Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Common Phrases for Business Letters
ESLgold.com - Common Phrases for Business Letters
Request for information
I am writing to inquire about . . .
I am writing in reference to . . .
I read/heard . . . and would like to know . . .
Could you please send me . . .
at the address below/above
Thank you for your assistance.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Response to request
Thank you for your interest/inquiry
Enclosed is the information you requested.
You can learn more about this at . . .
If you have further questions,
If you require assistance, please contact:
If I can be of more help, please feel free to contact me at . . .
Sample Sentences: Requests
Could you please send me your most recent brochure?
Could you fax me the results of the market survey?
I would like to order ten copies of the book, Touchy Situations.
I would be very grateful if you could send me this information.
Please return the enclosed envelope with your payment.
Sample Sentences: Goodwill
Thank you for your hospitality.
I enjoyed having lunch with you last week while I was in New York.
Congratulations on your promotion to General Manager.
I want(ed) to congratulate you on your new position.
I was happy to hear that contract negotiations went well.
Sample Sentences: Introduction of Product/Service.
I am writing to tell you about . . .
(Our new product) is coming out next month.
This product/service is designed to (help you) . . .
Sample Sentences: Reference
I am writing in regard to . . .
I am writing in reference to . . .
Please refer to the enclosed invoice/brochure.
I hope you have had a chance to look over the materials we sent.
Sample Sentences: Confirmation
I am writing to confirm . . .
I would like to confirm what we discussed last Friday.
I would just like to confirm the main points we discussed . . .
Sample Sentences: Notification
I am writing to let you know that . . .
Please be aware/informed that . . .
I would like to inform you of a recent policy change.
I am happy to inform
you that . . .
Your request for funding has been approved.
Sample Sentences: Offering Assistance
We would be happy to . . .
If we can be of assistance, please don't hesitate to ask.
Sample Sentences: Collection
According to our records . . .
Our records show that . . .
Your monthly installment is past due.
Please send payment as soon as possible.
Monday, November 9, 2015
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Business English: Writing letters
1. Receiver (Who are you writing this to?)
- Someone you know (friend, colleague, business partner, group, company)
- Some one you don't know (To whom it may concern, Dear Sir/Madam)
- How do you expect the receiver to respond?
2. Sender (Who are you?)
- What is your relationship to the reader/receiver(s)?
- What role are you assuming in the letter?
- (friend, colleague, etc.)
3. Context (What background information does the reader need?)
- Bring the reader up to date first.
- Establish a connection
- As requested . . .
- It was nice meeting you in Toronto last week . . .
- I read your article in Vague Magazine .
- Supporting details
- Time frame (sequence of events)
4. Message (What do you want the reader to know or do?)
- What do you hope to accomplish with the letter (inform, persuade, initiate action)
- I am writing to inquire about . . .
- Could you please send me . . .
- Polite requests
- Please . . .
- Would you mind . . .
- Could you please . . .
- Would you be so kind as to . . .
5. Medium (What is the appropriate format?)
- Fax, e-mail, formal business letter, memo, informal note
6. Tone (What tone do you wish to convey?)
- informative
- polite
- business-like
- friendly
- humble
- assertive
- urgent
- irate
7. Other recipients (Are there others who need to be informed of this communication?)
- cc: courtesy copy
- Why am I writing this letter?
- What do I hope to accomplish?
- What action do I want from my reader?
- Who will read this letter?
- How can I appeal to the reader's interest?
- What attitude might the reader have toward this information?
- Will the reader consider this good news or bad news?
- What information should be included first/last?
- What details does the reader need to know?
- Does my conclusion motivate the reader to do something?
- Do I end the letter in a positive and polite manner?
- Do I use a professional business letter format?
- Do my language and style show a positive attitude toward the reader/the company/the product/the information.
- Will my reader be offended by anything in the letter?
- Are there any spelling errors, typos, etc.?
- Is the format of the letter appropriate?
- Have I signed my name?
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Business English: Presentations
- (Good morning, afternoon, evening)
- I'm happy to be here.
- I'm glad to have this opportunity to . . .
- Today, I'd like to talk (to you) about .
- My topic today is . .
- The focus of my remarks is . . .
- I'd like to share some thoughts on (topic)
- Let me start by . . .
- First, let me tell you about . . .
- I've divided my topic into (three) parts: (They are . . .)
- For example,
- For instance,
- Let me illustrate,
- To illustrate,
- In conclusion
- To conclude,
- To summarize,
- To sum up,
- It is common to greet the audience and introduce yourself when giving presentations:
- Good morning,/afternoon/evening
- I'm _________, the new Finance Manager.
- My name is ________ and I represent _______
- Let me take a minute to introduce myself.
- Let me start by telling you a little about our company.
- I've already met some of you, but for those I haven't , I'm _____
- I'm here to talk about . . .
- Today, I'd like to say a few words about . . .
- I'm going to give you an overview of . . .
- The main reason I'm here today is . . .
- The focus of my remarks is . . .
- I'd like to introduce . . .
- Thank you for your time
- Thank you for taking the time to be here
- I will probably take about . . . minutes
- This should last only a few minutes
- I hope to be finished by . . .
- First,
- Second
- Third
- Finally
- Let's move on to . . .
- Let's move on to . . .
- That brings us to . . .
- Giving Reasons
- This is why . . .
- The main reason is . . .
- Therefore,
- So,
- Generally,
- Usually,
- As a rule,
- Most of the time.
- In most cases.
- Actually,
- In fact,
- As a matter of fact,
- In PArticular
- Particularly
- Especially
- For example,
- For instance,
- Such as
- To sum up
- To summarize
- In brief
- To conclude
- In conclusion
- Are/Were there any questions?
- We have just a few minutes for questions
- I'm happy to be here.
- I'm glad to have this opportunity.
- (Smile)
- (Turn nervousness into enthusiasm.)
- I (really) want to tell you about this.
- I have something interesting to tell you.
- This is something I think you should know . . .
- This is important (to you) because . . .
- You will be interested to know that . . .
- You will benefit by knowing this . . .
- The information is as follows: A,B,C....
- First, I will tell you about . . .
- These are the main points/supporting ideas . . .
- The best way to understand this information is . . .
- Look at this. It will help you understand my topic . . .
- This shows (you) . . .
Friday, November 6, 2015
Business English: Terms of Payment
I'll put it on my credit card.
Can I charge it?
Could you put that on my bill?
Could I put that on my account?
Could you send me an invoice?
Could you bill me (for that)?
Can I put it on lay-away?
May I . . .
pay in cash
pay by check
pay by credit card
pay with a credit card
pay in installments
pay in one lump sum
Could you deliver it to my office?
Do you charge for shipping?
Do I need to pay for postage and handling?
How long will it take?
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Business English: Invitations
Would you like to . . .
We're going to . . . . Would you like to come along?
There's a . . . . (tonight). Would you like to go?
How about (V+ing) . . . ?
Do you want to . . . ?
I wonder if you would like to . . .
I was wondering if you would like to . . .
Formal:
I'd like to invite you to . . .
If you have time, I'd like to invite you . . .
Would you like to join us for (event) at (time) ?
We'd be glad to have you accompany us . . .
We'd be delighted/honored to have you as our guest at . . .
From: ESLGold.com
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Business English: Expressing appeciation
Thank you.
I appreciate it.
Thanks for the tour.
Thank you for the nice gift.
I appreciate your hospitality.
I appreciate your lending me the chain saw.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Business English: Company Introductions
Which company are you with?
Who do you represent?
I work for ABC Company.
I'm with ABC.
I represent (the) XYZ (company).
What is the name of your company?
Where are you located?
The name of our company is . . . .
Our company is located in . . . .
Our headquarters is in . . .
What (type of business) do you do?
What business are you in?
We are in the computer business.
We're in computers
We sell . . .
We produce . . .
We manufacture . . .
Our major products are . . .
Monday, November 2, 2015
Business English: Introducing yourself and others in English
I'm Jackie. (Use first name in informal situations)
2. I'm John Kennedy.
I'm Jackie O'Neill. (Use full name in business and formal situations)
3. (It's) nice to meet you.
(It's) nice meeting you. (It's) good to meet you.
4. Nice to meet you too.
Here are some phrases for introducing other people in English.
Informal
This is my boss, Mr. Stratford.
Jared, this is my secretary, Barbara.
Good to meet you.
Nice to meet you too.
I'd like you to meet my co-worker, Collin Beck.
Collin, this is Susan Palmer.
Nice to meet you.
My pleasure.
Have you met, Jason?
Jason, this is Teresa.
Hi, I'm Jill Watson.
I don't believe we've met. I'm Greg.
Formal
I'd like to introduce you to my dear friend, Mrs. Pleasant.
Allow me to introduce myself/my colleague, Ms. Winters
Let me introduce you to my colleague, Dean Richards.
Mr. Richards, this is David Porter from Aerospace Inc.
How do you do?
How do you do?
It's a pleasure meeting you.
Important body language to remember: Smile, eye contact, firm handshake.
From :http://www.eslgold.com/
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Gender revolution: minus a bigger paycheck?
Women are more likely than men to have a bachelor’s degree and a white-collar job, yet continue to earn less than their male counterparts, finds a new study spanning two generations in the United States.
Stephanie Nawyn, a Michigan State University sociologist and study co-author, said the findings reinforce the existence of a “gender revolution” – except when it comes to salaries.
“Women have eliminated the gender gap in some respects,” Nawyn said. “They now have more college education then men. They have higher occupational status than men. But it’s problematic when you realize that women have still not completely closed the earnings gap.”
Nawyn and colleagues analyzed U.S. Census socioeconomic data of more than 180,000 people at two points in time. The study looked at Latino and Asian immigrants in 1980 and then at their children’s generation 25 years later (in 2005), as well as non-Hispanic whites whose parents were not immigrants.
In 1980, men led women by a significant margin in bachelor’s-degree attainment, white-collar jobs and earnings, the study found. This held true for all three groups: Asians, Latinos and whites.
By 2005, the story had mostly flipped, with women in all three groups overtaking men in bachelor’s-degree attainment and white-collar jobs.
“Women have increased their mobility across generations better than men have,” Nawyn said. “In this sense, there has been a gender revolution.”
But this progress did not translate into women surpassing men’s earnings. In 2005, women on average earned $39,472, while men earned $50,900 – an $11,428 difference between the sexes. The gender earnings gap was largest between white men and women ($14,204) and smallest between Latino men and women ($7,985).
The study also found major gaps between ethnic groups.
Both white men and women, for example, are much more likely to get a bachelor’s degree and a white-collar job than Latino men and women. In addition, whites on average earn $6,500 more per year than Latinos.
“It’s not that the children of immigrants aren’t doing better than their parents, because they are,” said Nawyn. “They just aren’t completely closing the gap with the white mainstream population.”
The study appears in the October issue of the journal Demography. Julie Park from the University of Maryland was the lead author; MSU’s Nawyn and Maryland’s Megan Benetsky were co-authors.
An aricle from MSU Today
Importance of English in a workplace
Remember how complicated it was to understand your health care benefits when you got your first real job? Now imagine trying to figure it out if all the information was in another language. That is exactly what happens to millions of Spanish-speaking workers and their families in the United States, and it’s costing them — and their employers — a lot of money.
In 2013, 21 percent of U.S. households (about 62 million people) reported speaking a language other than English at home, and Spanish was by far the most common at 62 percent. That same year, there were roughly 11 million Latino immigrants working in the United States.
“As our workforce in this country becomes more diverse, it’s just good practice to think about what form information should come in for it to be most effective,” said Irfan Hasan, senior program officer of health and people with special needs at the New York Community Trust, which supports an array of nonprofits in the city. That means giving workers the information they need in a language — and platform — that is most easily accessible, he said.
Monday, October 26, 2015
Your Job Search and The "Jargon" of Industry Language
When it comes to job searching, jargon and its effective use by the candidate can be a make or break point to landing the job. For Hispanic professionals that have been educated in countries outside of the U.S. learning and embracing industry jargon can be one of the most challenging obstacles to finding great jobs. As people transition to the U.S. English as a second language focuses on conversational English. Hello, good-bye and how do I get to the train station? Although necessary and essential, when it comes to finding a job, a true mark of a professional or qualified job seeker is greatly connected to how well they are able to speak the industry language in terms that are common to that environment or career field.
As a foreign or relatively new job seekers in the U.S. concentrate on learning and understanding your trade language. Drill down into Google and do searches on any industry jargon. I can assure you that hundreds will pop up. For Spanish/English speakers make learning industry language a priority. One of my favorite sites is BusinessSpanish.com. This website is primarily for English speakers who want to learn business Spanish; but I find its versatility very appropriate even for Spanish speakers wanting to learn business English. The site has great audio features that allow you to hear words in their proper pronunciation. Its best feature is its vocabulary listing that groups words by industry or career field. Proper use of industry jargon makes a resume powerful and provides a great impression during an interview. Learn the power of words. Use internet resource as a source of learning. And remember that a kindergarten vocabulary will not help you land the college level job you want.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
More Spanish Speakers In America Than Spain
According to the Instituto Cervantes, here’s how many people speak Spanish in the U.S. and Spain.
1) Less Americans speak Spanish really well (Native-Level Speakers).
Spain: 43.9 million
U.S.: 41.3 million
2) More Americans speak Spanish sorta-okay (Limited Competence).
Spain: 3.7 million
U.S.: 11.6 million
That’s right, 11.6 million people are learning a fair amount of Spanish from their high school teachers or abuelas.
3) More Americans study Spanish than any other in the world. Brazilians are a close second. France is a distant third.
U.S. Spanish students: 7.8 million
Brazil Spanish students: 6.1 million
France Spanish students: 2.5 million
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Meet Anna María Chávez:CEO Of Girl Scouts Of The USA
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
The worst mistakes job candidates make in (or before) interviews that can make them look seriously unqualified:
Did you know?
#HispanicHeritageMonth #Thehill #AReasonToBeProud #TheHillFunFacts
Monday, October 12, 2015
Benefits of Spanish for career advancement
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Interview Etiquette for Hispanic/Latino Job Seekers:
Sometimes candidates may reveal too much information, because they are not aware there are questions that interviewers are not legally permitted to ask. It is very important not to give out unnecessary personal information that is not specifically relevant to the job.
The candidate who is prompt and prepared can go in with confidence. And if the questions the interviewer asks are inappropriately personal, then it's a good idea to look elsewhere for employment.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Why your language skills are your most important asset:
-Being multicultural or multilingual demonstrates I can adjust my style to different people and situations.
-Being multicultural or multilingual indicates I have experienced looking at problems and opportunities from different perspectives.
-Being multicultural or multilingual indicates I think before I act.
-Being multicultural or multilingual means I know how it feels to be misunderstood, and I also know what it takes to reverse misunderstandings.
Friday, October 9, 2015
Scared about what to wear on your interview? Here is a cool tip fromOprah.com:
Email Etiquette Tips for Job Seekers:
When possible, send your email to a contact person, rather than a general email box. Send a copy to yourself, so you have a record of the emails you have sent and the jobs you have applied to.
Your email message needs a Subject Line. If it's blank it's probably going to end up in a Spam mailbox or being deleted
If you have a contact person, address your email to Dear Mr./Ms. LastName. If you don't, address your email to Dear Hiring Manager or simply start with the first paragraph of your message.
Include an email signature with your contact information, so it's easy for the hiring manager to get in touch with you. Including a link to your LinkedIn profile is a good way to give the hiring manager more information on your skills and abilities.
A few Ways The Job Search Has Changed:
Thursday, October 8, 2015
How Hispanics are reconciling their ethnic heritage with their U.S. identity, and how the U.S. cultural identity is in turn being shaped by the ethnic identity of Hispanics.
11 Important Facts About Latinos in the U.S. Workforce
3. In 2013, nearly one in four Latino families lived below the poverty line, nearly twice the national poverty rate.
Did you know?
#HispanicHeritageMonth #Thehill #AReasonToBeProud #TheHillFunFacts
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Jacksonville among 5 Secretly Cool Cities Where You Can Still Get in on the Ground Floor
If you're over watching Charleston patting herself on the back, can't even with Savannah's sleepiness but like the idea of hanging your hat in that part of the world, suspend disbelief and head down I-95 a piece. Yes, this is Florida, but ignore that little detail - most Floridians ignore Jacksonville, after all - until winter hits and you've still got plenty of sunshine and palm trees.
Distance from civilization 1.5 hours to Savannah
What's already there A small but active community of entrepreneurs working double time to change the image of this large but sleepy city. You name it, it's happening, from microbreweries ( Intuition, Aardwolf) to outstanding cafes (the hang-out-all-day Brew in happening Five Points, the brand-new Vagabond Coffee in Murray Hill), impressive farmers markets where you can meet local growers like Congaree and Penn, known for their terrific rice. (Yes, if you lived in Jacksonville you could source your rice locally, imagine.) Downtown, the city's oldest public square, Hemming Park, now has an open-air café, drop-in yoga and a popular beer festival; across the street in a gorgeously renovated private club is now one of the country's largest candy shops, complete with bar and restaurant. Out at the beach, stop in at Flask & Cannon for tiki drinks, while nearby in the couples weekend lamefest that is ye olde St. Augustine, signs of life like the Ice Plant, a stylish cocktail bar and small plates joint (try the pickled local white shrimp, devils on horseback, smoked fish dip) are beyond encouraging.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/David-Landsel/o-pioneer-5-secretly-cool_b_8233988.html
Why Business Cards Still Matter in the Digital Age
Did you know?
#HispanicHeritageMonth #Thehill #AReasonToBeProud #TheHillFunFacts