PS Sprachenservice Writing Guide

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1 PS Sprachenservice Writing Guide

2 Contents 1. Tips and Rules 1.1 dates and times 1.2 capitalisation 1.3 style 1.4 linking words 1.5 expressing opinion 1.6 punctuation 2. Structure 2.1 salutations 2.2 introducing the 2.3 main body 2.4 closing the 2.5 complimentary close 2.6 example structure

3 1. Tips and Rules 1.1 dates and times Dates The British write the date in the same format as in German. DD/MM/YYYY 6/5/ May 2015 The Americans write the month first. MM/DD/YYYY 6/5/2015 June 5, 2015 Our tip is to write the date in full so there is no misunderstanding. Spoken English: the sixth of May 2015 Written English: 6 May 2015 / May 6, 2015 Times We can write times like this: am = before midday pm = after midday (note: we do not write o'clock or 7h) 7am / 07:30 7pm / 19:30 08:30am / 08:30 8:30pm / 20:30 Prepositions of time at - definite time e.g. at 10am, at Easter, at the weekend on - date, day of the week e.g. on April 1 st, on Tuesday in - month, year e.g. in March, in 2015 no preposition We don't use a preposition with the following time expressions: today tomorrow yesterday last night next week Vocabulary today heute Monday Montag tomorrow morgen Tuesday Dienstag yesterday gestern Wednesday Mittwoch morning morgens Thursday Donnerstag midday Mittag Friday Freitag lunch time Mittagspause Saturday Samstag afternoon Nachmittags Sunday Sonntag evening Abends January Januar night Nacht February Februar midnight Mitternacht March März this morning heute Morgen April April this afternoon heute Nachmittag May Mai this evening heute Abend June Juni day Tag July Juli month Monat August August year Jahr September September last month im letzten Monat October Oktober next month im nächsten Monat November November December Dezember

4 1. Tips and Rules 1.2 capitalisation We use capital letters in the following cases: The first word of an or a letter. The first word of a sentence. The pronoun 'I' People's names Company names Names of departments when used directly, e.g. He is the Sales Manager. The days of the week, the months of the year, and holidays (but not the seasons), e.g. Monday, October, Christmas The names of countries, nationalities, and specific languages, e.g. Germany, Germans, German The major words in titles, e.g. ing Guide. Abbreviations, e.g. ASAP, FYI. We do not use capital letters in the following cases: The pronoun 'you'. Nouns for objects, e.g. table. Names of departments when used indirectly, e.g. Our company has a sales manager. Most Latin abbreviations (e.g., i.e., etc.).

5 1. Tips and Rules 1.3 style The style of your written work will depend on: who you write to - it is to a colleague or to a customer? the situation - are you starting the correspondence or are you just replying quickly? how you want to express yourself - formal, semi-formal or informal? Here are some words, which you could use to express your level of formality. Informal to get to tell to help help to get in touch OK to answer to put off to ask to need want (informal and a little rude) can I m thanks I m sorry happy Formal to receive to inform to assist assistance to contact convenient to reply to postpone to enquire to require would like could I am thank you I apologize / I regret delighted

6 1. Tips and Rules 1.4 linking words Group English German Example sentence adding information contrasting expressing reason/cause expressing result examples making reference abbreviations linking clauses and und I need the offer and the invoice. moreover außerdem, Moreover, I need the contract. zudem furthermore, außerdem Furthermore, I need the offer. in addition, zusätzlich In addition to the offer, I also need the first order. but aber The order is correct but the invoice is wrong. however, allerdings The order is correct however, the invoice is wrong. although obwohl Although the parts arrived early, we still delivered late. though obwohl Though the parts arrived early, we still delivered late. despite trotz We delivered late despite the parts arriving early. in spite of trotzdem We delivered late in spite of the parts arriving early. nevertheless nichtsdestotrotz We will nevertheless go to the seminar. because weil The invoice was wrong because of a duplicate order. as weil The invoice was wrong as there was a duplicate order. since weil The invoice was wrong since there was a duplicate order. as a result, als Folge des/r As a result of the machine failure we will deliver late. because of auf Grund The machine failed because of a fault in motor. due to auf Grund The machine failed due to a fault in motor. owing to auf Grund The machine failed owing to a fault in motor. so daher, deshalb The machine failed so our products will be delayed. therefore daher, deshalb The machine failed therefore our products will be delayed. thus daher The machine failed thus our products will be delayed. hence daher(rührend) The machine failed hence our products will be delayed. consequently infolgedessen The machine failed, consequently our products will be delayed. as a consequence, infolgedessen As a consequence of the failure, our products will be late. as a result, infolgedessen As a result of the machine failure, our products will be late. lead to zu etw. führen A machine failure can lead to a delay in production. result in zu etw. führen A machine failure can result in a delay in production. for example, (e.g.) zum Beispiel We need new ideas, for example, how to save energy. for instance, zum Beispiel We need new ideas, for instance, how to save energy. such as zum Beispiel We need new ideas such as how to save energy. like wie We need new ideas like how to save energy. regarding bezüglich I am writing to you regarding the late delivery. concerning bezüglich/ I am writing to you concerning the late delivery. betreffend about bezüglich I am writing to you about the late delivery. according to gemäß According to the report, our profit fell last quarter. in reference to mit Bezug auf In reference to your of 15 June... referring to mit Bezug auf Referring to your of 15 June... e.g. z. B. We need new ideas, e.g., how to save energy. i.e. d.h. We could save energy in the morning, i.e., before 6am. etc. usw. We make savings with water, electricity, etc. am morgens We could save energy in the morning, i.e., before 6am. pm nachmittags We could save energy in the evening, i.e., after 6pm. There was an accident on the motorway. The accident caused a delay to our delivery. There was an accident on the motorway, which caused a delay to our delivery. There was an accident on the motorway, causing a delay to our delivery.

7 1. Tips and Rules 1.5 expressing opinion Asking for opinion Giving opinion What s your feeling about that? What s your opinion? What do you think? What s your point of view? I think... / I believe... I m quite certain that... I feel sure that... The way I see it is... In my opinion... Agreeing I agree completely Absolutely You are correct/right I m in favour of that. That s true. You have a point there. Disagreeing I m not sure. I can t (quite) agree with you I m not in favour I can t go along with you there I agree up to a point but/however... I don t think so. I m afraid I disagree. Using positives before disagreeing Unfortunately, but... I m afraid but... I m sorry but...

8 1. Tips and Rules 1.6 punctuation Commas 1. Between three of more items in a list: Our corporate colours are green, white and grey. 2. For two adjectives, use a comma where you could use "and". It was a short, interesting presentation. (It was a short and interesting presentation.) 3. For numbers over 999. (note the difference between English and German.) 77,650 (German: ) $25, (German: ,30$) 10.5m (German: 10,5m) 4. For addresses, US dates and titles following a name. Bremen, Germany July 18, 2015 (American style) David Johnson, Head of Marketing 5. Before or after direct speech. He said, "We must start the meeting now." 6. For clauses that can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence. Our machine, which is new, produces rotors. 7. For independent clauses. There was an accident on the motorway. The accident caused a delay to our delivery. There was an accident on the motorway, which caused a delay to our delivery. 8. Sentence adverbs (words like however, furthermore that modify a whole sentence). The shipment arrived on time, however it was damaged. Furthermore, we require the proof of delivery. 9. An adverbial clause often needs a comma when it comes at the beginning of a sentence (but not at the end of a sentence). If I win the lottery, I will travel around the world. I will travel around the world if I win the lottery. Apostrophes Possessives - We only need to make the difference between the singular and plural. singular nouns - takes 's after the word, e.g. The plane's engine The plane's engines (one plane) plural nouns - takes the ' after the plural word e.g. The workers' rest room The workers' rest rooms (more than one worker - workers is already plural) irregular nouns The person's laptop The people's laptops (people is already plural) Quotation marks He said, "We must start the meeting now."

9 2. Structure 2.1 salutations The salutation you use will depend on the style you need. Formal English Dear Mr Smith Dear Ms Smith Dear Sir or Madam (note: 'Ms' is the neutral form. Mrs/Miss should be avoided) Semi-formal English Dear Alan Informal English Hi Alan Using first names English is a relatively informal language in respect to using names. It is perfectly normal and acceptable to write to people using first names. It is also common for some people to write an to someone they know quite well and not to use a salutation at all. This is not considered rude just quick in today s fast world of communication. If you are starting the correspondence, then you might want to start formally with 'Dear Mr Smith'. However, expect that the reply could use your first name. US English US English differs here: Dear Mr. Smith: Dear Ms. Smith, Ladies and Gentlemen:

10 2. Structure 2.2 introducing the Thank you for Vielen Dank für. I'm writing to ask about / to tell you that / to confirm... Ich schreibe um nach...zu fragen / um Ihnen zu sagen, dass... / um...zu bestätigen. With reference to your of 12 January, Bezug nehmend auf Ihre vom 12. Januar. Further to our discussion last week, Bezüglich unserer Diskussion letzter Woche. I am writing concerning / regarding / about your... Ich schreibe bezüglich Ihrer/s... I am writing to Ich schreibe Ihnen, um. How are you? Hope you are well. Wie geht es Ihnen? Ich hoffe, bei Ihnen ist alles in Ordnung. Thanks very much for your / your letter / your phone call about... Vielen Dank für Ihre / Ihren Brief / Ihren Anruf zu... This is to say thanks for... Hiermit sage ich / sagen wir Dank für... Good to hear from you. Schön, von Ihnen zu hören.

11 2. Structure 2.3 main body Could you... Könnten Sie... I would like... Ich möchte... Asking for things - Nach Dingen fragen I would be grateful if you could... Ich wäre Ihnen dankbar, wenn Sie... könnten. Could you send me / let me have / tell me / let me know...? Könnten Sie mir... schicken / mir... zukommen lassen / mir sagen / mich wissen lassen...? Do you know (if)...? Wissen Sie, (ob)...? Do you have...? Haben Sie...? Replying Antworten Here is the / Here are the... that you wanted. Hier ist der (die/das) / Hier sind die..., die Sie wünschten. You asked about... / wanted to know about... Sie fragten nach... / Wollten etwas wissen zu... I hope this helps. Ich hoffe, das ist eine Hilfe. Let me know if you need anything else. Lassen Sie es mich wissen, wenn Sie noch irgendetwas brauchen. Sending attachments - Anhänge senden Please find attached I'm sending you... / I'm attaching... Im Anhang erhalten Sie Ich schicke Ihnen... / Anbei sende ich Ihnen... (note: attachment = enclosure = post) Apologizing - Sich entschuldigen Sorry / I apologize for the delay in replying. Entschuldigen Sie / Ich entschuldige mich für die verspätete Antwort. We must apologize for We deeply regret Wir müssen uns (für ) entschuldigen. Wir bedauern zutiefst,. I do apologize for any inconvenience caused. Ich entschuldige mich für etwaige Unannehmlichkeiten. I m really sorry for / about Es tut mir sehr leid, (dass).

12 Good news Gute Nachrichten We are delighted to confirm that Wir freuen uns,. zu bestätigen. / Wir freuen uns, dass wir. bestätigen können. You will be pleased to hear that I m happy to Sie werden erfreut sein zu hören, dass Ich freue mich (Ihnen mitteilen zu können), dass We are grateful for your assistance in this matter Wir sind dankbar für Ihre Unterstützung in dieser Angelegenheit Bad news Schlechte Nachrichten We regret to inform you that Wir bedauern, Ihnen mitteilen zu müssen.. I am afraid that Unfortunately, I m sorry, but Ich fürchte, dass Leider. Es tut mir leid, aber. Offering help Hilfe anbieten If you require more information, we would be happy to Falls Sie weitere Informationen benötigen, wären wir erfreut, Ihnen Would you like me to Möchten Sie, dass ich.? making appointments Asking and Suggesting - Fragen und vorschlagen Could we meet next week? Könnten wir uns nächste Woche treffen? Do you have time next week for a meeting? Haben Sie nächste Woche Zeit für ein Treffen? How about 11am on Monday? Are you free at 11am on Monday? Would Monday be convenient? Would Monday suit you? Wie wäre es mit Montag, 11 Uhr? Haben Sie am Montag um 11 Uhr Zeit? Wäre Ihnen Montag recht/passend? Würde Ihnen Montag passen? Responding Antworten That would be convenient. That s fine / OK for me. Sorry, I can t make it. I m tied up all day on Friday. I m afraid I m busy all day. Das wäre für mich passend. Das passt mir gut. Tut mir leid, das schaffe ich nicht. Ich bin den ganzen Freitag beschäftigt. Ich fürchte, ich bin den ganzen Tag beschäftigt.

13 Confirming - Bestätigen I can confirm the appointment for... That s fine with me. Ich kann den Termin für... bestätigen. Das geht für mich in Ordnung. Changing an Arrangement Einen Termin ändern/umlegen I m writing about our meeting on Monday. Ich schreibe bezüglich unseres Treffens am Montag. I m afraid something has come up. Ich fürchte, mir ist etwas dazwischen gekommen. I m afraid I must cancel / call off the meeting. Ich fürchte, ich muss das Treffen leider absagen. I m afraid I must postpone / put back the meeting. Ich fürchte, ich muss das Treffen leider nach hinten verschieben. Could we reschedule our meeting? Könnten wir das Treffen verlegen? Could we meet a little earlier / later than planned? Könnten wir uns etwas früher / später treffen als geplant? I might be a few minutes late. Could we fix another time? Ich komme vielleicht ein paar Minuten später. Könnten wir eine andere Zeit ausmachen? I can t make it on Monday anymore. Ich werde es leider am Montag nicht mehr schaffen.

14 2. Structure 2.4 closing the Let me know if I can help further / if you have any questions / if you have any problems. - Lassen Sie es mich wissen, wenn ich Ihnen weiterhelfen kann/wenn Sie Fragen haben/wenn Sie irgendwelche Probleme haben. Do not hesitate to contact us again if you require further assistance. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, uns zu kontaktieren, falls Sie weitere Hilfe benötigen. If you have any further questions, please contact me. Falls Sie weitere Fragen haben, kontaktieren Sie uns bitte. Let me know if you need any more help. Lassen Sie es mich wissen, falls Sie weitere Hilfe brauchen. Thanks for your help. Danke für Ihre Unterstützung. I / We look forward to meeting you next week. Ich freue mich/wir freuen uns darauf, Sie nächste Woche zu treffen. I / We look forward to hearing from you. Ich freue mich /Wir freuen uns darauf, von Ihnen zu hören.

15 2. Structure 2.5 complimentary close Best regards - (is now considered a standard complimentary close for most companies) Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Yours faithfully (after Dear Sir or Madam) - (formal) Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Yours sincerely (after Dear Mr/Ms...) - (formal) Mit freundichen Grüßen, Sincerely / Yours truly / Sincerely Yours - (American English) Mit freundlichen Grüßen, With best wishes Mit den besten Wünschen Best wishes Beste Wünsche Kind regards Herzliche Grüße All the best Alles Gute

16 2. Structure 2.6 example structure From To Date 22 June 2016 Subject Sales Presentation Attachments Chinese Sales Presentation Salutation Introducing the Main Body Dear Ms Brown I am writing to you regarding the International Sales Conference in September this year. I would be grateful if you could me your sales presentation for the Asian region. Could you please it to me by the end of next week? Closing the Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you. Complimentary Close Best regards John Smith Head of European Sales