1、商务英语词汇
英语词汇多达几十万,并且词语表义较为灵活,对上下文的依赖也较大。如,"board"一词,本义为"木板",但在不同上下文中,可以表示" 车"、"船"、"伙食"、"会议桌"、"委员会"等。而在商务英语中,"board"往往用来表示"董事会",如,"chairman or president of the board"(董事会主席或董事长);或者,它经常用在FOB (Free on Board,离岸价,船上交货价)价格术语中,意思是"船"。
在商务英语中,有着许多通过引申、转换、添加等手段而获得的有别于普通英语词义的具有"新义"的"旧词"。
例如:
literature 在普通英语中,它表示"文学";而在商务英语中,它则表示"printed matters, including leaflets, instruction, product catalogue, price list, etc. (文字宣传资料,诸如产品说明书、产品目录、价目表等)"。
例如:
In order to market our new product,we have printed fine literature.(为了推销新产品,我们印了精美的宣传资料。) claim 在普通英语中,它的意思是"要求,认领";而在商务英语中,它则表示"demand or request for a thing considered one's due (索赔)"。
例如:
We claimed on that shipping company for the loss involved.(我们向轮船公司就有关损失提出索赔。) reference 在普通英语中,它表示"参考,查阅,提及";而在商务英语中,它的意思是"persons or firms named by a customer asking a supplier for credit, from whom the supplier can get information about the business reputation of the customer (担保人,证明人)"。
例如:
My reference will prove to you that I am efficient and dependable. (我的担保人将向你证明我的工作是高效的,并且我是可信赖的。) 除了属于英语共核部分(English common core)的词汇以外,商务英语还有着其特别的专门词汇。
例如:
backlog: orders to supply, needing to be dealt with quickly (积欠未交货的订单)
e.g. We have a large backlog. (我们积压的订货甚多。) in-tray: tray for incoming documents (放在办公桌上用来装收到的文件的容器,收文篮;用于盛放将要发出去的文件的容器叫out-tray, 发文篮)
e.g. When l am away,please help to check my in-tray. (我不在的时候,请帮我查看我的收文篮。)
overheads:routine administrative and maintenance eXPenses of a business (公司的日常开支,如电费、文具费、汽车油费等)
e.g. We have some money indeed,but we are very sorry that we cannot return the money now,as we have to consider our overheads. (我们确实有些钱,但是,非常抱歉,我们目前不能还这笔钱,因为我们得考虑我们的日常开销。)