Chapter 1 Invitation (邀请函)
Learning objective
1. Learn how to inform the others of your visiting intention
2. Master the writing of invitation card and reply card.
3. Know the designing of the itineraries and programmer list.
In international trading course it is always necessary for the foreign economic and trade cadres and for the business personnel to organize the trade delegations, investigating delegations, marketing and purchasing groups to go abroad for visiting and to meet various foreign organizations coming to China for paying visits. In this way, a series of preparation work must be carried out. A lot of communication tasks must be fulfilled, such as: writing letters or faxing or E-mailing to each other for concrete arranging of the work according to the aims of the visitings.
According to the contents of the letters, faxes and E-mails, there are four contents of invitations to be classified.
1) Visiting suggestions
Before paying visits, the units and individuals going abroad must firstly write letters to the other party to state the intention and the purpose of your visit, the composition of your visiting members, the time of your visit, the place to be visited, etc. It is necessary to ask the opposite party to offer invitation to you for your paying visit and to help you to make arrangements and to go to the necessary procedures. If you get the information through the third party and your wish to pay visit, state the source of the relevant information. The letter must be written precisely and politely.
2) Invitation letters
After receiving the letter asking for paying visit from the opposite party and in case of your enabling to receiving them, an invitation letter must be sent out. In the invitation letter the receiving party should request the opposite party to acknowledge them the visiting members’ identification, positions, sexes, ages, etc. in order to arrange the accommodation for the visitors and to get visa for them. Definite answers, date of their visiting and the days of their staying must be obtained. The invitation letter may as well be initiatively sent out to you by the opposite party. The purpose of inviting you to pay the visit, the time and the contents of your visit are necessary to be definitely stated in order to attract your interest and to inspire your decision making.
3) Particular arrangements of the itinerary and programs of the visit
After sending our the invitation letter the reception country should arrange the visiting itinerary according to the information and requirements offered by the visiting country and make clear about their flight number in order to do well the arrangement work of meeting the guests at the airport and of their lodgings. After making up the itinerary and programs of the visit, send it to the opposite country and wait for the reply. In foreign affairs the person in charge of receiving, interviewing, negotiating and entertaining must be ascertained according to the positions of the visitors. The positions of the person in charge of reception should be equal to that of the delegation head’s. Otherwise, it will be impolite and explanation and apology must be made to the delegations.
4) Letter for expressing thankfulness
After finishing the visit, the relevant leader or a certain individual of the delegation should write a simple and sincere letter to the receiving side to express thankfulness.
Ⅰ. Informing the Visiting Intention
Dear Sirs,
It’s a great pleasure to announce to you that our President Mr. XX intends to visit Xi’an，China with some of our technical and commercial directors in order to hold business negotiations with you about the San Men Xia Water Conservancy Project and of course to carry out the on-the-spot investigation with your technical and commercial directors and concerned personnel.
We would like to visit Xi’an in October this year. We should very appreciate it if you would furnish us with your invitation letter, with which we can apply for the entry visa at the Chinese Embassy or Chinese Consulate.
Faithfully yours,
一、 通知访问意向
我方非常高兴的通知贵方我方总裁XXX先生欲与公司的几位技术经理及商务经理出访中国西安，以便和贵方就三门峡水利工程项目举行业务洽谈，当然也打算和贵方的技术及商务经理，以及贵方有关人员一起进行实地考察。
我方打算今年10月到西安访问，如贵方能发给我们一封邀请函，我们将不胜感激。借此我方可向中国大使馆或中国领事馆申请入境签证。
Words and Expressions
1. director 指导者，处长，署长，主任，总监，理事，董事
2. commercial director 商务总监，商务经理
3. technical director 技术总监，技术经理
4. water conservancy project 水利工程项目
5. on-the-spot 当场，现场
6. concerned 有关的
7. personnel 全体人员（集合名词），人事（部门）
8. entry visa 入境签证
9. Chinese Embassy 中国大使馆
10. Chinese Consulate 中国领事馆
Notes:
1. 一般一方接到另一方邀请函才可以申请签证。邀请信可以由邀请方主动发给受邀方，邀请对方来参观访问。但想访问他国的国家也可以自己提出访问要求，并要求对方发出邀请信。
2. 大使馆和领事馆：
大使馆是一国在建交国首都派驻的常设外交代表机关。领事馆是一国政府派驻对方国家某个城市并在一定区域执行领事职务的政府代表机关。两个国家断交，一定会撤销大使馆，但不一定撤销领事馆。
大使馆代表整个国家的利益，全面负责两国关系，馆长是大使，由国家元首任命并作为国家元首的代表履行职责。大使馆的首要职责是代表派遣国，促进两国的政治关系，其次是促进经济、文化、教育、科技等方面的关系，使馆同时具有领事职能。促进两国关系和人民间的往来是领事馆的重要职责，但其最主要的职责是领事工作，比如：维护本国公民和法人的合法权益，向本国公民颁发或延期护照、向外国公民颁发签证。大使馆的职责范围遍及驻在国各个地区，领事馆只负责所辖地区。大使馆通常受政府和外交部门的直接领导，而领事馆通常接受外交部门和所在国大使馆的双重领导。
许多国家在多数国家只设大使馆，不设领事馆。设不设领事馆、设哪个级别的领事馆，主要看侨民和领事业务的多少以及所在地区的重要性，并依照对等原则进行。如中国在美国设有大使馆和5个总领事馆，负责各自辖区内的领事业务。在个别小国，外国只设领事馆和派驻领事官员。目前，中国在166个建交国设有157个大使馆、60多个（总）领事馆。
Ⅱ. Sending the Invitation Letter
Dear Sirs,
We have the great pleasure to learn your intention to visit Xi’an in October this year. It will be a great honor for us to negotiate face to face with you about the San Men Xia Water Conservancy Project. We believe that the cooperation of our two Companies would be developed rapidly in the near future. We enclose herewith our invitation letter. We would be very much obliged if you would send us a list of the composition of your delegation and inform us your view on the timing of the visit, together with indication of what you would like to see and to do in Xi’an in order that we can make specific arrangement for your delegation.
We are expecting your arrival.
Truly yours,
二、 寄送邀请函
喜获贵方欲在今年10月访问西安。和贵方面对面地洽谈三门峡水利工程项目对我们来说是十分荣幸的。相信我们之间的合作不久将得到迅速房展。在此附寄我方的邀请函。望贵方能给我们寄来贵方代表团成员的名单，并告知关于来访时间等方面的意见。在西安期间贵方想参观的地方及所需办理的事项亦请一并告知，以便我方能为贵方代表团进行具体的安排。
Ⅲ. Sending the Delegation Composition List
Dear Sirs,
We shall be leaving Tokyo on 10th October, subject to the issuing of the visa. We propose to stay in Xi’an for four days, and send you here a list of our delegation composition in order you can arrange the accommodation for us.
Should time be sufficient, we would like to visit “The Museum of Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Dynasty in Lintong and the Famen Temple”.
In addition, we would like to mention that all the members of our delegation have not any special dietary requirements.
Thank you for your cooperation.
三、寄送代表团成员名单
我方将于10月10日离开东京，以签证的签发为准。我方计划在西安访问4天。在此给贵方寄去我方代表团成员名单，以便贵方能为我方安排食宿。
如果时间充裕，我方还想参观临潼的秦朝兵马俑及宝鸡的法门寺。顺便提一下，我方代表团全体成员对饮食都没有任何特殊要求。
Ⅳ. Itineraries and Programs
Ⅴ. Invitation Card
S.V.P=(=Répondez s'il vous plaît) 请答复
Accepting with pleasure:
Example :
布朗先生及夫人：
兹定于九月二十九日（星期六）下午四时在纽约XX教堂为小女伊丽莎白．史密斯与约翰. 汉密尔顿先生举行婚礼，届时恭请光临。
约翰．史密斯夫妇谨订。
Mr. and Mrs. John Smith
Request the honor of the presence of
Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Brown
At the marriage of their daughter
Elizabeth Smith to Mr. John Hamilton
On Saturday, Sept 29th
At 4 p.m.
In XX Church New York
R.S.V.P
这是一张正式的英文结婚请柬，格式采用固定的分行式。在内容安排上按照“邀请者 被邀请者 邀请之意 活动内容 时间 地点”这样的先后顺序。汉语的顺序是“活动时间 活动地点 活动内容 邀请之意 邀请者的姓名”，邀请者的姓名应写在右下角，与正文分开。无论是英语请柬还是汉语请柬，在语言上的要求是一致的，都须简洁明了，措辞庄重、文雅，比如，原请柬中为表达邀请之意所用的是“request the honor of the presence of”，翻译时用“恭请光临”与之对应。此外，译文的开头用了“兹定于”，结尾处用“谨订”，这样的用词都体现了请柬正式的文体。但有两点不同：第一，英文请柬从头至尾都采用第三人称，译成中文时，一般应改用第一人称，如：“the marriage of their daughter”译成“为小女”；第二，英文请柬中星期应写在日期之前，译成汉语时，星期应写在日期后面的括号内。
Sentences for Doing English-Chinese and Chinese-English Translating Practices:
1. 请允许我代表我们公司举杯祝酒，能请贵方前来做客真使我们无比高兴。
2. 可以预见，通过我们的共同努力，新合同的签订一定能促进我们之间的业务关系。
3. 让我们为将来取得更大的贸易经济交流而干杯。
4. 我们现已返回纽约。在此我代表我本人，也为整个代表团在西安访问期间贵方给予我们的款待向您，并通过您向贵公司其他领导致以衷心的感谢。
5. 非常感谢你下周六下午6:00在XX饭店晚餐的邀请，但因有他约在先，本人无法参加，甚为抱歉。
6. 衷心祝贺您得到晋升。
7. 祝您康复，愿这些鲜花使您愉快。
8. 我们总经理这次出访斯德哥尔摩的目的是收集工业方面最新发展的情况，并探索生产与经营XX设备方面贵我双方进行合作的可能性。
9. 20##年国际博览会组委会特邀贵公司到会洽谈贸易，并达成交易。
10. 如贵公司愿与我公司就发展交换计划的可能进行探讨，并向我公司推荐访问学者在学术研究方面进行合作，我公司将非常欢迎贵公司来访。
11. 我公司与贵公司在贸易计划方面有了开端，深感荣幸，我公司热切盼望继续加强这种关系。
12. 如蒙贵公司对我公司总裁XXX先生在他访问期间以及在有关贸易计划的商讨中给予协助，我方将不胜感激。
I. Design an invitation card.
谨定于20##年X月X日（周五）下午6:00-8:00点在北京饭店进行印度尼西亚国庆日招待会，届时恭请光临。
印度尼西亚大使
（签名）
II. Choose the correct answers.
1. We hope you will be pleased with our selection and _____ order of yours will lead to further business with us.
A. that this B. that those
C. a D. it
2. Mr. John Brown, your Import Manager, wrote us last week that our price was_____ and asked us to secure supplies the earliest possible.
A. fortunate B. impossible
C. acceptable D. managerial
3. CIF is a price term, meaning the price includes the cost of goods and the insurance and____ for carrying the goods up to the destination.
A. freight B. foreign
C. friendly D. forwarding
4. An agreement is ____ as a result of the process of offer and acceptance.
A. included B. resulted
C. reached D. had
5. We have pleasure in enclosing a copy of our latest catalogue_____ for in your letter.
A. asked B. asks
C. ask D. asking
6. We regret to inform you that we do not have in stock the goods in the ____ quantity.
A. desiring B. desired
C. desires D. desire
7. We regret having received your offer too late, because we_____ our needs elsewhere.
A. have already cover B. already covered
C. already covered D. had already covered
8. As said on the telephone this morning, we are sending you by separate airmail the samples, _____ you will find them satisfactory.
A. to hope B. hopefully
C. hoping D. hope
9. If we had been informed in time, we _____ these products for you.
A. would have reserved B. had reserved
C. would reserve D. will reserve
10. Naturally, a successful and attractive company profile sheet can elicit direct orders _____ requests for more detailed information.
A. as well B. good
C. as well as D. as good as