Business documents and contracts

Terms to be memorized:

1.document

2.legal

3.export documents

4.shipping documents

5.job application

6.enquiry

7.order

8.packing instruction

9.complaint

10.law

11.enforceable

12.purchase

13.contract

14.letter of attorney

15.covenant

Exercise 1. Read and translate the following text:

TEXT 3A

WHAT IS A DOCUMENT?

PART I.

A document is a record of information on paper or computer disk (NL Business English Dictionary, p.138). One can say legal documents, export documents, shipping documents. The definition from the authoritative business dictionary points to the written form of the language and the importance of the information presented. In this sense, different kinds of business correspondence- job applications, enquiries, orders and replies to orders, packing instructions, complaints, ordering supplies, requesting information, advising, apologizing, etc.-could be treated as business documents; they are presented in writing an they contain useful information.

The same applies to emails- both interoffice messages and outgoing commercial correspondence sent to business contacts, suppliers and customers. The style varies from informal to formal. The preferred format is block style including the sender’s name, the date and the time (usually supplied by the computer), the receiver, the subject heading, and the message.

A fax is rightfully included in the same category as emails: it is written, contains a certain amount of business content and follows a standard format:

To:

From:

Fax:

Date:

Number of pages:

Subject:

Message (the text itself)

Exercise 2. Give synonyms to the following words (from the text):

to provide, demand, notice, excuse, recommendation.

Exercise 3. Answer the questions:

1. What is the definition of document?

2. What kind of documents do you know?

3. What does the email format include?

Exercise 4. Compose the fax according to the model given in the text.

WORD STUDY:

Exercise 5. Practice derivatives(translate and make sentences):

to manage/manager, managerial, management, managing

to negotiate/negotiation, negotiating, negotiable

to own/owner, ownership

to pay/payment, payable

to confirm/confirmation, confirmed

Exercise 6. Practice matching words on the left with their equivalents on the right:

confidence information

to confine to build

to cover to change, to alter

to cut to produce,to make

data trust

to construct to limit, to restrict

to modify to include

to manufacture to reduce

Exercise 7. Read and translate the following text:

PART II.

There is one more variety of written business communication that should be taken into account. It includes business reports. A report is an official document, produced by one person or a group of people, that examines a particular subject (NL Business English Dictionary, p. 409). It can also be defined as a written description of a situation or event, for example, company reports, progress report, personnel reports. Business people routinely read and write different kinds of reports. Structuring a report is a matter of both the company’s house style and the writer’s skill in arranging and presenting useful information. The standard parts of business report are as follows:

Title page, List of contents, Summary, Introduction, The body of the report (with several sections- Findings, Conclusions, Recommendations, etc.), Appendices (tables, figures, charts, etc.), and References. Sometimes a list of key words with page numbers is supplied at the end, it is called Index.

In the context of the international trade, the Invoice provides information about the goods exchanged between the exporter and the importer. It is prepared by the exporter and includes the following information: a description of the goods, their price and quantity supplied. It can act as proof of purchase, informing the buyer that the goods have been sent.

Exercise 8. Translate from Russian into English (use words in brackets):

a) Доверенность

Документ, предоставляющий или подтверждающий официальные полномочия кого-либо в тех или иных ситуациях.

(letter of authorization, to give or prove, official power, business situation).

b) Доверенность

Юридический документ, дающий полномочия представителя совершать действия от имени другого лица.

(letter of attorney, legal document, to give the right, to act for another).

Exercise 9. Answer the questions:

1. What is the definition of the word- report?

2. What types of reports do you know?

3. What kind of information does the Invoice provide?

Exercise 10. Give synonyms to the following words (from the text):

representation, usually, commerce, customer, acquisition.

Exercise 11. Read and translate the text: