Business Letter Writing: English, French, and Japanese.

The article describes English, French, and Japanese business letter writing. English business letter writing is reader oriented. The purpose of a business letter is to attempt to get the reader to appreciate the benefits of doing what that writer wants. It is a medium through which ideas are made acceptable to the reader. French business letter writing in writer oriented. The primary virtues of the French business letter are prudence, conciseness, and precision. It is extremely important to convey the required degree of respect and the writer's expectations of the response. Japanese business letter writing is oriented to the relationship, or the space, between the writer and the reader. The concern is with the format and language which will most effectively establish or maintain the appropriate relationship between reader and writer. A Japanese business letter consists of three parts, an introduction, body and conclusion. The body of the Japanese business letter consists of a statement of the reason for writing.