Татьяна Бочкарева - Английский язык для студентов заочной формы обучения

Business letters may be divided into official and semi-official. The first kind of letters is characteristic of those people working in business: an executive, a department manager, a salesman, a secretary or a specialist in business and technology. But also many people may want to buy something, to accept an invitation or to congratulate somebody – this is a kind of semi-official letters. The first kind of letters may in turn be subdivided into such groups as: inquiries, offers, orders, and so on.

Example 1. An inquiry letter

HOWARD & PRATT Ladies' Clothing 306, 3d Avenue Chicago, 111. 60602

JACKSON & MILES

118 Regent Street

London WIC 37D

UK

Gentlemen: 21 Oct, 2000

We saw your women's dresses and suits in your October catalogue. The lines you showed would be most suitable for our market.

Would you kindly send us your quotation for spring and summer clothing that you could supply to us by the end of January next.

We would require 2,000 dresses and suits in each of the sizes 10-14, and 500 in sizes 8 and 16. Please quote c.i.f. Chicago prices.

Payment is normally made by letter of credit. Thank you for an early reply.

Very truly yours,

P.Pratt

P.PRATT.Jr

Buyer

NOTES:In the first part of a letter there is a kind of introduction as a prospective customer approaches supplier for the first time, and it is from this part that we found out that the correspondents are engaged in textile industry.

The second part expresses request for detailed information about the goods in question, their prices and terms of possible transaction.

In this example we come across the abbreviation concerning the terms of delivery, that are commonly accepted in business world.

c. i.f.– cost, insurance, freight.

If consignment is to be delivered according to c.i.f., then the supplier insures the goods and pays for the whole delivery.

f. o.b.– free on board.

If consignment is to be delivered according to f.o.b., then the supplier pays for transportation to port, ship or air shipment and dispatch; and the customer pay» for onward transportation and insurance.

f. o.r.– free on rail.

It is the same as f.o.b., but for railway transportation. с & f– cost and freight.

If consignment is to be delivered according to с & f, then the supplier pays for the whole delivery and the customer – for insurance,

Example 2. The answering letter

JACKSON & MILES 118 Regent Street London WIC 37D UK

HOWARD & PRATT

Ladies' Clothing

306, 3d Avenue

Chicago, 111. 60602

28 Oct, 2000

Dear Sirs,

We are pleased to make you an offer regarding our products in the size you require. Nearly all the mod responsible for making decisions and taking risks. To operate successfully you need to follow well defined instructions and you prefer work that is both regular and predictable.

2.2.6.3 Задание 3. Ответьте на вопросы по тексту

1 What is an essential part of business communication?

2 What should all business paper sent by mail be accompanied by?

3 What does the business letter say?

4 How is a typical business letter called?

5 Why is it important to make business letter well?

6 Why are more agreements, made in English?

7 What are three stages of transactions involving business contracts?

8 How may business letters be divided?

9 What do we call “a semi-official letters”?

2.2.7.1 Задание 1. Прочитайте и запомните следующие слова и словосочетания:

advertiser – рекламный агент;

prediction – прогноз;

opinion poll – опрос общественного мнения;

to depend on/upon – зависеть от;

to make a decision – принять решение;

to refer to – ссылаться на, обращаться;

to interpret – перерабатывать, объяснять;

treatment of data – обработка данных;

investigation – исследование;

representative – показательный, наглядный;

comprehensive – исчерпывающий;

to improve – улучшать;

raw data – сырые данные;

ballot – избирательный бюллетень;

item – единица совокупности;

to consider – рассматривать;

observation – наблюдение;

infinite – бесконечный;

finite – конечный;

to conduct – провести;

census – перепись населения;

to draw conclusion – сделать вывод;

to obtain – получать;

result – результат;

index – индекс;

report – доклад;

method – метод;

data – данные;

to collect – собирать;

to analyze – анализировать;

numerical – цифровой;

bureau – бюро;

accurate – точный;

gigantic – гигантский;

generalization – обобщение;

to select – выбирать;

to present – представлять;

graph – диаграмма;

chart – таблица.

2.2.7.2 Задание 2. Прочитайте текст А переведите его письменно

Text A.

Anyone who listens to the radio, watches TV, reads newspapers, books, magazines can not help but be aware of statistics. Statistics appears in the claims of advertisers, in predictions of election results & opinion polls & in business reports. Every science depends to some extent upon gathering of data by statistical methods On the basis of statistics important decisions are made. Statistical techniques are used extensively in marketing, accounting, finance, international trade, economics, legislation, and other fields.

Statistics is the body of principles and methods that has been developed for collecting, analyzing, presenting and interpreting large masses of numerical data. Without statistical treatment of data there would be no way to put facts together to see what they mean.

The results of statistical investigations may sometimes be stated in a single sentence, as in weather forecasts. Usually they are organized in the form of numerical tables, graphs or charts.

Statistical data are usually collected in one of the following ways:

1) by consulting existing source of material, such as periodicals and newspapers, or reports from industries , government agencies and research bureaus;

2) by setting up a survey and collecting data at first hand from individuals or organizations;

3) by conducting scientific experiments, measuring or counting under controlled conditions.

Raw data must be collected in such a way that it is accurate, representative and as comprehensive as possible. Statistical treatment of data can not in any way improve the basic validity or accuracy of raw data.

The main aim of statistics is to find out something about population. A population, from a statistician's point of view, may consists of individuals- such as all the students in the Orenburg State University or all the inmates at Attica prison- or it may also consists of objects, such as all the automobiles produced by Ford company. A population may also consists of a group of measurements, such as all the heights of the basketball players in the NBA. Note that a population in the statistical sense of the word does not necessarily refer to people.

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