7. By return
by return表示立即,收信后立即回信,是书信中常见的成语,只是这成语有点陈旧。
还盘:
1. usual terms
usual terms 表示按惯常条款。
除了课文中的用法“offering us 50 long tons of the captioned goods at Stg. 235 per long ton CFR Shanghai,
usual terms按惯常条款给我方50长吨标题货物报盘”。
也可以用terms as usual 代替usual terms, 用on, according to, under 代替逗号。
如: ……, offering us 50 long tons of the captioned goods at Stg. 235 per long ton CFR Shanghai on (according to, under ) usual terms (terms as usual)。 ……, 按惯常条款给我方50长吨标题货物报盘。
2. 因价格高而不能接受报盘
……our end-users here find your price too high and out of line with the prevailing market level.……我方用户认为你方价格过高,与现行市场行情不一致。
在谈到价格高低时,可以用price, 也可以用quotation.如:We find your quotation too high to be acceptable.
Prevailing的意思是“流行的”,level的本义是水平,常常被引申为价格(水平)。
如:Business is hopeful if your reduce your level. 如果你方能够降低价格,成交有望。
又比如:to sell something at your level. 按你方价格出售某物。
或to sell something at our level. 按我方价格出售某物。
prevailing market level 是指现行行市。
out of line with……表示“与……不相符合”。
out of line with the prevailing market level是指与现行行市不相符合。
类似用法:
Your counteroffer is not up to the present market level.你方的还价不符合现行的市场水平。
Your price is not on a level with the current market.你方价格与当前的市场水平不相吻合。
Your counteroffer is not at all in keeping with the current rate.你方还价不符合现行的价格水平。
注意,与……不相符合是out of line with ………,而要说与………相符合则是 in line with ……
如: While our price is in line with the prevailing international market rate, we are not in a position to consider any concession in our price, much to our regret.我们所报的价格完全符合当前国际市场行情,歉难在价格上作任何折让。
另一种常见的表达法为in compliance with…………。
如:Our quotation is in compliance with the present level. 我们所报价格符合当前市场水平。
3. reply 和answer:
reply 和answer这两个词都是既可以作名词,又可以作动词。
在商业函电中,常用reply,不常用answer.
作为名词 answer和 reply 都接介词to,如:an answer to a letter, a reply to a letter.
作为动词,answer既可以用作及物动词,又可以用作不及物动词。因此,to answer a letter 和 to answer to a letter都可以说,当然前者比较普遍。
Reply用作“答复”解释时,只可以作为不及物动词用。因此,可以说to reply to a letter, 不可以说reply a letter.
谢绝还盘:
1. On the high side
谈论价格高到什么程度:
Your price is a bit high. 你方价格有点高。
Your price is on the high side. 你方价格偏高。
Your price is excessive. 你方价格过高。
Your price is rather high. 你方价格相当高。
Your price is too