0020 Formal Emails

0020 Formal Emails.mp3
0020 Formal Emails.pdf

[start of story]

Dear Dr. Lee:

I don't know if you'll remember me, but I introduced myself to you after your keynote at last week's conference. As I mentioned to you, I have read all of your work and I am a great admirer of your research. Your article in the top journal Language Learning was groundbreaking.

The reason I am contacting you is that I would like to come to your university to study with you. I met some of your students at the conference and they couldn't stop singing your praises as a professor. I don't know if you are accepting any new students for the next year, but if so, I hope you will consider me.

I have included two attachments to this email. I am sending a copy of my CV, and I am also including a research paper I completed earlier this year. I hope that these will give you an idea of my qualifications and experience. Please let me know if you need more information or more samples of my academic work.

It was a pleasure and a privilege to meet you at the conference, and I hope to hear more about your research at a future conference.

Sincerely,

Lucy Hocevar

[end of story]

Our email begins by the person writing it saying, “Dear Doctor” – abbreviated (Dr.) – “Lee:”. A couple things about this first line of the email, what we would call the “salutation” – it begins by using the word “dear,” which is very common in writing letters and now emails, especially formal emails or letters. “Doctor,” of course, is a title that a professor might have. It also would be used, of course, for a medical doctor.

“Lee” is her last name. In writing a salutation such as this, you wouldn't use the first and last name. Normally in English, when you're writing a formal note or letter, you're going to just use the title of the person – “Mr.,” “Ms.,” or in this case “Dr.,” and then the last name of the person. So, if this person's name was Judy Lee, you wouldn't say “Dear Doctor Judy Lee.” You would say instead, “Dear Doctor Lee.”

Finally, the colon “:” in the salutation is also an indication that this is a formal email or, in the case of a letter, a formal letter. If you use a comma “,” that's a little less formal. The first paragraph begins, “I don't know if you'll remember me.” This is a common phrase when you're writing a letter to someone whom you've met, but you're not sure if the person will remember you. Perhaps it was many weeks ago or even months ago.

Lucy says here, “I don't know if you'll remember me, but I introduced myself” – I came up to you and told you my name – “after your keynote at last week's conference.” Okay, so it's only been one week since she has met this professor. Although, the professor may have met many people at the conference, and so it's still a good idea to use this expression, “I don't know if you'll remember me.”

“Keynote” (keynote) refers to a speech at a large conference or convention that is given to a large group of people. A “conference” is an event where people who are interested in the same topic, the same ideas, meet together and talk about those ideas. Almost every professional group has its own conference where you go and you can learn more about your particular area of interest, or your particular type of job, by talking with other people who have those same jobs or those same interests. This was clearly an academic conference – a conference for university professors.

Lucy says, “As I mentioned to you” – as I said to you in our conversation – “I have read all of your work.” “Work” here means “all the things you have written.” “And I am a great admirer of your research.” “To be an admirer” (admirer) means to be a fan, someone who really appreciates and respects someone. You can be an admirer in a professional sense. You could also be an admirer in a personal sense. We have the expression “a secret admirer.” This would be someone who likes you in a romantic way but doesn't say who they are. They may send you a note but not sign the note, or send you a flower but not say where the flower is from. That would be a secret admirer.

Well, Lucy is not a secret admirer. She's an admirer of Dr. Lee's research. “Research” refers to scientific studies, in this case, that professors do so they have something to do with their time. As a former professor, that's not too far from the truth, let me tell you. Anyway, Dr. Lee had an article in a “top journal.” That is what Lucy says in her formal email. A “top journal” would mean a very important journal or one of the best journals. A “journal” is a scientific magazine where scientific studies, articles, are published.

This was a study in a journal called Language Learning that was, according to Lucy, “groundbreaking.” Something that is “groundbreaking” – one word – is something that is new and important. New information about a certain topic would be groundbreaking. We often use this when we are talking about information that may start people researching in a completely different direction or in a completely different area. Some of the earliest studies in a particular scientific field are often called groundbreaking.

Lucy says the reason she is contacting Dr. Lee is that she would like to come to her university to study with her, to be her student. She says, “I met some of your students at the conference and they couldn't stop singing your praises as a professor.” “To sing someone's praises” (praises) means to talk about someone's good qualities, to say how good someone is at what they do. Lucy is saying that she met some of Dr. Lee's students at the conference and they were telling her about how wonderful a professor Dr. Lee was.

Lucy says, “I don't know if you are accepting any new students for the next year” – I don't know if you will allow new students to study with you next year. “But if so” – if you are – “I hope you will consider me.” “To consider someone” means to think about choosing them for a position, or for a job, or for a task. “I am considering John as our next president.” I'm thinking about him and making him our next president. This verb, “to consider,” is used in this case in formal situations by people who are in authority, who have the power to make decisions.

Lucy says, “I have included two attachments to this email.” When you have an “attachment” (attachment) to an email, you have a document or other file that you are sending with the email. You could be sending a photograph. You could be sending a Microsoft Word document. You could be sending a text file, a PDF file – all of these things would be called attachments.

She says, “I am sending (you) a copy of my CV.” “CV” stands for curriculum vitae. It’s a document that describes your level of education, your previous jobs, your accomplishments, your publications if this is an academic position, and so forth. “CV” is usually used to refer to what in most companies is simply called a “résumé” (resume). “CV,” however, is used for very high level positions or any position that involves being a professor or a teacher at the university.

Lucy says, “I am also including” – I’m also attaching, she could say – “a research paper I completed earlier this year. I hope that these will give you an idea of my qualifications and experience.” Your “qualifications” are the things that make you capable of or that show that you are able to do something. She says, “Please let me know if you need more information or more samples of my academic work.” “Academic” here refers to university- or college-level work that is part of your – either schoolwork (your school assignments) or research that you've done at the university.

Finally, she says, “It was a pleasure and a privilege to meet you at the conference, and I hope to hear more about your research at a future conference.” Lucy said it was a “privilege” to meet Dr. Lee. “Privilege” (privilege) is the same as honor – a special benefit that is not given to everyone. She is saying it was very nice to meet her. This expression, “It was a pleasure and a privilege,” is a very formal one that you would use in cases like this, where you're talking about someone who is important or who you want to say is important.

Lucy ends her email by saying, “Sincerely” and then a comma “,” – “Sincerely,” is followed on the next line by the name of the person sending the email. If this were a letter, you would have a few spaces after the “Sincerely,” and you would sign your name. But we don't sign our emails, typically. So, you would just put your name. In this case, it's Lucy Hocevar. Hocevar is her last name in this story.

Culture Note
Email Attachments

These days, when applying for a job, “applicant” (person applying for something) may be asked to submit their “resumes” (document listing one’s education and job experience) “electronically” (using a computer or computer program).

An “attachment” is anything extra that is added to or connected to the main thing. In an email, an attachment is usually a file that is also included within the email and that one can open by clicking onto an “icon” (small image, picture). Your resume may be attached to an email when applying for a job.

The most common phrases people use are “attached is/are” or “I’ve attached.”

• “I’ve attached three photos for you to choose from.”
• “Attached is the sales report for the month of June.”

If you want to be a little more formal, you can use the phrases “attached please find” or “please find attached.” These are more appropriate for formal business emails.

• “Please find attached the customer lists for our new products.”
• “Attached please find three documents related to the court case we discussed.”
• “Thank you for taking the time to interview me for the new position at your company. Attached please find a list of my former employers.”

If you are sending a letter in the mail, you can use the “attached” phrases listed above when what you are adding/attaching is “stapled” (attached to a piece of paper using a small wire clip that goes through both pieces of paper) to or “paper clipped” (attached to a piece of paper using a small wire clip that binds the two pages together) to the letter. If it is not physically attached but included in the same envelope or package, then use “enclosed” instead.

• “Enclosed is an example of the new packaging for our product.”
• “Please find enclosed the reports from the past six months.”

[故事的开始]

亲爱的李博士。

我不知道你是否还记得我，在你上周会议的主题演讲之后，我向你介绍了自己。正如我向你提到的，我读过你所有的作品，我非常钦佩你的研究。您在顶级期刊《语言学习》上发表的文章具有开创性。

我与您联系的原因是，我想去您的大学跟您学习。我在会议上遇到你的一些学生，他们不住地赞美你这个教授。我不知道你是否接受下一年的新生，但如果是的话，我希望你能考虑我。

我在这封邮件中附上了两个附件。我发送的是我的简历副本，还包括我今年早些时候完成的一篇研究论文。我希望这些能让你了解我的资格和经验。如果您需要更多信息或更多我的学术工作样本，请告诉我。

很高兴也很荣幸能在会议上见到您，我希望能在未来的会议上听到更多关于您的研究。

真诚的。

Lucy Hocevar

[故事结束]

我们的电子邮件开始时，写邮件的人说："亲爱的博士"--缩写（Dr.）--"李："。关于这封电子邮件的第一行，我们称之为 "敬语 "的几件事--它以 "亲爱的 "一词开始，这在写信和现在的电子邮件中非常常见，特别是正式的电子邮件或信件。"博士"，当然，是一个教授可能拥有的头衔。当然，它也会被用于一个医学博士。

"李 "是她的姓。在写这样的问候语时，你不会使用名字和姓氏。通常在英语中，当你写一个正式的便条或信件时，你将只使用这个人的头衔--"先生"、"女士"，或者在这种情况下 "医生"，然后是这个人的姓。因此，如果这个人的名字是朱迪-李，你不会说 "亲爱的朱迪-李医生"。你会说，"亲爱的李医生"。

最后，敬语中的冒号"："也表明这是一封正式的电子邮件，如果是信件，则是一封正式的信件。如果你用逗号""，那就不那么正式了。第一段开始，"我不知道你是否会记得我"。这是一个常见的短语，当你给一个你见过的人写信时，但你不确定这个人是否会记得你。也许那是许多星期前，甚至是几个月前。

露西在这里说："我不知道你是否会记得我，但我做了自我介绍"--我走到你面前，告诉你我的名字--"在你上周会议的主题演讲之后。" 好吧，所以她和这位教授见面才一个星期。虽然，这位教授可能在会议上见过很多人，所以还是要用这个表达方式，"我不知道你会不会记得我。"

"基调"（keynote）指的是在大型会议或大会上向一大群人发表的演讲。"会议 "是一种活动，对同一主题、同一想法感兴趣的人聚集在一起，谈论这些想法。几乎每一个专业团体都有自己的会议，在那里你可以通过与其他有相同工作或相同兴趣的人交谈，了解更多关于你的特定兴趣领域，或你的特定工作类型。这显然是一个学术会议--大学教授的会议。

露西说，"正如我向你提到的"--正如我在我们的谈话中对你说的--"我已经读了你所有的作品"。"工作 "在这里是指 "你所写的所有东西"。"而且我对你的研究非常钦佩。" "成为钦佩者"（admirer）意味着成为一个粉丝，一个真正欣赏和尊重某人的人。你可以在专业意义上成为一个崇拜者。你也可以是个人意义上的仰慕者。我们有 "秘密崇拜者 "的说法。这将是一个以浪漫方式喜欢你的人，但不说他们是谁。他们可能会给你寄一张纸条，但不在纸条上签名，或者给你送一朵花，但不说这朵花是哪里来的。这将是一个秘密仰慕者。

好吧，露西不是一个秘密崇拜者。她是李博士的研究的崇拜者。"研究 "指的是科学研究，在这种情况下，教授们做的研究是为了让他们有时间做一些事情。作为一个前教授，让我告诉你，这与事实相差不大。总之，李博士在一个 "顶级期刊 "上有一篇文章。这是露西在她的正式电子邮件中所说的。一个 "顶级期刊 "将意味着一个非常重要的期刊或最好的期刊之一。期刊 "是一种科学杂志，发表科学研究、文章。
这是在《语言学习》杂志上的一项研究，按照露西的说法，它是 "开创性的"。具有 "突破性 "的东西--一个词--就是新的和重要的东西。关于某个主题的新信息将是突破性的。当我们在谈论可能使人们在一个完全不同的方向或在一个完全不同的领域开始研究的信息时，我们经常使用这个词。某一科学领域的一些最早的研究常常被称为突破性的。

露西说，她与李博士联系的原因是，她想来她的大学跟她学习，做她的学生。她说，"我在会议上遇到了你的一些学生，他们不住地赞美你这个教授。" "赞美某人"（praises）的意思是谈论某人的优良品质，说某人在做什么方面有多好。露西是说她在会议上遇到了李博士的一些学生，他们向她讲述了李博士是一个多么出色的教授。

露西说，"我不知道你明年是否接受任何新学生"--我不知道你明年是否允许新学生跟你学习。"但如果是的话"--如果你是的话--"我希望你能考虑我。" "考虑某人 "是指考虑选择他们担任某个职位，或某个工作，或某个任务。"我正在考虑让约翰担任我们的下一任总统。" 我正在考虑他，让他成为我们的下任总统。这个动词，"考虑"，在这种情况下是由有权力的人在正式场合使用，他们有权力做出决定。

露西说，"我在这封电子邮件中附上了两个附件"。当你在电子邮件中有一个 "附件"（attachment）时，你有一个文件或其他文件，你将与电子邮件一起发送。你可以发送一张照片。你可以发送一个Microsoft Word文档。你可以发送一个文本文件，一个PDF文件--所有这些东西都被称为附件。

她说，"我给（你）发一份我的简历。" "CV "是简历的意思。这是一份描述你的教育水平、你以前的工作、你的成就、你的出版物（如果这是一个学术职位）等等的文件。"CV "通常是指在大多数公司中被简单称为 "简历"（résumé）的东西。然而，"CV "用于非常高级的职位或任何涉及在大学担任教授或教师的职位。

露西说，"我还包括"--我还附上了，她可以说--"我今年早些时候完成的一篇研究论文。我希望这些能让你了解我的资格和经验。" 你的 "资格 "是使你有能力或表明你有能力做某事的东西。她说，"如果你需要更多信息或更多我的学术工作的样本，请让我知道"。这里的 "学术 "是指大学或学院水平的工作，是你的一部分--要么是学校作业（你的学校作业），要么是你在大学里做的研究。

最后，她说："很高兴也很荣幸能在会议上见到你，我希望能在未来的会议上听到更多关于你的研究。" 露西说，能见到李博士是一种 "特权"。"Privilege"（特权）与荣誉相同--一种特殊的利益，不是每个人都能得到。她是说能见到她非常高兴。这个表达方式，"很高兴，很荣幸"，是一个非常正式的表达方式，你会在这样的情况下使用，你在谈论一个重要的人，或者你想说他很重要。

露西在结束她的电子邮件时说："真诚的"，然后是一个逗号"," - "真诚的 "在下一行跟着发送电子邮件的人的名字。如果这是一封信，你会在 "诚挚的 "后面留几个空格，并且你会签上你的名字。但我们通常不在电子邮件上签名。所以，你只需写上你的名字。在这个案例中，是Lucy Hocevar。Hocevar是她在这个故事中的姓氏。

文化说明
电子邮件附件

如今，在申请工作时，"申请人"（申请某种东西的人）可能被要求以 "电子方式"（使用计算机或计算机程序）提交他们的 "简历"（列出一个人的教育和工作经验的文件）。

附件 "是指添加到主要事物上或与之相连的任何额外事物。在电子邮件中，附件通常是一个文件，也包含在电子邮件中，人们可以通过点击 "图标"（小图像，图片）打开。在申请工作时，你的简历可能被附在电子邮件中。

人们最常使用的短语是 "附件是/是 "或 "我已经附上"。

• "我附上了三张照片供你选择。"
• "附上6月份的销售报告"。

如果你想更正式一点，你可以使用短语 "附件请找 "或 "请找附件"。这些更适合于正式的商业电子邮件。

• "请在附件中找到我们新产品的客户名单。"
• "请在附件中找到与我们讨论的法庭案件有关的三个文件。"
• "谢谢你花时间为贵公司的新职位面试我。附上我的前雇主名单"。

如果你是邮寄信件，当你添加/附加的东西被 "钉"（用穿过两张纸的小线夹附在一张纸上）到信上或 "夹"（用小线夹把两页纸夹在一起）时，你可以使用上述的 "附加 "短语。如果它没有实际附着，而是包含在同一个信封或包裹中，那么就用 "附上的 "代替。

• "随信附上我们产品的新包装实例"。
• "请随函附上过去六个月的报告。"