美聯航的道歉信太爛了:這10招教你寫好英文道歉信!

在「拽人」事件發生後幾小時
美聯航的執行長

奧斯卡•穆諾斯(Oscar Munoz)
就發表了道歉

但他的道歉信又引起了群眾很大的不滿

信件大意如下：

這對所有美聯航的同事來說是一個難過（upsetting）的事件。我們對不得不「重新安排」（re-accommodate）的乘客們表示歉意。（就是被驅趕的乘客）

我們的團隊正緊急配合當局（the authorities）進行調查，也對此事件展開（conduct）細緻的自我檢查（detailed review）。

同時，我們也正接觸（reach out to）這位受害的乘客，並和他直接溝通，爭取進一步解決（address and resolve）這個問題。

「雞毛秀」主持人吉米

在他的節目上還為美聯航
製作了一個新（惡搞）的宣傳視頻

大家可以一起來看看~

網友對這封道歉信也進行了「翻譯」

@芽兔芽兔：

這道歉信我給你們再翻譯一下：操你們媽，我沒覺得我趕人下飛機有錯，錯就錯在讓你們都看見了（這裡用詞是re-accommodate意思是重新調整，根本沒提自己多賣票和找人下機和趕人下機的舉動），我們正在編出一個聽起來和善一點的事實經過，可能還會買點水軍。然後對於那個黃皮二等公民大夫我們決定給錢打發走。

推特上一位網友還幫忙
改起了美聯航CEO的小作文

以下引自：Kevin英語課堂

（1）把 having to 改成 choosing to

having to 是「不得不」的意思，體現了航空公司的無奈，但改成choosing to，體現了這種野蠻行徑並不是「無奈之舉」，而是「主動選擇」

（2）把 re-accommodate 改成 assault

re-accommodate 是一個很友好的詞，CEO故意把「野蠻行為（savage behavior）」說成「重新安排」，美化自己的意圖昭然若揭。

assault 是「襲擊、攻擊」的意思，符合美聯航的實際做法。

（3）把 customers 改成 human

customer 是「顧客」的意思。該詞自帶光環，現代商業社會中的「顧客」是要被商家供起來的。

美聯航CEO使用這個詞試圖讓公眾覺得他們仍秉持著「顧客就是上帝」的理念。但事實上，從美聯航對待顧客的行為中，我們並沒有發現他們把乘客當成「顧客」，而是當成了可以隨意踐踏的、毫無權利可言的「人」。

這裡把 customers 改成 human 起到了諷刺效果，因為human是描述「人」的最低級的詞彙，連 people 都算不上，更別提cusomers了。

（4）把 moving with a sense of urgency to work with the authorities 改成 scrambling 

原文中的說法冠冕堂皇，說自己如何如何配合當局查明真相，但事實上很有可能憑藉大企業的身份跟政府打圓場、打太極--這就是「scrambling」的本質。

scramle 在牛津詞典上的一個解釋為：scrambling something means to confuse somebody’s thoughts, ideas. 就是「混淆視聽」的意思。

（5）把 conduct our own detailed review of what happened 改成 refusing to take full responsibility 

說自己正在「進行細緻入微的自我檢討」。說的好聽，自己關起門怎麼做，外界根本不知道。「refusing to take full responsibility」（拒絕承擔全部責任）揭露出了他們的真實目的。

6）把 further address and resolve this situation 改成 praying we can make a deal so we don’t get sued or any more bad press 

原文中說美聯航要「進一步解決這個問題」，怎麼解決，要達成什麼意圖？他們的目的很可能是這樣的：

「praying we can make a deal so we don’t get sued or any more bad press」--祈禱（pray）我們能和那位受害乘客達成協定（make a deal），以確保自己不被起訴（get sued），或不再有負面報導（bad press）。

可見寫道歉信真是一門技術活

如果連歉都道不好

恐怕只會把事情越描越黑

所以我們今天要跟大家分享

十個寫英文道歉信的小技巧

雖然不希望大家用得上

但還是以防不時之需啊

英文來源：wikiHow

To write an apology letter, you'll need to address your error early in the letter, acknowledge the other party's hurt feelings, and accept full responsibility for your part in the matter.

在道歉信中，你不僅需要儘早地澄清錯誤，承認對他人造成的傷害，還要做好負起相應責任的準備。

 In many cases, you'll also need to offer a solution that will fix any underlying issues related to the original problem. If you want to make sure that your apology is effective and doesn't cause even more hurt, aim for both clarity and sincerity while you write.

很多情況下，你還需要為己方造成的問題提供解決方案。如果你想確保道歉行之有效並且不會再造成更多負面的效果，那你寫的東西一定要表述清晰且誠懇。

Be sincere and genuine.
少點套路，多點真誠

When you apologize, you need to be sincere and genuine about it. If you can't be, in some cases it might be better to wait until you really are sorry before apologizing. When you write your letter, skip the form language and cliches. Don't just copy some letter that you find on the internet. 

當你準備道歉時，你首先要做到真心誠意。如果你當下還沒有想要道歉的心情，不妨再等多幾天，直到你真的意識到自己錯了。當你寫道歉信時，記得要去掉那些冠冕堂皇的話，不要隨便在網上找一些道歉信的模板敷衍了事。

State what your letter is about.
開門見山

It’s a good idea to begin by letting them know that this letter is an apology. This will give them the chance to put themselves, emotionally, in the right place to read the rest of your letter. You don’t want them to be confused about why you’re writing or what you’re going to say.

一開始就要讓讀者知道這是一封道歉信，好讓他們在往下讀之前做好心理準備。你肯定不希望讀道歉信的人一頭霧水，搞不清你想說啥。

Opening of an apology letter(道歉信開頭)

1) I am writing to apologize for …

我寫信的目的是就……向你道歉。

2) I am terribly sorry, but…

我非常抱歉，但是……

3) Thank you for …, but I am sorry to say that…

謝謝您……但是我很遺憾地說……

4) I regret to inform you that I am unable to do…

很遺憾地通知您我不能……

Now that you』ve acknowledged that you’re apologizing, say what you’re apologizing for and why it was incorrect. Be very exact and descriptive. By fully putting it out there in the open, the person that you’re apologizing to will know that you do really understand what you did.

既然你已經準備道歉，那就要在道歉信中講明你為何道歉以及犯了什麼錯，事情的描述要詳實和準確。如果能將所犯之錯完事地表達出來，受道歉者會明白你已經意識到自己的過錯。

Say something like: 「What I did last weekend was horribly inappropriate, disrespectful, and wildly selfish. Your wedding is supposed to be all about your happiness and celebrating your love. By proposing to Jessica, I turned that focus on to me. I tried to steal your moment and that was wrong.」

Acknowledge how much you have hurt them.
承認自己對他人造成的傷害

Acknowledge that they have been hurt and that you understand just how hurtful it was. This is usually a good time to also mention that you never intended for them to be hurt.

承認自己已對他人造成傷害，自己也意識到傷害之深，並強調自己並非有意為之。

例子：

Say something like: 「Jacob told me that my actions ruined not only your experience of your wedding, but also are now making your honeymoon less than the incredible experience that it should be. I hope you understand that that was never my intention. I wanted you to be able to look back on this time and remember only happy things but I have ruined that with my selfish actions. I've robbed you of those happy memories. While I can't truly know how this feels to you, I can certainly understand that what I did was one of the worst things I could possibly have done to you.」

Express your gratitude.
表達感激之情

If you want to, though it is not required, you can acknowledge all the hard work and good things that they've done for you in the past. This shows them that you appreciate them and can help show that you really do feel bad about what you've done.

雖然這一步不是必須的，但你可以提起對方曾為你做的一些事，比如在哪些方面對你有過幫助，這樣能突顯你對他們的感激以及愧疚。

例子：

Say something like: 「This is an especially terrible thing for me to have done to you after how warmly you have accepted me into your family. You have not only shown your incredible, beautiful love to my brother, but you have also shown me support and kindness that I never could have possibly expected. To hurt you in this way was an insult to all the things that you have done for me and I hate myself for that.」

Offer a solution that will lead to change.
為改變現狀想辦法

Just saying that you're sorry isn't really enough. What really gives an apology some punch is finding a way to solve the problem in the future. This is better, even, than just saying that it will never happen again. When you offer a plan for change and how you're going to go about it, this shows the person that you're really serious about making the situation better.

有時只表達歉意可能還不夠。為了讓道歉看上去更有力，你還需要為以後可能出現的問題提出解決思路，這總好過只是簡單地說句「下不為例」。當你提出了彌補的計劃，並說明自己將會怎麼做，這會讓受道歉者感到你對此事的認真，並且是真的想改善現狀。

例子：

Say something like: 「But just being sorry isn't enough. You deserve better. When you come home, Jessica and I would love to throw a big welcome-home party in your honor. This will be the party to end all parties and it will be 100% devoted to celebrating the incredible love you share with my brother. If you would rather not do this, that's fine: I just want to find some way to help you create the incredible, happy memories that I took away from you. 」

State a desire to have better interactions in the future.
表達要繼續加強聯繫的願望

You shouldn't just outright ask for forgiveness. This places demands, whether you intend it or not, on a person whom you have already wronged. It is better to express what you really want, which is for the two of you to interact in a better way in the future.

你不能簡單草率地求個原諒就了事，不管你是有意還是無意，這聽起來都像是一種「請求」。比較好的做法是，表達出你希望跟對方繼續保持聯繫的意向。

例子：

Say something like: 「I can’t expect your forgiveness, though I certainly hope for it. All I can say is that I truly want things to be okay between us. I want you to feel okay and eventually even happy when you're around me. I want to earn back the wonderful relationship that we had. Hopefully, in the future, we can find a way to move past this and create happier times together.」

Don't promise change unless you are 100% sure you can deliver. 

不要輕易許諾，除非你有百分百的決心

This is very important. If you made a mistake that you feel you are likely to repeat or that stems from inherent differences in personality or values, you do not want to promise them that you will change. This is because you will likely make the mistake again and future apologies, for anything really, will ring hollow.

這一點非常關鍵，當你犯了一個自認為很可能還會再犯的錯時，不要輕易許諾。因為「江山易改，本性難移」，你很可能會因為性格問題再犯類似的錯，到時你還要再道歉，這種情況你要是許諾就容易給人感覺不誠懇。

Keep expectations and assumptions out of your letter.
不要在道歉信中提出請求

You don't want your letter to sound demanding, rude, or create further insult. You don't want to try to or appear to try to guilt someone into forgiveness. You don't want to make assumptions about how they feel or why they're upset, because you might end up showing how little you understand about what happened. With all of the language you use, it's better to take a tone that is humble and leaves them feeling in control of the situation. This sort of language is most likely to help them forgive you.

不要讓你的道歉信看上去咄咄逼人，甚至給人無禮的感覺。不要用一些企圖對方原諒你的語氣，不要假設你能明白他們有多傷心難過，因為你可能對他們的感受一無所知。在道歉信中的用語，要儘可能地讓人感到你的謙卑，讓別人覺得自在。這樣的言辭更容易幫你爭取到原諒。

End your letter gracefully.
得體地結束道歉信

 If you don't know how else to end your letter, default to the basic "Sincerely..." However, you can also get a little more creative if you want to keep the letter sounding less like a basic letter. Try phrases like "I sincerely thank you for hearing me out" or "Again, I deeply apologize for the problems my actions caused, and I hope I can work to make it right."

如果你確實不知道該怎麼結尾，你可以像常規的信件那樣結束，如 "Sincerely..." 。然而，你也可以用一些其他的表達來讓道歉信顯得更特別，比如"I sincerely thank you for hearing me out" or "Again, I deeply apologize for the problems my actions caused, and I hope I can work to make it right."。

End of an apology letter (道歉信結尾)

1) I hope you can accept my apologies. Please allow me to say sorry again. 我希望你能接受我的歉意，並允許我再一次道歉。

2) Once again, I am sorry for any inconvenience caused. 對於所引起的不便，我再一次表示歉意。

3) I would be very grateful if you could tell me if there is any way that I can make up for it. 如果有什麼方法可以讓我彌補這件事，請告訴我，我將不勝感激。

4) I do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. 對於這件事給您帶來的不便，我非常抱歉。

5) I hope you can pardon me for this matter again. 我希望在這件事情上你能再次原諒我。

6) I am sorry for causing you inconvenience. 很抱歉給您帶來的不便。

下面有一封道歉信的樣本
大家可以看下：

Sample Apology Letter

Dear Mrs. Fischer,

I am writing to apologize for passing notes in class.

I realize that you were discussing important concepts that are going to help us write our upcoming analysis essays and do well on the final, and I should have been paying closer attention. From now on, I』ll limit my classroom communication to helpful comments that are related to the subject matter and wait to discuss personal things until after class.

I also wanted to thank you for giving me a warning instead of detention because my coach would have benched me if I had been late to practice. I promise you won’t have to make that decision again.

Sincerely,

Bill Tammen

現在你知道怎麼用英文寫道歉信了嗎？