It's sunny day. Autumn has come. Happy! I like autumn best because of nice weather, beautiful sceneries, smell of air and... my birthday in October! (^.^)
I took a business conversation class in my English school yesterday as a substitute class.
I haven't missed a class so I can't take a substitute class but a girl who is a clerk of the school told me to take the substitute class. Maybe it was her mistake. Lucky!
Such being the case, I took a business class for the first time. And then I found that I had misunderstood some formal and informal words...
I often get worried about whether an English word I use is polite or not for business, because honorifics are very important in Japanese. I know using honorifics in English is not as strict as those in Japanese though.
Even if I use impolite words, many foreigners probably allow me because they know well that I speak very poor English. Am I easygoing too much?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
yippie birthday! (whenever it is during October) =D
mind sharing what informal and formal words that you misunderstood?
Thank you, Chris!
My birthday is 17th. The week after next!!
Lots of misunderstand. For example...
I often use "Take care" for business but it's an informal word...
I say "you are welcome" to my friends, but it's a formal word... I had thought it was very friendly word.
I wonder everyone don't say "you are welcome" to their friends.
I had thought "best regards" was very very polite word, but it seems it's not polite so much. And I didn't know I couldn't use this word for person I contact for the first time.
I decided to use "sincerely" instead of "best regards" from now.
hmm...
I'm not sure what are the situation or circumstances where you use the word "you are welcome" in. Normally, I would say "You're welcome" to someone who says "Thank you" to me for doing something, making it more of polite words to use to accept thanks/gratitude. In speech, saying "you are welcome" after someone thanks you is a formal way while "don't mention it" is more of an informal way.
Anyway, I take it that you're referring to business letter formats?
To me, ending an e-mail or letter with "Sincerely" seems to be the same as ending it with "Best Regards". I think it all boils down to whom you're communicating with. "Sincerely" is more for those you're not close with (like clients)while "Regards" seem more for working colleagues.
btw, it should be "Lots of misunderstanding." instead of "lots of misunderstand". ;) Then again, I'm not certain if 'misunderstanding' is the proper term to be used...
Thank you for your advice and correcting my English!
Delicate difference of English is very difficult for me.
I often feel anxious that people can get the point of what I want to say. For example, I wrote "thank you for your advice" at the top of this comment. But I don' know whether "advice" is appropriate in this case. I have no idea "advice" means thing I want to say to you. When I speak English, I always feel to be in gray cloud. But! I don't give up of course!
hmm... do you own a Japanese <-> English dictionary? I bet you do... doesn't it help?
Well, I didn't really give you any advice. I was merely giving you some of my thoughts (or rather views) which were based on my experience. What does 'advice' mean to you in Japanese? I guess, one could look at it as giving 'advice' so no worries, you didn't really say anything wrong there.
Hey, at least you're willing to learn. :) Keep it up!
Dictionary isn't so useful for delicate difference of meaning. I had many mistake depending dictionary, and foreign friends pointed out them.
"Advice" has wide rage of meaning in Japanese. Haha.
Thank you for your encouragement!
happy birthday!
I think your question depends on which country (type of English) you are using. Americans tend to finish by saying "sincerely"...English often use "regards" or "best regards". If they are informal, English will say "cheers"...
my birthday is three days after yours - it is the real start to the holiday season.
Thank you, Kirk!
I'm sometimes surprised at difference between American English and British English. I wonder it is like difference between Tokyo tongue and Kansai-ben in Japan... ???
Oh, your birthday is also October! Happy Birthday! (^o^)
maybe not so different, but i can always make my japanese friends (all in tokyo) laugh by using kansai japanese. botchi botchi (see - you are laughing too)
Haha. Have you lived in Kansai area? My English progress is botchi botch. (^.^)
Post a Comment