1. Match the equivalents:

   1. Of today’s date	a) Рекламация
   2. Claim letter	b) Письмо с целью урегулирования претензий
   3. Adjustment letter	c) Заключение
   4. Of yesterday’s date	d) Приветствие
   5. Closing	e) Официальный тон
   6. Formal tone	f) От вчерашнего числа
   7. Salutation	g) От сегодняшнего числа
   8. Order letter	h) Прилагать
   9. Enclose	i) Текст письма
   10. Inquiry letter	j) Предмет письма
   12. Body	k) Строка с наименованием адресата
   13. Subject line	l) Внутренний адрес
   14. Sales letter	m) Обратный адрес
   15. Inside address	n) Заголовок, шапка
   16. Attention line	o) Письмо-извинение
   17. Acknowledgment letter	p) Заказ
   18. Return address	q) Запрос
   19. Heading	r)Уведомление
   20. Apology letter	s) Письмо с предложением о продаже

2. Answer these questions:

1. What is the basic means of communication between two companies?

2. How many business letters are written every day?

3. Which tone do most business letters have? Why?

4. Why do many executives still prefer a written document?

5. What does empathy mean?

6. What does it mean to write a good letter?

7. Why can business letters be challenging to write?

8. Why is writing business letters like any other document?

9. Why is it important to understand the service perspective when writing a business letter?

10. Why is the tone of business letter so important?

11. What should one avoid writing a business letter?

Text c Types of business letters

1. Read and translate this text in a written form:

The Adjustment letter

Here you respond to a claim letter and tell the customer how you plan to handle the situation. Regardless of what your final decision is, your purpose remains the same: show that you value the customer’s business and concerns, and that your company is fair and reasonable.

If the customer’s complaint can be resolved, simply express your regret about the situation, state the correction you will make, and end on a positive note by encouraging future business with your company.

The Claim letter

When you have a complaint, you use a claim letter to relay this information in a professional and ethical manner to the person you have the problem with. The purpose of the claim letter is to convince the reader that you have a legitimate complaint that deserves a desired response.

The more professional and written the claim letter is, the better the chance you have of receiving positive feedback in your favour. Consider this strategy when writing a claim letter: - identify the problem or service, explain the problem, propose a solution, end the letter respectfully.

The Order letter

This is the most common form of business communication, and it is written for a manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer.

When writing an order letter, include all the information the reader will need to identify the merchandise, such as: quantity, model number, dimensions, capacity, material, price.

The Inquiry letter

As the title indicates, the purpose of this form is to obtain information from the reader. If the reader is expecting the letter, your task is easy.

If the reader is not expecting your letter, then it is more difficult. In this case, following these four guidelines will be helpful: state your purpose, list your questions or requested action, offer something in return to encourage action, follow up with a thank you note, e-mail, or phone call to the person who helped you with your respect.

The Sales letter

When writing a sales letter, it is important to have a good attitude in order to sell your product or service, because the reader will want to know why they should spend their valuable time reading the letter. Therefore, you need to provide clear, specific information that will explain to the reader why they should be interested in buying your product or service.

The Acknowledgement letter

There is no better way to loose business than to allow a letter to remain unanswered. Even if you are trying to keep your head above the flood waters of the busy season, acknowledging the receipt of a letter is polite and looks efficient. Acknowledgements can also be used to obtain further information to speed the relationship along.

Simple acknowledgements of the receipt of a letter (an enquiry, perhaps, or an order or application) can be printed on postcards and addressed using sticky labels, or on A5 headed paper (a short message such as these would look terse on A4). If using postcards, remember to have them printed with your company’s name and address.

The Apology letter

There are some occasions when there is no getting round it – you are in the wrong. You may have made a complaint that turns out to be unfounded, or you may have failed to do something you promised to do/ or done something you promised not to do. Whatever the situation, it is wise to make the apology immediately/ or as soon as possible after you find out that the apologies are in order – probably the best way to do this is by letter – it is so much easier to apologize on paper than in person.

The way to word an apology depends on the exact situation, but try to avoid abject groveling, and flimsy excuses. Try to sound sincere, and, where necessary, be prepared to take full responsibility.

Letters of apology are best written in the formal style, using the title and surname, and signing with ‘Yours sincerely’.

Responding to letters of complaint

Letters of complaint should always be taken very seriously/ especially if you are providing goods or services.

Your letter should be courteous, even if the complainant has abused you. You should be truthful – if you have already been having trouble with the product, say so. Try not to sound as if you are making excuses, but offer a reasonable explanation for the lapse. Never show that you do not believe the customer, or lead him to believe that the matter is not being taken seriously. Say that the customer’s patronage is important to you, and apologize for inconvenience.