10 Tips To Change The Chip From Spanish Into English
10 Tips To Change The Chip From Spanish Into English for emails in English. Without doubt our preferred communication tool in global business is still email.
And the number one goal for emails in English (both for native and non native English speakers) is making them easy to read for other people.
Writing emails in another language can be hard and I know as I write a lot of emails in Spanish. This is why these simple tips can help you.
10 Tips To Change The Chip From Spanish Into English
Here are our top 10 tips to change the chip from Spanish into English when writing emails in English:
- Clear and understandable communication– focus on making your ideas clear and understandable in English. Check to see if ‘direct translations into English’ have the same meaning as they do in Spanish.
- Concise 20 × 3/4 rule– The use of English for business works better Try using sentences with less than 20 words and paragraphs with only 3 or 4 sentences.
- Friendly first, then go to your objective – if you know the person start by asking about them (e.g. How are you? I imagine you are busy at the moment with XY project). Why? Well because the personal touch works well and the Spanish do it really well. Then you can go to what action is needed for the email.
- One action per email– make it really easy for people to find the one action in your email they need to do. Most professionals receive between 50-120 emails per day.
- Your personal voice – your voice, ideas and thoughts all help to make you unique and stand out. I think communication works better between real people than robotic sounding people.
- Use “If … then” statements – save time for both parties and try to anticipate possible responses. For example,
“Have you received a reply from Ms. Wang in the Singapore Office? If so, please send your monthly report by the March 28 and email it to me. If not, can you follow up today and let me know her reply?”
- Check for ambiguity– check and search your email for ambiguous messages or points, then clarify these messages or points.
- Lean emails– check and search your email so you can shorten sentences and paragraphs. Your emails should only contain the essential message or points you want to communicate.
- GLOCAL: work local, think global – remember what might work for the local market could be misunderstood globally. Check and review your emails for industry jargon, company acronyms, local expressions and direct translations from Spanish to English (e.g. “From lost to the river” or “benefits vs profits”). One way is to check using ‘google search’ or ‘linguee’ to see if the expression is used regularly in English in an international context.
- Personal branding (3s) – be smart, sophisticated and successful – your written and spoken communication is all part of your personal branding. So when you write in English try to remember using words that make the right professional impact – smart, sophisticated and successful. A quick way to do this is by keeping copies of your favourite emails in English, in which you think the writer sounds smart and sophisticated.
Read more similar tips in this great Forbes article – how to write emails your employees will actually read
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The English Training Company (free resource) – Emails in English – 150 phrases for emails in English (INTRO PACK)
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I hope this helps you with your professional English and in your professional career, Christopher!
The English Training Company – we help companies and professionals to become Advanced Business English Speakers and make their mark!
