佛系英语 | 为什么老外会觉得你写的英文邮件会“冒犯”他？
也许会有第二期？
有的时候因为语言习惯问题，尽管认为自己写邮件的语气已经足够谦虚，可还是会让native speaker觉得自己是个不会考虑别人心情、没有基本礼貌的人，或者邮件的描述非常模糊，不够准确。剑桥语言中心的教授给我分享了几例多年以来他收到过的学生邮件，并且极具幽默感的教授还通过自己的方式表达了自己的观点。
案例解释为教授意见，其中一般不包含语法问题，除非严重影响到邮件准确性。
Ex 1
Dear Professor,
I would like to book an EAP supervision on next Monday or Tuesday. So I want to know when will you be available on those days. Could you please give me you schedule? Thank you very much.
Best,
Tracy
"I want to know"语气过于强硬，"could you please give me..."更像是命令，加了please并不能使得语气变得谦虚。
Ex 2
Dear Professor,
Can I meat you on wednesday by 2;30pm?
Thanks
Fred
除去语法问题（"Could I meet you...)，周三应为大写，表达时间的正确用法是冒号（2：30）。现在很多年轻人为了省事时间的表示会用2.30，2；30，2-30，2，30等方式，但正确的方式仍为2：30。对细节的缺失会给人以做事冒失，不礼貌的感觉。
Ex 3
Dear Professor,
Thank you very much for your quick response. I am totally free in Monday and Tuesday morning. I am grateful if you give me one hour supervition.
Thank you again for your cooperation.
Yours sincerely,
Eric Bloodaxe
"Monday and Tuesday morning"非常不明确，因为你并不知道对方是什么时候收到的邮件，到底是指哪个周一，因此正确的说法应为"Monday the 15th"；另外这到底是指周一一天和周二上午，还是周一上午和周二上午，并不明确。
cooperation和yours sincerely太过商业化，在日常邮件中并不适用。
在邮件的语气问题上，"I am grategul if you give me.."应写作"I would be grateful if you could give me..."
（关于邮件的结尾可以参考之前的文章佛系职场 | Email的结尾，没有那么简单，也没有那么复杂。署名Eric Bloodaxe是教授的恶趣味，代表了他对这个学生邮件的印象，有兴趣的自行百度2333）
Ex 4
Dear Professor,
I am informed that I should attend an appointment on Wednesday 3-3:45pm in College for formal registration. Could you please change the appointment to 4:30-5 Wednesday?
Sorry for any inconvenience occured.
Best wishes,
Colin Arbuthnot-Smithies-Gibbon
为了显示尊重，邮件开始一定要先从致歉开始，如"I'm very sorry but may I ask to change the appontment..."。第一句话"I am informed“时态使用错误，造成歧义，在描述过去发生的对现在有影响的事情时应使用"I have been informed that...”。除去之前说的时间表示方式等细节，教授也从署名上表达了收到这封邮件时对该学生的印象。
Ex 5
Dear Professor,
I am writing this email to have supervision time with you. I have been writing a paper to hand in to my supervisor by 14th Novermber. It is very helpful if you check my paper in advance.
Would you please read an attached file and have supervision for me.
I am free next week in the morning Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and in the afternoon Wednesday.
Thank you very much for your cooperation.
Yours sincerely,
Dai Evans
除了之前提到过的日期模糊、商业化等问题，"It is very helpful..."更像是上级对下级的语气，应使用"It would be..."。
"...have supervision for me"的介词使用错误，for听上去是让教授安排一个supervision但他本人不会参加，因此要使用with。
他在署名上给了Dai Evans这个恶趣味的吐槽。
Ex 6
Dear Professor,
I am so sorry but I am afraid I will have to cancel my supervision for this Friday :( My supervisor just asked me to see her precisely at 11.00 in order to discuss some things about my essay. I would really like for you to check the final version of the essay, but I am afraid it won't be ready but until next Monday. By any change will you be available next Monday 2nd Feb at 9 or 10am??...I hope so but if not, don't worry, it's ok.
Thank you very much, and once again, receive my apologies for the cancellation.
All the best,
Denise.
除去很多语法错误和时间表达错误，表情符并不会让你显得格外可爱，两个问号也并不会让你显得特别蠢萌。也许唯一可取的地方就是从致歉开始，最后又再次表达歉意（虽然英文很shi...）
另外教授还吐槽道，这个学生是因为和自己专业导师见面才要求他取消见面，但从另外一个角度来说，语言中心的教授在职级上也是正儿八经的教授，也是一位从业几十年的专业学者，并不比这位学生的导师低一等。他们已经有appointment在先，为何不能跟学术导师说他已有约换时间？老外们对改时间这种事是非常较真的。
Ex 7
Ok, please do so.
And let me know what time we can meet again.
W Shakespeare
What are you, my boss? (来自教授的灵魂呐喊）
这封邮件没头没尾的，根本不知道他在说什么。（所以一般老外都喜欢用回复带上长长的上文，来让双方都知道之前谈论了什么内容）
Ex 8
To teacher Rup,
I am Arnie who joins your class. As I promised with you, I have modified some points in my second essay, and I will send it with attachment of an article that you will check.
May thanks
T.E.R Minator
“请不要用teacher来称呼我。”（我们的语言习惯是X老师，但老外不习惯这样说，teacher也不是一个正确的职称，再退一步也不能直接接first name。如教授的全名是Rup Smith, 他可以接受的称呼方式为，Rup, Professor Smith, Professor Rup Smith, Mr. Smith。并且不能用To somebody，而是Dear someone。）
“you will check"是非常粗鲁的语言方式。（所以署名是很恶趣味的terminator233）
Ex 9
Dear Professor,
Please check the attachment.
Best regards
Steve
所以你要我对附件做什么？
Ex 10
Dear Professor,
I am very sorry, but I have a lecture overlapping with our meeting. The professor moved it and the attendence is compulsory to me. Hence, I kindly ask you to postpone our meeting on Wednesday at 1.30pm. Let me know if this is good for you.
Looking forward for you reply.
Best regards,
Robin Burrows
开头先说来意，即，开头先说写邮件的目的是要推迟见面。（可参照以前文章佛系职场 | 一封合格的英语Email应该包含哪些内容？）
使用kindly这个词并不能表示善意，反而表示了不情愿：看，我很努力的想表现一种很礼貌的感觉，但是你一定得给我办咯。
其实还有很多来着但是先这么多吧hhhh肝不动啦orz......
