寫電子郵件時最常犯的3個錯誤

Writing well can be difficult even for those who do it professionally. The English language is rife with opportunities to use the wrong words, punctuation, syntax, or style.

即便是對那些專業的人來說，優秀的寫作也有難度。英語裏有很多誤用單詞、標點、句法或文體的情況。

And while some might shrug off an inability to communicate in writing as no big deal, others say it matters more than you might think.

有些人可能對無法用書面形式溝通不以爲意。但其他人認爲，這可能要比你想象的重要。

Writing, communication skills, and organizational skills are in high demand in nearly every occupation—even fields like IT and engineering—but difficult for employers to find, according to a study by job market analytics software firm Burning Glass Technologies.

根據就業市場分析軟件公司Burning Glass 科技的一項研究，幾乎每個行業——甚至像IT和工程領域——都對寫作、溝通技巧和組織技能有很高需求，而僱主卻很難找到。

And being unable to write well may also hurt your personal brand and effectiveness. “If you have a reputation as a bad communicator, a bad writer, when emails come in and they see it's from a certain person, a lot of people might just delete it before reading it.

寫作不好則會有損你的個人品牌和效能。如果你冠上了溝通糟糕、蹩腳作家的名聲，別人收到郵件，一看是你發來的，可能讀都不讀就直接刪除了。

Like, “Oh, I know this never has anything important in it,” says business writing coach Jodi Torpey.

就像，“哦，我知道這裏從來沒什麼重要的事，”商務寫作導師喬迪•湯培說。

While learning to communicate well in writing is a skill that takes practice, there are some tricks of the trade.

雖然學習如何以書面形式進行良好溝通是一種技巧，需要練習，但這裏面有一些竅門。

Here, professional writing coaches share the most common writing mistakes they encounter—and how to remember to stop making them.

在這裏，專業寫作導師分享了一些他們最常遇到的寫作錯誤——以及如何提醒自己，停止犯錯。

ONE: USING THE WRONG TONE

一：使用錯誤的語氣

One common error that business writing coach Wilma Davidson sees often in her coaching practice is simply writing inappropriately for the audience.

商業寫作導師威爾瑪•戴維森在訓練實踐中常見的一個錯誤就是寫作對象不恰當。

Whether it's not considering what the recipient cares about, or sounding like you're scolding when you're correcting behavior, the wrong tone will turn people off, she says.

她說，不管是沒有考慮到對方感興趣的內容，還是在糾正別人時聽起來像在指責，錯誤的語氣都會把人拒之門外。

Solution. Visualize your recipient, suggests business writing consultant Natalie Canavor.

解決方案。商業寫作顧問娜塔莉•卡納芙建議把你的受衆可視化。

“Just take a minute to see them in your head, look at their office, hear their voice in your head,” she says. When you see the audience as a real person or people, you're more likely to address them in a tone that resonates with them.

“只要花一分鐘，在頭腦中想象他們，想象他們的辦公室，在頭腦中想象他們的聲音，”她說。當你把受衆視作真實的人或大衆，才更有可能用一種語氣和他們交流，與他們產生共鳴。

TWO: BURYING THE KEY MESSAGE

二：掩蓋關鍵信息

In journalism, it's called “burying the lede”—or “lead” to others.

在新聞學中，這被稱爲“掩蓋導語”——或“繞”圈子。

And it simply means that you're taking too long to get to the point. Providing context or chronology may be necessary, but state your purpose or point up front, then get into the details, Torpey says.

簡單來說，就是你用了太長時間纔講到重點。湯培說，提供背景或年代也許是有必要的。但你首先要表明用意或指出重點，然後再論述細節。

Solution. Write like a journalist, Torpey says.

解決方案。湯培說，像記者一樣寫作。

Journalists typically use the “inverted pyramid” approach to writing, stating the most relevant facts–who, what, when, where, and why–upfront. Then, they provide the background and supporting material for their story.

記者們通常採用“倒金字塔”的方式來寫作，闡述最相關的事實——誰，什麼事情，什麼時間，什麼地點，什麼原因——放在前面。然後，他們會爲故事提供背景以及輔助內容。

This way, even if the reader doesn't finish your email or document, you've still had a chance to get your point across.

這樣，即使讀者沒有讀完你的電子郵件或文檔，你仍然有機會讓別人瞭解自己的觀點。

THREE: INCLUDING PROBLEMATIC TURNS OF PHRASE

三：採用有歧義的表達

Using tired phrases, colloquialisms, or idioms can be problematic. Senka Hadzimuratovic, the head of communications at grammar platform Grammarly, points to commonly misused words says they can be difficult to learn and not translate well in business settings.

使用老套的短語，口語或習語可能會存在問題。語法平臺Grammarly的媒體負責人森卡•哈迪玆木拉托維克指出了經常被誤用的詞語。他說這些詞學起來很困難，而且在商業環境中不容易被翻譯。

For example, the phrase, “I could care less” is most often used to indicate that you have no interest left.

例如，短句“我不太關心”通常用來表示你不感興趣。

To say, “I could care less” is, in fact, to imply that you do have more ability to care. The phrase for those searching to say they've really reached their wit's end is, “I could not care less.”

事實上，說“我不太關心”，暗示了你還是有能力去關心的。而那些真的默不在意的人，應該要說“我不在乎。”

Solution. “Get rid of clichés,” Davidson says. “They do nothing for your writing.” When you find yourself relying on well-worn phrases, find another way to say what you mean.

解決方案。“拋棄陳腔濫調，”戴維森說。“它們對你的寫作沒有價值。”當你發現自己對老套的句子產生了依賴時，就要另找一種方式來表達你的意思。

翻譯 Clarie