Hi, I'm Mike. Welcome to Oxford Online English.
大家好，我是邁克。歡迎收看牛津在線英語視頻課程。
In this lesson, you can learn how to write an email in English.
Do you need to write emails at work?
這節課你可以學習如何寫英語郵件。你工作時需要寫郵件嗎？
Are you worried that your emails aren't clear, or that you make mistakes in English?
In this lesson, you can see how to write clear, natural-sounding emails easily and quickly.
你是否擔心用英語郵件寫得不清楚，或犯錯誤？
這節課你可以學習如何簡單快捷地寫出內容清晰、表達自然的郵件。
We'll show you how to write an email in English from beginning to end, in simple, clear steps that you can follow right now! Let's start at the beginning.
現在我們就從頭到尾地向你展示如何通過簡單明晰的幾個步驟寫出一封英語郵件。
我們先講解郵件開頭。
With emails, you can start like a letter. For example: "Dear Lina,", "Dear Sir/Madam," or "Dear Mr Hill,".
寫郵件你可以像寫信一樣開頭。例如：「親愛的麗娜，」，「尊敬的先生/女士，」或者「尊敬的希爾先生，」。
However, emails are generally much less formal than letters.
Use a greeting with "dear" only if you're writing something formal.
不過，通常來說郵件要遠沒有信件正式。只有你寫比較正式的內容時才用 Dear 來問候。
So, what else can you use? Many emails start with "hello", or "hi" plus the person's name.
那麼你還可以用什麼？許多郵件開頭用 hello 或 hi 加上人名。
For example: "Hello," or "Hi Ryan,".
In many business emails, you'll follow the greeting with something like: "I hope you're well." or "How are you?"
例如：「你好，」或者「你好瑞恩，」。
許多商務郵件會在問候之後加上：「希望你一切都好。」或者「你好啊。」
In business emails, these are simply polite phrases, and they don't generally need an answer.
For more informal emails, you can start with just the word "hi" or "hey", plus a comma.
商務郵件中，這些只是簡單的禮貌用語，通常不需要回應。
更不正式的郵件可以開頭只寫 hi 或者 hey， 再加上個逗號。
You can also just write the person's name plus a comma.
This is a more professional style, even though it's more informal.
你也可以只寫下人名再加上個逗號。相比下這種方式更專業點，即便也更不正式。
It's best with people you already know. For a very informal email, you might not need a greeting at all.
最好是用在你已經認識的人的郵件中。非常不正式的郵件你可能完全不需要問候了。
This is also true if you're sending several emails to the same person in a short time.
You don't need to write a greeting every time.
如果你在短時間內向同一個人發送多封郵件也同樣是如此。
你不需要每次都寫問候語。
Let's review quickly.
For very formal emails, use a greeting with dear plus a name, like a letter.
我們快速複習一下吧。
非常正式的郵件要像信件那樣使用問候語，即 dear 加上名字。
For most everyday emails, use either hello or hi plus a name.
For less formal emails, use hi or hey without a name, or don't use a greeting at all.
大多數日常郵件則用 hello 或 hi 加上名字。
不太正式的郵件用 hi 或 hey 不加名字，或者完全不用問候語了。
Okay, but what next? After your greeting, you should explain why you're writing.
好了，不過接下來呢？問候完你應當解釋寫郵件的原因。
Make this as short as possible. If you're writing to someone who receives hundreds of emails every day, you need to make your purpose clear quickly.
這部分儘可能簡短。如果你寫信的對象每天要收到好幾百封郵件，你需要快速解釋寫郵件的目的。
Someone who's very busy won't spend a lot of time trying to work out what you're trying to say!
How can you do this?
要是很忙的話，那人不會花多少時間去弄清你想表達什麼的。
你怎麼寫這段呢？
Start with a simple phrase, like: I'm writing regarding. . . I wanted to follow up on. . .
用簡練的措詞起頭，例如：我寫這封郵件是想談談……我想談談……的後續。
Or: I would like to ask about. . . These phrases are slightly more formal.
又如：我想問問……這些措詞稍微正式些。
Let's see how you could use them: I'm writing regarding the issues we've been having with our database system.
I wanted to follow up on our meeting last week and confirm our plans for this month.
看一看你如何來運用：我寫這封郵件是想談談我們在資料庫系統上遇到的問題。
我想談談上周會議的後續工作，確認一下本月的計劃。
I would like to ask about the new budget and whether this will affect our department.
In a more informal email, you wouldn't use a phrase like this.
我想問問有關新預算的問題，這是否會影響到我們部門。
不太正式的郵件中則不用這類措詞。
You might ask a more direct question or make a direct statement, like this: do you know when the database issues will be fixed?
Let's confirm our plans for this month.
你也許更直接地提問或陳述，例如：你知道資料庫的問題什麼時候能解決嗎？我們來確認下本月的計劃吧。
Or: how will the new budget affect our department?
If you're writing because you want to find a solution to a problem, here are some useful phrases: "I'm concerned about. . ." or "I need to bring something to your attention."
又如：新預算對我們部門會有什麼樣的影響？
如果因為你想找到問題的解決方法才寫郵件，那麼這裡有些實用用語：「我很關心……」或者「我希望你能注意到某事。」
Again, these are more formal phrases.
Let's see how you can use them: I'm concerned about the number of sick days staff have been taking recently.
同樣這些都是比較正式的用語。
看看你怎麼運用：我很關心員工最近休了多少病假。
I need to bring something to your attention: using outdated software puts us at risk of malware infections and data loss. Now it's your turn.
我希望你能注意到：使用過時軟體我們會冒著惡意軟體感染和數據丟失的風險。現在輪到你了。
Imagine that you're writing an email to your manager, colleague, or client.
You need to write an appropriate greeting, then write one or two sentences to explain why you're writing.
想像下你在給經理、同事或客戶寫郵件。
你需要寫下合適的問候語，然後用一兩句話解釋寫郵件的原因。
Pause the video and do it now! Start again when you've finished.
暫停視頻，現在就寫吧！寫好了再繼續觀看。
Ready? Let's move on.
準備好了嗎？我們繼續吧。
After you introduce why you're writing, you need to add more details and supporting information, so that your reader understands the situation you're describing.
Put this information in a new paragraph.
介紹完寫郵件的原因後，你需要解釋更多的細節和輔助信息，這樣收件人可以明白你描述的情況。這些信息寫在新的一段。
This will make your email clear and easy to follow.
First, ask yourself what the person you're writing to needs to know.
這樣你的郵件就清晰易讀了。首先，先自問收件人需要知道什麼。
With emails, less is more.
No one wants to read a very long email, and it's hard to make yourself clear if you write too much.
對於郵件來說，簡潔便是美。
沒人想讀封冗長的郵件，如果你寫得太多就很難表達清楚。
So, try to limit yourself to two to three sentences. Put your most important point first.
所以試著限制自己只寫兩到三句話吧。先擺出你最重要的觀點。
Let's look at some examples: I'm writing regarding the issues we've been having with our database.
看看一些例子：我寫郵件是想談談資料庫方面遇到的問題。
Both clients and staff have been experiencing severe problems for several days now.
We are unable to update records or access information on customer interactions.
客戶和員工這幾天遭遇到了很嚴重的問題。我們沒法更新記錄，也沒法取得客戶互動信息。
This is costing us large amounts of money, both in time spent trying to fix the problem, and in lost sales. Here's one more: I'm concerned about the number of sick days staff have been taking recently.
這導致我們在修復問題上花了不少時間，也損失了不少銷售額，因而損失大量金錢。還有個例子：我很關心最近員工請了多少假。
Staff in the IT department have taken a total of 44 sick days so far this month, compared to a total of 23 for last month, and just 18 for the previous month.
This is affecting productivity, and also placing a lot of stress on the employees who do come to work.
IT部門員工這個月目前已經請了一共44天的病假，上個月共計23天，上上個月才18天。這影響了生產效率，也對那些上班的員工造成了不小的壓力。
In both cases, you're writing to describe a problem.
Your first sentence introduces the problem, and then your next paragraph gives more details.
兩例都是你寫郵件描述問題。第一句話介紹問題，然後下一段中給出細節。
You can see that in both examples, we use just two sentences, but you can include a lot of useful information in two sentences.
If you have more than one point to make in your email, you can repeat this pattern: first put a short sentence to introduce your point, then add a paragraph with two to three sentences to add details.
你可以看到兩個樣例都是如此，我們只用了兩句話，卻能包含很多有用信息。如果郵件中你要表達不止一個觀點，你可以重複以下模式：先用一句簡短的話語介紹觀點，然後另起一段，用兩三句話來補充細節。
You can move from one point to another using a phrase like: there's one more thing I'd like to discuss with you. Regarding. . .
觀點的轉換可以用以下措詞：還有一件事我想和你談談。關於……
Or: I'd also like to ask you about. . . Use one of these phrases to change the topic, and then introduce your next point.
又如：我想問問你……用其中一種措詞來切換話題，然後再介紹下一觀點。
For example: there's one more thing I'd like to discuss with you.
It seems like the number of customer complaints has been increasing for three months. . .
例如：還有一件事我想和你談談。似乎三個月來客戶的投訴量在不斷上升……
Now, you can practice. Take the email you started before.
現在你可以練習了。就用你之前起頭的郵件。
Add a new paragraph, which should be two to three sentences long.
Add details to the point you introduced before.
添加新的一段，應該兩到三句話長。為你此前介紹過的觀點補充細節。
Pause the video and do it now. If you want extra practice, add another topic to your email, using one of the linking phrases you just saw.
暫停視頻，現在就寫吧。如果你想額外再做練習，應用一種你剛才學到的連接措詞，為郵件再添加一個話題吧。
After you explain all the points you want to make, what should you do next?
When you write an email, you should make it clear what you expect from the person you're sending it to.
你解釋了所有想要表達的觀點，下一步你應該做什麼？
寫郵件時你應當很清楚自己對收件人有著什麼期待。
Even if you're writing just to give the other person some information, it's a good idea to make that clear. Put your call to action in a new paragraph.
即便你只是為了給他人提供一些信息才寫的郵件，也最好搞清上述問題。新開一段寫你要求行動。
Again, putting each thing in its own paragraph makes your email structured and easy to follow.
So, what can you write here?
重申一次，各種內容分段落表達，這樣你的郵件就很有條理，容易閱讀。
那麼這段你可以怎麼寫？
First, let's consider situations where you need the other person to do something urgently.
You could say: please. . . by tomorrow at the latest.
首先，我們思考一下你需要他人做某事比較緊急的情況。你可以說：請最遲明天做……
As a matter of urgency, you need to. . . For example: please arrange a meeting of all department heads by tomorrow at the latest.
當務之急是你需要……例如：請最遲明天安排所有部門負責人開一次會。
As a matter of urgency, you need to contact all the clients who may have been affected by this data breach.
If your request is less urgent, you could use phrases such as: could you please. . . ?
當務之急是你需要和可能受數據洩露影響的所有客戶聯繫一下。
如果你的請求沒那麼緊急，你可以用如下措詞：能請你……？
I would like you to. . . For example: could you please talk to Matt in the HR department and clarify our options on this?
我希望你能……例如：能請你和人事部的馬特談談，澄清我們在此事上的選擇嗎？
I would like you to design a poster to inform staff about the new policies. With calls to action, you should think about your relationship with the person you're writing to.
我希望你能設計一款海報，告知員工新政策的有關信息。你如果要要求行動，應當想想自己和收件人的關係。
For example, saying something like, "You need to. . ." or "I would like you to. . ." is relatively direct.
That's fine if you're a manager writing to one of your team, but it might sound inappropriate if you write that to your manager.
例如，寫「你需要……」或者「我希望你能……」是相對而言更直接的。
如果你是經理，寫給團隊一員，那樣沒什麼問題，不過如果是你寫給經理，那樣聽起來不大合適。
This also depends on the corporate culture where you work.
Generally, if you aren't sure, it's better to be less direct.
這也取決於你工作單位的企業文化。
通常來說，如果你不確定，最好還是委婉些。
For example: I suggest that you contact all clients who may have been affected by the data breach.
Can I ask you to design a poster to inform staff about the new policies?
例如：我建議你可以聯繫下可能受數據洩露影響的所有客戶。我可以請你設計一款海報告知員工新政策的相關信息嗎？
But, be careful! Don't be so indirect that the other person doesn't understand what you need.
不過，要當心！不要太委婉了，導致其他人不明白你需要什麼。
If you don't need a response from the other person, say something like: this is just to keep you updated.
This doesn't require any immediate response, but please keep an eye on the situation.
如果不需要他人回復，可以這麼說：寫這封郵件只是為了告訴你最新消息。
這樣不要求對方立即回復，但請對方關注情況。
Now, it's your turn! Pause the video and add a call to action to the end of your email.
現在輪到你了！暫停視頻，在郵件結尾添寫要求行動。
Think about who you're writing to, and make your call-to-action appropriately direct or indirect.
So, now you're nearly finished.
思考一下你要寫給誰，你要求對方行動的表述無論直接或委婉都應適當。
現在郵件你差不多要寫完了。
What's left? Finish your email with a sign-off and your name.
還剩下什麼？郵件最後寫結束語和姓名收尾。
You can use a lot of the same sign-offs you can use in a paper letter, such as: "Regards,", "Best Wishes," or "Kind Regards,". Like with greetings, you wouldn't generally use very formal sign-offs like "Yours Sincerely" in an email.
你可以用許多和紙質書信一樣的結束語，例如：「此致敬禮，」，「祝好，」或者「謹致問候，」。
和問候語一樣，你通常不會在郵件裡用「謹啟」這類非常正式的結束語。
You might see it sometimes, but only in very formal emails.
Don't forget to write each word of your sign-off with a capital letter, and put a comma at the end.
你可能有時見到過，不過這只會出現在非常正式的郵件中。
不要忘記結束語每個詞首字母都要大寫，最後還要加上逗號。
The sign-offs you've just seen are neutral and can be used in almost any situation.
If you're writing something more informal, you might use a sign-off like: "Cheers," or "Take care,".
你剛才見到的結束語都比較中性，可以用在絕大多數場合。
如果你寫的內容不那么正式，你可以寫如下的結束語：「再見，」或「保重，」。
In this case, you wouldn't capitalise each word, which is why care in "Take care" has a small "c". Like with greetings, you might not need a sign-off in an informal email.
這種情況下，你不用每個詞都大寫首字母，所以 Take care 中 care 的 c 是小寫的。和問候語一樣，非正式郵件中可以不需要結束語。
Just write your name at the bottom, or don't write anything at all! After you put your sign-off, add your name, and you've finished!
只需在底部寫上名字，或者什麼都不寫！寫上結束語，加上名字，郵件就寫完了！
For example: "Regards, Vijay", "Cheers, Katya". Now you know how to write a clear, effective email in English.
例如：「此致敬禮，維賈伊」，「再見，卡迪婭」。現在你學會了如何寫一封內容清晰，效果不錯的英語郵件了。
Let's put everything you've learned together.
To write an effective email in English, you need to: 1. Use an appropriate greeting.
我們來把學過的所有內容匯總一下。寫一封效果不錯的英語郵件，你需要：一，使用合適的問候語。
2. Introduce your topic in a single sentence.
3. Add details to your topic in a short paragraph.
2，一句話介紹你的話題。
3，一小段為話題增添細節。
4. Add a call-to-action to explain what you need the other person to do. 5. Use an appropriate sign-off.
4，要求行動，解釋你需要他人做什麼。
5，使用合適的結束語。
Let's do a longer example together: Dear Lina, I need to bring something to your attention: many staff are using very weak passwords on their laptops and for database access.
Our work depends on keeping our clients' personal financial information safe.
我們來舉個長一點的例子：親愛的麗娜，我希望你能注意到：許多員工在筆記本上登陸資料庫用的密碼太簡單。
我們的工作取決於能否保證客戶的個人財務信息安全。
If we lose our clients' trust on this issue, it will not be easy to recover.
I trust that you can see that it is better to take action now, rather than after something goes wrong.
如果我們失去客戶在這件事上的信任，就很難彌補了。
我相信你能明白不是出事之後而是現在就採取行動。
I suggest we make a rule that passwords must be a specific length, and that staff must change their passwords at least once a month.
Please let me know what you think about this.
我建議我們制定規則，要求密碼必須達到特定長度，而且員工必須每月更換密碼至少一次。
你對此有何看法請回復。
Regards, Vijay What do you think: could you write an email like this?
此致敬禮，維賈伊 你有什麼看法：你能寫出這樣的郵件嗎？
Try it! Use words and phrases from the lesson.
試一試！用這節課學的詞彙和措詞。
Remember to organise your email into paragraphs, like we showed you.
This will make it easier to keep your ideas structured and clear.
記住郵件分段組織語言，模仿我們給你展示的例子。
這樣既有條理又清晰地表述觀點就更加容易了。
For more free English lessons check out our website: Oxford Online English. com
Thanks for watching!
下節課見！