Business letter writing differences in culture The UK and USA might share the same language but centuries

of separate linguistic development has led to the cultivation of two separate strains of English which, in both their spoken and written forms, display a number of differences with one another. When writing a business letter, it is important to ensure the British form of English is maintained throughout. American English is not in any way inferior but if a difference is not recognised as being American English then it may just be perceived as an error. The most striking stylistic differences between American and British writing include the Sender's Address, Date, Subject Line, Salutation and Greeting. 1. Senders address Position: In British English, the sender's address is usually placed in the top right corner of the letter.

In American English the sender's address is usually placed in the top left corner, below the date, or at the end of the letter, below the signature. Senders address below the date:

Sender's address below the signature:

2. Date in a business letter British English Write: 30 October 2003 Position: on the right, one line below the sender's address (in letters with a ready-printed sender's address, the date can also be put in the top left corner)

American English Write: October 30, 2003 Position: top left corner (sometimes centred)

3. Subject line in a business letter A subject line is not really necessary. You may want to use one, however, so that the reader immediately knows what your letter is about. You just have to use "Subject:" or "Re:"

British English The subject line is usually placed between the salutation and the body of the letter (with a blank line in between).

American English In American English, the subject line can also be placed between the recipient's address and the salutation (with a blank line in between).

4. Salutation - Greeting in a business letter If you don't know the person's name: There are several possibilities to address people that you don't know by name: Salutation Male addressee Female addressee Gender unknown British English Dear Sir/ Dear Sirs Dear Madam Dear Sir or Madam American English Gentlemen Ladies Ladies and Gentlemen To whom it may concern

Business partners often call each other by their first names. In this case, write the salutation as follows: Dear Sue Punctuation In British English, don't use any punctuation mark or use a comma. Dear Mr Miller or Dear Mr Miller,

In American English, use a colon: Dear Mr. Miller: Greeting British English If you used the recipient's name in the salutation, use 'sincerely'. If you did not use the recipient's name in the salutation, use 'faithfully'. American English Use 'sincerely', no matter if you used the recipient's name in the salutation or not ('faithfully' is not common in American English). British English Salutation Dear Ms Wexley Dear Jane Wexley Dear Jane Dear Sir Dear Sirs Dear Madam Dear Sir or Madam American English Salutation Dear Ms. Wexley: Dear Jane Wexley: Dear Jane: Gentlemen: Ladies: Ladies and Gentlemen: To whom it may concern: In emails you could also write:

Greeting Yours sincerely / Sincerely yours

Yours faithfully / Faithfully yours

Greeting Sincerely, / Sincerely yours,

Sincerely, / Sincerely yours,

Regards Kind regards Best wishes