Abstract:

With the wide application of the computer and modern communication technology, the ways and methods of international business contact are reforming and updating gradually. Traditional business letters, which are commonly used in the past, such as telegrams, telexes, are gradually replaced by the electronic mail (also known as E-mail). After that, E-mail has become increasingly important as a new type of communication. In recent years, the popularity of the Internet also makes E-mail get more and more widely used in the business world; thus business E-mail occupies a pivotal position. However, many people do not know much about its composition. So when using business E-mail, they often encounter lots of difficulties which will eventually affect the communications between each other. Therefore, improving the quality of business E-mail composition, that is to be familiar with the business E-mail writing format, principles and features, is of vital importance. This essay reviews the historical background of E-mail and concentrates on the writing formats, principles, features of business E-mail, and then it compares business E-mail with traditional business letters, so as to have a better understanding of business E-mail composition, reduce misunderstanding, improve efficiency and promote the achievement of business cooperation.

Keywords: E-mail Composition; Traditional Business Letter; Comparison; Writing Features and Principles

摘  要：

随着计算机的广泛应用和现代通讯技术的发展，国际商务联系的方式和方法也在逐步改进。过去人们常用的手写书信、电报、电传逐步为电子邮件（又称电子函件或电子信函）所取代, 电子邮件则成为一种新型的沟通渠道。近年来因特网的普及也加快了电子邮件在商务活动中的广泛运用，商务电子邮件因此占据了举足轻重的地位。但是很多人对商务电子邮件这一新媒介的写作特点了解不多，所以在使用电子邮件时往往会遇到很多困难，进而影响相互间的沟通。因此提高商务电子邮件的写作质量，也就是熟悉电子邮件的写作格式，写作原则和特点至关重要。本文回顾了电子邮件出现的历史背景，集中探讨了商务电子邮件的写作格式、写作原则和特点，并将其与传统商务信函进行比较分析，从而更好的了解商务电子邮件的写作，减少误解，提高办事效率,促进商务合作的达成。

关键词：电子邮件;传统商务信函;对比;写作特色和原则