询问信  

Letters of Inquiry

 

  询问信或咨询信指的是用于了解信息、资料和情况等等的信件。其主要目的是寻求所需信息，一般包括三个部分：

   1. 说明自己的情况及写信意图；

   2. 具体询问事宜，要明确清晰；

   3. 表示感谢、期盼回复。

  写询问信要注意以下几个问题：第一，从措辞上来讲，一定要有礼貌，要比较客气地说清楚你想了解什么或者有什么要求。第二，所提的问题一定要具体、明确，不能含糊其辞，否则会让对方感到无从回答。第三，如果同时有好几个问题需要对方回答，可以考虑分段写；如果问题比较简单，则无需分段，但一定要将每个问题分别写清楚。第四，一定要记得在信中向对方表示感谢。此外，还要注明联系地址与电话，以便对方答复。

  询问信的语气通常比较正式、和缓，要充分表达感激之情。同时，相比较语气直接的疑问句，用一些能够起到提问作用的陈述句更佳。

A. 询问信的常用句型：

1. I wonder if you could tell me what to do.

2. I’d be most grateful if I could have your full support.

3. I would like to know whether you can provide me with information regarding…

4. I am writing to ask for information about...

5. I would be grateful if you could send me information concerning your travel packages and their corresponding price per person.

6. I’d very much appreciate your advice on such matters as…

7. Thank you in advance for your cooperation/assistance.

B. 复询信的常用句型：

1. Thank you for your recent inquiry concerning our products.

2. As asked/requested, we are happy/pleased to enclose our catalogue.

3. I will be happy to provide special quantity prices on the specific items.

4. We appreciate your interest in our jewelry.

5. It gives us great pleasure to send along the technical information on the model together with the catalogue and price list.

6. Please let us know if we can be of further help/further assistance.

7. We look forward to the opportunity of being of service to you.

Sample One

Dear Mr. Zhang,

       As we plan our fall inventory (存货清单), we are again in the market to buy                     woolens. We are principally interested in the traditional sweater and would like to request       a sample. Please also send information on any other knitwear (针织品) that your                     company produces and a current price list.

      If you plan to take part in the Beijing Trade Fair at the end of this month, please               inform us of your stand number so that we can contact you at that time. Please note our           new address and telephone number.

      Thank you in advance for your attention.

                                                                                 Sincerely,

                                                                                 Wang Ping

Sample Two

Dear Sir,

       We would like to send a consignment (托运的货物) of flowers from Guangzhou to           Beijing. It contains 12 boxes, each weighing 20 kilos and measuring 1 cubic meter. The          consignment is to be delivered within two days.

       Could you please quote charges for shipment and insurance? I’d very much                      appreciate your reply.

                                                                              Yours faithfully,

                                                                                Nick Joy

A Letter of Reply to An Inquiry

Dear Mr. Wang,

       Thank you for your recent inquiry concerning our products.

       To help with your woolens purchases, I will send you a sample of the traditional             sweater as well as a current price list about our other knitwear.

       As we will not attend the Beijing Trade Fair at the end of this month, I have                      enclosed our most recent catalogues illustrating many of our popular products to let you          see the breadth of our designs. I’ll be in contact with you to see if the information I have        provided is what you need and to answer any question you might have.

        We appreciate your interest in our products and look forward to helping you.               

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                        Zhang Weiping