Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies

Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies Errors in English business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY

HANOI - 2020

Business correspondence is a term people often meet in the business field In anytype of business correspondence, writing business emails have always been the mostcommon way of communicating between businessmen because it can save time andtravel costs by exchanging work via emails and social networks Obviously, businessemail writing skills are becoming increasingly essential in the field of business,especially in companies cooperating with foreign countries However, not everyonecan write it perfectly In fact, writing is considered one of the most challenging skillsamong the four language skills, it always requires meticulousness and elaborateness.Specifically, writing English business email seems to be more difficult because itrequires a skillful combination of specialized knowledge as well as an extensiveknowledge of English In reality, when writing English business emails, the writer canmeet several problems relate to lexis, grammar, meaning expression, styles, andformats, etc There have been a number of studies in the field of businesscorrespondence, but there are still gaps in the topic of common errors in Englishbusiness emails As a result, this study was conducted to fill those gaps This research

is aimed at Vietnamese people working in foreign companies, focusing on studyingtheir errors when dealing with business emails, then find out the possible solutions forboth the staff and the company Besides, the study also targets at making somesuggestions as a useful reference to help businessmen avoid mistakes that should nothave occurred in writing English business email To achieve those aims, the researcherapplied a quantitative method to conduct the research The author also used thetechnique of analyzing to delve deeper into the issue The gathered data includes fiftyreal emails written by staff working in foreign companies and presented as apercentage to make a comparison The findings from this research are hoping to beuseful not only for the Vietnamese people working in foreign companies but also forall employees in general

During the process of doing this graduation paper, I have received muchnecessary assistance as well as precious ideas from my teachers, family, and friends.Their kindly help, care, encouragement gave me strength and lift me to complete thisgraduate paper

First and foremost, I would like to express my profound respect and heartfeltgratitude to my supervisor Ms Pham Thi Phuong for her whole-hearted assistance,thoughtful advice, comments as well as valuable time from the preparation to thecompletion of this research Her support was very precious for me to improve myunderstanding of this subject Without her motivation and instructions, the studywould have never been done effectively

Secondly, my sincere thanks also go to all the teachers at the English Faculty ofThuongmai University for their enthusiasm in teaching me useful lessons, bringingvaluable knowledge, and providing us with a good environment to fulfill thisgraduation paper

Besides, this research could not be completed without the enthusiasticcooperation of the staff in Bamboo Software Co Ltd They enthusiasticallycooperated, supported, and provided me documents needed for the research So, I alsowould like to present my deepest gratefulness to all of them for providing useful.Furthermore, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all authors oftextbooks and documents listed in the reference part The ideas and results in thesereference materials have been reflected and developed in this study

Last but not least, I owe sincere and earnest thankfulness to my parents for theirendless love, and have the most assistance as well as motivation for me I also wouldlove to express my thanks to my brothers and friends for encouraging and enthusiasticsupport me a lot as well as giving me much useful advice for me in finishing mygraduation paper.”

Hanoi, November 23rd, 2020

StudentNguyen Thi Luu Yen

TABLES OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

TABLES OF CONTENTS iii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vi

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Previous studies 2

1.2.1 International Studies 2

1.2.2 National Studies 3

1.3 Aims of the study 4

1.4 Research subject 5

1.5 Scope of the study 5

1.6 Research methodology 6

1.7 Organization of the study 6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 8

2.1 Overview of error 8

2.1.1 Definitions of error 8

2.1.2 Error Analysis 9

2.1.3 Mother Tongue Influence (Interlingual Errors) 9

2.1.4 Target Language Causes (Intralingual Errors) 9

2.2 Overview of English business email 11

2.2.1 Definition of English business email 11

2.2.2 The importance of English business email 13

2.2.3 The purposes of English business email 14

2.1.4 The format of the English business email 15

2.2.5 Types of English business email 17

2.2.6 Essential techniques in writing English business email. 20

2.3 Summary 22

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS 23

3.1 Research methods 23

3.1.1 Participants 23

3.1.2 Research instruments 23

3.1.3 Data collection process 24

3.2 Findings 24

3.2.1 Errors in the Use of Punctuation 24

3.2.2 Sentence Structure Errors 26

3.2.3 Preposition Errors 29

3.2.4 Conjunction Errors 31

3.2.5 Verb – form Errors 32

3.2.6 Other Errors 34

3.3 Summary 35

CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 36

4.1 Recommendations and suggestions to improve English business email writing skills 36

4.1.1 Recommendations and suggestions for staff 36

4.1.2 Recommendations and suggestions for the company leader 38

4.1.3 Recommendations and suggestions for student 38

4.2 Limitations of the study 40

4.3 Suggestion for further studies 41

CONCLUSION 42

REFERENCES 43

APPENDIX 45

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

No Abbreviated

words

English Vietnamese

1 Co., Ltd Limited Company Công ty trách nhiệm hữu hạn

2 JSC Joint Stock Company Công ty cổ phần

3 VSTEP Vietnamese Standardized

Test of English Proficiency

Kỳ thi đánh giá năng lực tiếngAnh dùng cho Việt Nam

4 TQ Thank you Cảm ơn

5 BR Best regards Trân trọng

6 ASAP As soon as possible Ngay khi có thể

7 FYI For your information Cho thông tin của ngài

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Other errors in collected business emails 34

7 Chart 3.7 The percentage of common errors in English business

emails

35

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale

We all know that English is not only a language but also a vital weapon in ournowadays daily life English is supposed to be the dominant language all over theworld In the book “A History of the English Language”, David Crystal (2006) claimsthat among 360 people, about 330 people speak English as their mother tongue.Perhaps the last decade is the golden age in which English has grown most intensely.Everyone is rushing to learn English, English centers are mushrooming, and thenumber of students choosing English as their major is also increasing

English becomes a means of communication in everyday life, especially inbusiness Specifically, in the context of global economic integration, emails becomemore and more essential in the process of business international area Nowadays,writing a business email becomes a compulsory activity in doing business instead oftraditional handwritten letters Because business email saves time and travel costs totransmit information or message and keep in touch with overseas partners

In fact, English business email is easy to understand, however, writing it is noteasy Writing a business email is a difficult task as it requires a complex combination

of language skills, specialized knowledge as well as practical experiences Moreover,

it is deemed to be difficult to learn how to write a good business email and understand

it deeply As a result, it is the fact that there are many errors and mistakes that arefound in these emails, especially written by Vietnamese people working in foreigncompanies Having read many business emails in different companies helps the authorrealize that these emails appear to be uncompleted and informal in both form andcontent The writer can face several problems related to lexis, grammar, meaningexpression, or formats of a business email, etc Therefore, the skill of writing abusiness email is really important and essential in the business world This is the

reason to urge the author to conduct this research with the title “Errors in English

business emails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies”.

The author hopes that this research topic would be very useful for business emailwriters who work in different foreign companies The study aims at finding out theerrors and their causes and making suggestions that can partly help them limit the

mistakes during their work Because the people who work in such companies are toobusy with their work, they have no time to attend an English class to improve theirwriting skills The solutions given in the study may provide email - writers with sometechniques to avoid errors that should not have occurred and to create a professionaland efficient business email in the future.

1.2 Previous studies

There have been many studies on writing business emails both in Vietnam andover the world to research relevant problems such as errors, difficulties, or reasons fordifficulties in this field They provide a broad foundation of knowledge about businessemail, from the basic to the intensive knowledge The review of previous studies willshow an overview of this field Of course, each scientific researcher will have differentviews and understanding of business correspondence or business emails Through theoverview of previous studies, the author quotes some of the following researches andhave some comments

1.2.1 International Studies

Shafa Firda Nila (2017) expresses in a study “Problems in writing Englishbusiness letter: Errors and Factors” about identifying the problems of error found inEnglish business letter writing and explaining the factors that caused the problems.There are four categories of errors: morphological, lexical, syntactic, and mechanicalerror These four errors are divided into eight types: verb, noun, article, word choice,sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization Besides, three majorfactors cause errors: language transfer, overgeneralization, and the context of learning.Moreover, the author also present reasons for these problems This research isperformed at Bina Bangsa College during the third semester of the 2016-2017academic year and the subject is the third semester of students majoring inManagement and Accounting As the result, the author identifies problems found inerrors in English business email and explains the factors that caused the problems.Related to language matter in correspondence, Shunhui Zha (2010) in the study

“Analysis of Language Features in Business Correspondences” analyzes from threeaspects of the vocabulary, the structure, and the characteristics in businesscorrespondences, and compares with the ordinary letters The result shows that there

are four basic characteristics of vocabulary in business correspondences: usingterminology, polysemy, conciseness, and formalness of vocabulary, special usage ofgeneral words From this point, the author gives the structures and format of businesscorrespondences and style features of business correspondences.

Amina, A (2015) in “Business emails writing in business communication”shows a case study of Intermat company The author examines business emails written

by the staff of the Intermat company, and then illustrates the range of features thatexist in the business email at present to know how to make business email moreeffective The author describes that English has become the common corporatelanguage used in Intermat company and staff still faced difficulties and made mistakeswhen interacting with foreign partners by English business emails Thus, this studyhelps to plan to build principles of effective business email writing

“An error analysis of written English email of the senior cabin crew: a case study

at a Thai airline company” is conducted by Jarucha Settanan (2016) This study aims

to explore the types of writing errors in email as well as to investigate which type ofwriting errors is the most commonly found in the email of senior cabin crew usingerror analysis The participants in the study are 25 senior cabin crew working in a Thaiairline company All of them have been working in a senior cabin crew position formore than one year The instrument has 25 emails from the participants The frequency

of errors is illustrated in percentage The results from the error analysis show that fivetypes of error were found in the emails such as misformation, omission, other errors,addition, misordering It is found that the most common type of writing error in emailswas misformation of the wrong form of the morpheme or structure It is expected thatthe analysis of errors in this study could enhance the teaching and self-learning ofEnglish for students

1.2.2 National Studies

Regarding some common mistakes in writing business correspondence, DuongThi Han (2019) conducts a study “Difficulties of the staff in writing businesscorrespondence in IQL Joint Stock Company” to find out the obstacles the IQLemployees in practicing writing skills and the common writing mistakes in businesscorrespondence The author uses a quantitative method of collecting, surveying and

analyzing based on the data from the respondent of the research Based on the errormodel, the author selects seven most common errors while writing a commercial letter

to create question in the questionnaire There is grammar, word choice, verb, noun,article, spelling and punctuation The result is that the writer showed some difficulties,typical errors, and their causes Thereby, showing the standard format of businessletters and suggesting some solutions to improve writing skills for staffs

According to "An analysis of some techniques to improve writing Englishbusiness letters", Vu Thi Huong Giang, 2010, there are several important techniquesthat the writer should pay more attention to such as attitude, positive emphasis, tone,and language To have this conclusion, she gives a theoretical background ofdefinition, importance, purpose, business letter format, and some types of businessletters She uses a qualitative method applied to analyze the tone, the language usage

in different collected business letters Besides, she bases on a variety of resources such

as books, websites, and experiences of businessperson who deal with those in theirdaily work She also finds some common mistakes in writing English businesscorrespondence and gave several solutions to Vietnamese for improving techniques inwriting English business letters

1.3 Aims of the study

The research is carried out with the expectation of exploring the typical errorsfound in fifty collected English business emails written by Vietnamese people working

in foreign companies Based on that, providing the writers with the standard format of

a business email in general and some techniques to write a professional business email

in particular Moreover, some practical suggestions are expressed to provide solutionsfor Vietnamese people to overcome these limitations and increase their writingbusiness email skills In general, this study is designed to deal with two mainquestions:

- What are the common errors that Vietnamese people working in foreigncompanies make when writing English business emails?

- What are the solutions to help Vietnamese people improve business emailwriting skills?

1.4 Research subject

In this study, the research subjects are fifty business emails in English written byVietnamese people working for foreign companies when exchanging with theirsuppliers, their customers, and colleagues in overseas companies Obviously, businessemail writing skills is one of the most essential skills at work because it plays a keyrole in processing transaction documents, contracts, or building relationships withcustomers However, even long-term employees are not immune to familiar mistakeswhile writing English, which is a problem worth concerning Thus, with the researchsubjects, the author focuses on research and find out the errors that Vietnamese peopleworking for foreign companies often make when they write an English business email.The errors are made even when writing English business correspondence internallyand externally These mistakes will be found mainly in their emails

1.5 Scope of the study

The subject is fifty English business emails written by Vietnamese peopleworking in different foreign companies Due to time and reference materialsconstraints, this study could not delve into all aspects of business correspondence, itonly focuses on clarifying the errors that Vietnamese people often make when writing

a business email in English At the same time, the author analyzes and compares sucherrors to find out some efficient solutions To get the most accurate answer to thequestion “What are the common errors that Vietnamese people working in foreigncompanies make when writing English business emails?” and “What are the solutions

to help Vietnamese people improve business email writing skills?”, the research datawill be taken from the Communication and Customer Service of several companiesassociated with foreign countries such as Bamboo Software Co., Ltd; Delta TradingConstruction Corporation; Dong-A Geological Engineering Co., Ltd; PEXDIA JSC;Air Liquide Vietnam Co., Ltd It includes emails, drafts of contracts, businessexchange letters written by the staff in the room The ground uses for investigation inthis study is the theoretical background of error analysis suggested by some famouslinguistic researchers such as Corder (1967), Richards (1992), Nguyen Trong Dan(2007), etc Additionally, the study is also based on reference materials related to thebusiness correspondence

1.6 Research methodology

This study is implemented in two steps: collecting data and processing data

Step 1: In this first step, the author will collect secondary data resources collected

from websites, textbooks, and social media channels Besides, it also includes usefulinformation that the author consulted from other data resources as well as from theinstructor to complete this study Then, the related materials will be read andsynthesize for the study These materials provide suggestions to help identify theproblem and form the basis of the research To realize the errors in writing Englishbusiness emails made by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies, the authoralso collects English emails written by Vietnamese people at foreign companies Fiftycollected business emails from different companies include Bamboo Software Co.,Ltd; Delta Trading Construction Corporation; Dong-A Geological Engineering Co.,Ltd; Pexdia JSC; Air Liquide Vietnam Co., Ltd Thus, the author can find out themistakes they often made while writing English business emails After havingpreliminary information on the theoretical issues related to the study and sampleemails written by Vietnamese people working in foreign companies, the authorprocesses the data in the next step

Step 2: In this step, the author will process the collected data In this Graduation

Paper, the research method used is the quantitative method of collecting and analyzingdata The author will analyze and find out all the errors Vietnamese people working inforeign companies usually made in writing English business emails from the collecteddata in step 1 After processing the data, the author will make conclusions about thecommon mistakes in English business emails mainly based on the plurality that staffmade It aims to help email - writers to improve their writing and to able to check andcorrect errors themselves during their work The author analyzes the collected data byusing calculation and synthesis tools and then displays the analysis results in the form

of tables and percentages

1.7 Organization of the study

The study consists of four chapters as below:

Chapter 1: Overview of the Study This chapter provides a general overview of

the study and is divided into 7 sections, namely the rationale, the previous studies, the

aims of the study, the research subjects, the scope of the study, the researchmethodology, and the organization of the study.

Chapter 2: Literature review In the second chapter, the relevant theoretical

background of the research is presented The chapter provides the most completeknowledge base of errors and English business email

Chapter 3: Research findings This chapter focuses on analyzing results and it is

also the major part of the study Besides, chapter 3 will give a general evaluation ofresearch findings The figures which are collected from the study would be shown andanalyzed in this chapter This is an important part of all the studies

Chapter 4: Recommendations and Suggestions In chapter 4, there are several

recommendations and some suggestions for improving the skills of writing businessemails for Vietnamese people working in foreign companies would be also given.The study also consists of some other parts They are abstract, acknowledgments,table of contents, list of abbreviations, list of tables and charts, the conclusion, andreferences

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter, the author focuses on presenting basic information as well asanalyzing all of the relevant aspects of errors and business email The literature reviewstarts with an overview of errors, types of errors, English business emails, somepopular types The literature review is considered an important foundation to helppeople learn characteristics, qualities, and the importance of the business email

2.1 Overview of error

2.1.1 Definitions of error

In the 1960s, the concept of errors becomes an attractive topic to researchers inthe language learning process, and many authors around the world have differentdefinition versions about the error James M H (1987) defines an error as an utterance,form, and structure that a particular language teacher finds unacceptable because of itsinappropriate use or its absence in real-life discourse Corder (1967) introduces theidea that errors are a necessary part of linguistic development, and that errors are ofsignificance because they may represent the discrepancy between the grammar of thelearner's transitional competence and that of the target language Carl James (1980)defines error as being an instance of language that is unintentionally deviant and is notcorrigible by its author According to Richards (1992), an error “in the speech ofwriting of a second foreign language learner, is the use of the linguistic item (a word, agrammatical item, a speech act) in a way which a fluent or native speaker of thelanguage regards as showing faulty as incomplete learning” According to Ellis (1997),error reflects gaps in learner's knowledge They occur because the learner does notknow what is correct Errors are caused by an incomplete understanding of languagecompetence

According to Norrish (1983), learner's errors are systematic The term’systematic implies errors that are random or unintentional The opposition betweensystematic and non - systematic is very important in distinguishing errors andmistakes Corder (1967) also shows that errors are not significant to the process oflanguage learning because they do not reflect a defect in our knowledge and thelearners are normally immediately aware of them and can correct them with more or

less complete assurance On the other hand, errors are very significant to the process oflanguage learning (Richards, 1992).

Errors cannot be self-corrected until further relevant (to that error) input (implicit

or explicit) has been provided and converted into intake by the learner In other words,errors require further relevant learning to take place before they can be self - corrected

2.1.2 Error Analysis

Faisyal (2015) expresses in a study that “Error analysis is a type of linguisticanalysis that focuses on the errors that learners make” Moreover, error analysis is thefirst approach to the study of the second language acquisition which includes aninternal focus on the learner’s creative ability to construct language Sychandone(2016) describes error analysis as a set of procedures for identifying, describing, andexplaining learner’s errors; it is like the process of determining the incidence, nature,cause, and consequences of unsuccessful in language Richard, J.C (1971) proposesthat the study of errors made by second and foreign language learners is error analysis.The functions of error analysis are finding out learners knowledge about the targetlanguage, observing different learning styles, and noticing common difficulties inlearning a language to help in the preparation of teaching materials

2.1.3 Mother Tongue Influence (Interlingual Errors)

It cannot be denied that a number of habits of the mother tongue seriously affectthe acquisition of the second language “They tend to transfer the form, meanings, andthe distribution of forms and meaning of their native language and culture to theforeign language and culture” (Lado,1957)

Although it is easier when learning a second language based mother tongue, theycan get problems Borrowing the first language pattern or rule can lead to an error orinappropriate language usage Interference may be caused by the difference betweenthe two languages These problems result from the differences in linguistic patternsbetween the two languages: English and Vietnamese

2.1.4 Target Language Causes (Intralingual Errors)

Richards, J.C (1971) points out that intralingual errors reflect the generalcharacteristics of the learning and failure to learn conditions under which rules apply

He adds that there are some causes of intralingual errors such as overgeneralization,

ignorance of rule restrictions, incomplete application of rules, and false conceptshypothesized.

 Overgeneralization

It is a phenomenon applying a language rule which the learner has acquired to allcases regardless of its exception

For example:

He can swims very well

Last night, she attends a party of her company

 Ignorance of Rule Restriction

Learners don't aware of the rules and restrictions of a particular structure Some

of the rule restriction errors may cause because of the wrong analogy andmemorization of rules As an example, learners misuse prepositions when theyencounter these prepositions with each type of verb because of their wrong analogy touse the same preposition with similar verbs

For example:

“We talk about science topic” to “We discuss about subject”,

“He tells her to do it” to “He makes her to do it” and so on

 Incomplete Application of Rules

Richards assumes that the Incomplete application of rules involves learnersfailing to learn more complex types of the structure since they think they can succeed

in ineffective communication by using relatively simple rules An example of theincomplete application of rules can be seen in the question forms

Teacher: What is he learning?

Student: He learning math

John: Do you go to a party this Friday?

Jena: Yes, I go to a party this Friday

 False Concepts Hypothesized

Hypothesized indicates a class of developmental errors that drive from faultycomprehension of distinctions in the target language (Richards, 1992)

For example:

He prefers study Maths than English

2.2 Overview of English business email

2.2.1 Definition of English business email

It cannot be denied that business correspondence plays an indispensable role inthe Technology Revolution-era In the business community, business correspondencetransmits information and maintains social relationships The term “businesscorrespondence” is quite a wide word that covers every corner of businesscommunication Correspondence can be used for resumes for job applications,business reports, letters of invitation, contracts, and letters between trade parties duringthe process of business transactions all of which belong to business correspondence Inaddition to the various types in terms of function, correspondence may come in theform of letters, telegrams, emails, text messages, documents, voicemails, notes, orpostcards to convey business information Email is a hi-tech kind that is morecommonly seen in the modern business world (Lixia Xu, 2010), and communicationthrough the exchange of email in business is very popular and convenient nowadays

In fact, there are a lot of definitions of email Some typical concepts of emailhave been presented as follows “Electronic email or email is the process of sendingtext messages and files electronically using computer networks.” “Electronic email is asystem of worldwide electronic communication in which a user can compose amessage on a computer or mobile phone which are connected internet” Or “Electronicemail, often abbreviated to e-mail, email, or email, is a digital message and also a store

- and - forward method of writing, sending, receiving and saving message” In “OxfordHandbook of Commercial Correspondence” Ashley, (2007) states “email (or electronicemail) is a means of sending messages between electronic devices as mobile phone orcomputers” and he also points out the advantages of email “There are numerousadvantages to email It is personal and easy to use It can be used both within andbetween companies and is an effective way to communicate quickly and easily withpeople all over the world” It is especially useful and convenient for businessmen tomake a short announcement, a brief message, or in day-by-day correspondence such assetting up a meeting, passing on information, and making or replying to a request Thewriter can pick up the email messages, even when he or she is traveling, via a laptop or

a palmtop With compatible systems, the author can access text and graphic

documents, and spreadsheets Whatever the messages are sent or received can bequickly and easily filed Because of numerous advantages, email is used more andmore popular nowadays It is a useful way of communication that helps peopletransmit information easily and quickly around the world.

Business email means the exchange of information in a written format for theprocess of business activities Business email can take place between organizations,within organizations, or between the customers and the organization “The email refers

to the written communication between persons Hence, oral communication or face toface communication is not a business email” (Merriam-Webster, 1993) The concept

of business email can be defined as a medium through which a writer can express histhoughts, ideas, or information in written form in the process of business activities Inother words, a business email is also known as the principal means used by a businessfirm to keep in touch with customers (quoted by the textbook of "The Language ofBusiness Correspondence in English by Prof and Dr Nguyen Trong Dan, 2007) Hestates, “The business email is the principal means used by a business firm to keep intouch with customers; very often it is the only one and customers form theirimpression of the firm from the tone and quality of the letters it sends out” A businessemail conveys an important, necessary exchange of information between people inbusiness Ashly (2007) Businessmen may write emails (letters) to the suppliers ofgoods and also receive emails from the suppliers Customers may write emails tobusinessmen seeking information about available goods, price, quality, sample, orplace an order for the purchase of goods Thus, business emails may be defined as amedia or means through which views are expressed and ideas or informationcommunicated in writing in the process of business activities (Businesscorrespondence, 2018) A business email can use in communication between twopeople, a person and a corporation or two corporations A business email is written forvarious purposes such as to complete a deal, emails to make a complaint, to make anoffer, including letters of inquiry, letters of negotiating payment and shipment, etc.English business email is business correspondence writing in the language ofEnglish and it is often popular in companies that communicate in English or haveforeign customers It follows very strictly set rules for each part No one can deny the

importance of business emails and they are so useful tools for all companies in theworld An English business email is a bridge connecting companies all over the worldfor mutual development.

2.2.2 The importance of English business email

Today, it is too hard to imagine how to run a business without the support ofcommercial correspondence, especially business email Traditional communicationactivities with customers seem to take days or even weeks to complete Thus, it isobvious that business email plays an extremely important role in our work and dailylife Business emails are considered as a pillar of modern communication It is thelifeblood of communication for any business On any given day, the average officeworker receives over 80 emails every day There are five main factors which create theimportance of business emails

Firstly, English business email is inexpensive and convenient mode It is such a

cheap and convenient form of business communication because information can besent and received much more economically and conveniently through business emailthan through telephone or fax The only thing that we need is a computer or mobilephone is a connection to the Internet Thanks to business email, businessmen canconduct informative transactions quickly and effectively

Secondly, English business email maintains a proper relationship Business is

nowadays not restricted to any locality, area, or nation Today, production can takeplace in one area but consumption takes place everywhere Since the businessmen, aswell as the customers, live far off places, they do not have sufficient time to personallycontact each other Thus, there arises the need for writing business emails It helps tokeep good relationships based on national and international areas, and strengthen thebusiness It also makes communication within the organization clear and precise Theimportance has increased because of the vast expansion of business, an increase indemand, and the supply of goods as well

Thirdly, English business email creates and maintains goodwill Business email

can be supposed as a helpful instrument to enhance the relationship between businessand parties, customers, or suppliers At the same time, business emails are used forcreating and enhancing goodwill, reputation between the company and the customers

which are very essential to the business's survival and development The businessmenoften send letters to inform the clients of the new products or incentive program Anyemail to enquire, complaint, suggestion, or feedbacks also helps a company to growgoodwill and create a cordial relationship with the customers.

Fourthly, English business email helps in the expansion of the business Business

email ensures the expansion of a business with just no waste of time and properutilization of manpower and resources Any information regarding some products ormarket can be easily done and spread by it In detail, through business emails, peoplecan make all inquiries about the products and the market or receive orders fromdifferent countries The businessmen can also perform other actions related to productcompetition, price adjustment, promotion, and all other market activities to fulfill theaim of enhancing sales

Last but not least, English business email sees as evidence of business activity.

Business emails provide a record of all informative transactions, so it is really helpful

in the situation of arguments Any written form of communication serves as evidence.Business email is not an exception It helps the person in a business to keep a record ofall the facts because it is almost impossible to expect a businessman to memorizeevery detail of facts and figures in a conversation These written records will present

as evidence in case of disputes between two parties

2.2.3 The purposes of English business email

Along with the development of the world, the business is also becoming moremodern and faster thanks to a series of support tools Business email is one according

to a wealth of analysis, English business emails are used for these following aims:

Firstly, English business emails are used for conveying information Business

emails are written to share information regarding the business activities of a company.Information can be transmitted through business emails to customers, suppliers,financial institutions, banks, and insurance companies, and any other parties related tothe business Through business email, business organizations collect and exchangebusiness-related information It is a handy tool if the writer needs to inform allemployees of a new office policy or to inform the partner of the changes of the coming

launching program No one can deny that a business letter is such a quick and effectivemeans of communication.

Secondly, English business emails are used for negotiations Email is a useful

method of communication for sharing figures and negotiating with another party It is

a convenient method because it is quicker than regular mail and provides an easy way

to keep a record of the proceedings If a business wants to see exactly what is included

in a quote, it is easy to sort through e-mail archives to find the information they need.Obviously, both parties have a copy of the same information All these things can bedone without wasting any time moving from here to there

Thirdly, English business emails are used for marketing and advertising.

Business correspondence, especially, commercial email often beats out print mediamarketing and advertising A business can easily reach their audience, personalize theemail message with the recipients’ names, and include a link to the organization’s Webpresence These emails are called sales emails and it is a form of new advertising It isquick, convenient, and effective when a businessman wants to use a business email tointroduce customers to a new product This new advertising form can create newmarkets for their products

Each person will have different purposes when writing business emails The mostbasic and essential purpose is that business letters are written to gain an effect that willpromote the business interests of the writer (Harrison McJohnston, 1918)

2.1.4 The format of the English business email

Casual emails can be written and delivered in any way, but formal emails follow

a certain format A good business email structure helps communicate the message Abadly formatted email can leave a poor impression The following analyses will coversome information related to the format of a business email to make an email look a lotbetter and professional

 Subject line

The subject line is the first part of the email reader sees When writing the subjectline, writer should use a short title that aptly describes the content and the aim ofemail Also, the writer should make the subject line specific, simple, and to the point.Most experts agree that subject lines should be short (six to ten words) and specific

For example, instead of “The internship report you asked for”, write, “InternshipReport”.

The writer should keep the most important and keywords at the beginning of thesubject line and use markers like Fwd, Reply, Urgent, or Notice to inform the readerabout the nature of the email Some of the examples of good subject lines in formalemails can be:

“Marketing Data for September 2019”

“Marketing Budget, May 2020”

“List of New Freelancers”

“Job Application for the Post of Accountant”

“Contract Agreement - Car Assignment”

 Salutation

The salutation is how the writer greets the reader It is important that the writermust understand who the reader is It is recommended to start a formal email byaddressing the recipient in a manner fitting the relationship the writer has with them.For formal emails, the writer should use a colon, after the salutation Thereshould be no space before the colon and one space to be given after it

In the case of British English, a comma (,) should be used instead of the colon (:)

in American English And the writer should use the correct name of the person whenknowing him/her

For a client who the writer is unfamiliar with or do not know the names of should

be used “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear sir/madam” If using just “Dear” as thesalutation, there is no need to type a colon or comma after it

For senior officials, it is suggested that sticking to their designation or follow itwith their name, for example, “To the Manager”, “Dear Dr Josh”, or “Dear Ms.Kath”

Among colleagues, it may be appropriate to simply precede the name with “Hi”.The salutation is important and the writer should not skip the salutation and neveruse nicknames or just surnames or first names in a formal email

 Body of the email

The body text is the main part of an email to convey the main message reader It

is important to follow a certain pattern when writing the body email The writer shouldmake sure to write the “what, who, when, where, why and how much” in less than 80words

The opening paragraph should talk about the reason for the email It is suggestedthat the writer should introduce herself or himself when the writer is a stranger to therecipient, and then jot down the reason why for writing to them

For example, it can be begun with “My name is Abc, and this email is concerningXyz” or “This is concerning the marketing budget as discussed in the meeting”

The email should be written in a way that is easy to understand and providessufficient necessary information for the reader The writer says only what is requiredand does not keep fill the email with unnecessary details People do not have time toread a long story and they just find the actual purpose of the business email received Itshould be written in short paragraphs of one to two sentences It should also include anintroduction and conclusion

The last few sentences should be a conclusion that summarizes the businessemail If the writer is asking a question, close with something like “Hope to have ananswer from you soon”, or “Looking forward to hearing from you soon” And if thewriter is answering a question, end with “Hope I have sufficiently answered yourquestions”

 Closing salutation

The closing salutation should be written after the body which capable of forming

a lasting impression on the reader The writer can sign off with a simple word orphrase, which shows respect Moreover, the writer can write “Sincerely” if don’t knowthe person, or write “Yours truly” if know the person well Other safe choices are

“Best regards”, “Warmly”, “Sincerely”, “Kind regards”, or simply “Thanks”

punctuation after the name and on the next line give contact information, phonenumber, title, and work address.

In sum, the business email format should be simple, brief, and to the point Thewriter should stay up to date and do not use outdated email writing formats All thetext should be written with a left margin The email should be at least less than 80characters The writer does not use special formatting and tabs unnecessarily The tone

of the letter should be kept formal and see that the writer uses proper grammar and theright spell

2.2.5 Types of English business email

Business emails are the most formal method of communication followingspecific formats The different types of business emails are used based on theirdifferent contexts Based on the textbook of “Business Correspondence” (Translationand Interpreting Department, Faculty of English, ThuongMai University) that there arecommon six main types of English business email It includes inquiry email, reply andquotation email, order email, payment email, complaint email, and the email asks forbank and credit The author will go into details of each type of businesscorrespondence

 Inquiry email

When the buyers want to know the details of the goods which they want to buysuch as quality, quantity, color, price, mode of delivery, payment, sample, and so onthey will use an inquiry email The writer will make questions about the product andthe recipient will write the answers When writing this type of email, the writer needs

to determine the design, size, quantity, quality, or the price list of the product orservice in which the buyer is concerning Moreover, the information that is requiredshould keep it clear and short, and exact So, if the buyer wants the seller to quicklygive an appropriate answer, he needs to be clear in his requirement It is noted that aprofessional inquiry or reply inquiry email must “go straight to the point” and ensurethe clarity of information

 Quotation email

When the seller receives an inquiry email, he will reply by using a quotationemail The seller needs to supply all the relevant information which the buyer requires

like price list, mode of payment, discount, explaining payment, delivery times, fix andnegotiate terms, estimates To make the customer satisfied, the businessman should beprompt and careful in replying.

 Order email

When the customer is interested in a product, he will write an order email to amanufacturer, retailer, or wholesaler to place an order In this type of email, the buyeroften gives the minimum price and some favorable terms and conditions that he wants

An example is conditions and terms, delivery times, packing, shipping, accepting orrejecting changes, delivery delays, refusing a delivery Other specific information such

as model number, name of the product, the quantity desired must be included withthese letters

 Payment email

It maybe includes invoices, pro-forms, statements of account, methods ofpayment (home or abroad), advice of payment, of non-payment, further reminders, andfinal demands

 Complaint email

When a product is wrong, defective, damaged or it cannot meet the purchaser'ssatisfaction, he will send a complaint letter to the seller This email should be writtenimmediately after the buyer realizes the problem The buyer should explain problemsand the writer should describe the mistake clearly It is necessary for the writer tomention some suggestions to correct the mistake, for instance, compensation,replacement, discount, or something else Besides, he or she also needs to mention theperiod in which the corrective actions should be taken The words and tone the writeruses in the complaint email may be the deciding factor on whether he or her complaintdraws the attention of the seller or any other party So, he or she should be directed buttactful and always use a professional tone if he or she wants the seller to listen

To sum up, it should be also carefully the purpose of each email that the writerwants to send It will create an appropriate and professional business email, andimpress the reader

2.2.6 Essential techniques in writing English business email

Writing an English business email is not much different from writing a generalbusiness letter In the developed Internet age, emails also represent the new technology

we must master Therefore, some tips for writing emails are given to help businessmenhave a professional and efficient email

First, the writer should avoid sloppiness because it is unprofessional Poor

grammar, spelling, and sentence structure should not be had These are no moreacceptable in an English business email

Second, the writer should capitalize on the first letter in the beginning word of a

sentence and all proper nouns

Third, the writer should avoid using all uppercase letters in a business email It

can appear pretty scared like somebody screaming, though it is often intended simply