất vui mừng nếu quý Ngài gửi cho chúng tôi catalô cũng như bảng giá mới nhất của các loại máy chủ của quý Ngài. Kính thư, b) Thư trả lời Thưa quý Ngài, Chúng tôi xin cảm ơn lá thư đề ngày 01 tháng 4 của quý Ngài về catalô và biểu giá cho các máy chủ của chúng tôi. Chúng tôi rất vui mừng gửi kèm theo đây catalô và biểu giá mới nhất của các máy chủ của chúng tôi và hi vọng Ngài sẽ quan tâm. Tôi cũng muốn quý Ngài dành sự chú ý đặc biệt cho sản phẩm máy chủ của chúng tôi bởi vì đó là một thành công lớn của chúng tôi. Chúng tôi tin tưởng rằng đây là sản phẩm tốt nhất thuộc loại này và chúng tôi chắc chắn rằng quý Ngài sẽ thấy nó bán chạy thật sự. Nếu có gì quan tâm thêm, xin quý Ngài đừng ngại báo cho chúng tôi biết. Chúng tôi hi vọng sẽ nhận được đơn đặt hàng của quý Ngài mà chúng tôi sẽ dành cho nó một sự quan tâm đặc biệt. Kính thư,