UNIT 5

Enquiry

I. Introduction

1.1 Importance of Making an Enquiry

Enquiry is the basis of transaction, making

a very important step of bringing a prospective

buyer and a potential seller together in

international trade. It functions as a bridge

between a buyer and a seller.

1. Enquiry

1.2 Definition of an Enquiry

An enquiry is a buyer’s request for

information on certain goods or service. When

an importer is interested in some products, he

may send out an enquiry to an exporter to get

relevant information and trading terms.

The process of making enquiries may be

realized by letter, e-mail, telegram, telex or

fax, or even by telephone or face-to-face talk.

An enquiry may not simply send out to a

single supplier or a specific seller, but in some

cases, to several suppliers. Through

comparing the offers, a buyer chooses the

most competitive one to make a deal.

1.3 Kinds of Enquiries

According to the content, enquiries consist

of general enquiries and specific enquiries.

A general inquiry is sent to get some

information about some goods, not to do

business right away; a specific inquiry is sent

to find some partner to do business right away

if the offer is acceptable.

In a general inquiry, a businessman states c

learly all the information he needs — general

information, a catalogue, or price list, a sampl

e or sample book, etc.

In a specific inquiry, he points out what pr

oduct(s) he wants. He may ask for a catalogu

e, a price list, samples, etc., or ask for an offe

r.

1.4 Contents of an Enquiry

In an enquiry, the message conveyed should be

simple, clear, reasonable and to the point. In order to

communicate a message efficiently, you must try to

provide all the necessary information, but it must be

clear and as brief as possible. In addition, adopting

an appropriate tone is necessary. A business letter is

characterized by a formal and serious tone. Try to be

polite, honest and friendly.

The outline of an inquiry is often as follows:(1) State how you get to know about the firm;

(2) Express your interests in the products produced by the supplier;

(3) Provide detailed information to introduce your company;

(4) If it is a general enquiry, indicate the general information of the commodity, such as the catalogue, samples, price list, etc.; if it is a specific enquiry, appoint a specific commodity and ask detailed information on specific trade terms, such as specifications, prices, terms of payment, delivery date, discount, etc.

(5) Show optimism in the mutual cooperation prospects and look forward to an early reply.

Letter 1

General Inquiry

Language Points:

1. Shanghai Spring Trade Fair: a large scale exhibition of commercial and industrial goods in Shanghai 上海春交会

2. It would be appreciated…: We were grateful for…; Thank you for…

e.g. It would be appreciated if you would send us your

catalogue soon.

appreciate: enjoy, value highly

e.g. We highly appreciate your long cooperation.

3. various ranges: various lines

range: group or series of similar things; selection or variety

e.g. sell/ stock a whole range of tools

The new model comes in an exciting range of colors.

4. a leading dealer: a major dealer or the most import

ant dealer 主要的经销商

5. a promising market: a market full of potential 潜在市场

promising: indicating future success, hopeful

6. moderately priced goods: 价格适中的产品

7. CFR New York: Cost and Freight New York

8. on purchase of: if you purchase

Letter 2

General Inquiry

Language Points:

1. manufacture: produce, make 制造；生产

2. retail traders: businessmen selling goods in small q

uantities to the general public 零售商

e.g. retail business

outlets for the retail of leather goods

3. payment terms: requirements or conditions of pay

ment 支付方式

Letter 3

Specific Enquiry

Language Points:

1. branch: local office or shop belonging to a large fir

m or organization 分公司；分行

e.g. The bank has branches in all parts of the

country.

Our business has branches in many cities.

2. We would be obliged…: It would be appreciated

…

3. at regular intervals: 定期 .

4. FOB Canada: Free on Board Canada

5. preferably: rather than anything 宁可，宁愿；

最好；更可取地

e.g. Would you please quote your best terms C

IF Cairo, preferably by cable?

6. export formalities: 出口手续

Letter 4

Specific Enquiry

Language Points:

1. Re: (Latin) 关于，在商务信函中译为“事由”，“摘要”；有时也可用 Subj. 。

2. the captioned machine: the machine stated in the s

ubject line

e.g. the captioned goods = the subject goods

3. as per: according to 根据

e.g. as per your packing instructions

as per your enquiry of April 4

4. proforma invoice: an informal invoice sent before concluding a transaction. It can replace offer in international trade. The content of a proforma invoice usually includes the name of the commodity, quantity, price, delivery date, means of transport, terms of payment.

A proforma invoice (P/I) is an official price quote, a step up from a published price list that allows the customer to present the proforma invoice to their Accounting Department and to arrange a prepayment procedure. It is most commonly requested by customers pre-paying orders via bank money transfer before shipping an order. It is used by customers to formalize the terms of sale (price, shipping, F.O.B. location, shipping date, etc.) and properly allocate and/or transfer the funds needed for the purchase.

5. hard copy: copy that is readable without the use of a special device 硬拷贝

6. in triplicate: consisting of three identical copies, of which one is the original 一式三份

e.g. submit an application in triplicate in duplicate, in triplicate, in quadruplicate, in quintuplicate,

in sexuplicate7. CIF Amsterdam: Cost, Insurance and Freight Amsterdam e.g. The two sides have come to an agreement on CIF basis. We would be pleased to have you quote the favorable price CIF Hong Kong.8. by return: send back by e.g. Please send a reply by return of post.

• Proforma Invoice (P/I) :

• — an informal invoice sent before concluding a transaction. It can replace offer in international trade.

• The content of a proforma invoice usually includes the name of the commodity, quantity, price, delivery date, means of transport, terms of payment.

• 形式发票又叫预示发票。卖方凭此预先让买方知晓如果双方将来以某数量成交之后，卖方要开给买方的商业发票大致的形式及内容 , 是一种试算性质的货运清单。

EX5. Make out a commercial invoice according to the following conditions:

江苏省利华进出口公司出口一批桌布到新加坡，运输路线为无锡到新加坡，运输方式是海运，进口方的名称和地址是：YUAN JOO & CO. LTD.

13 LABOR ROAD

SINGAPORE 0609

合同号是 64SI4008 ，信用证支付，信用证号是 LC96005348 ，货物包装用木箱装共 15 个木箱，数量为 5 万码，单价为每码 2.8 美元 CIF 新加坡，发票号码为 6524 ，发票日期为 2007 年 6 月 5 日。

JIANGSU LIHUA IMPORT AND EXPORT CORPORATION江 苏 省 利 华 进 出 口 公 司

INVOICETO: YUAN JOO & CO. LTD. 发票号码 13 LABOR ROAD Invoice Number: 6524 SINGAPORE 0609 定单或合约号码 Sales Confirmation No.: 64SI4008 发票日期 Date of Invoice: June 5, 2007

装船口岸 目的地 From Wuxi, Jiangsu To Singapore 信用证号码Letter of Credit No. LC96005348

唛头与号码Marks and Numbers

数 量 与 货 品 名 称Quantities and Descriptions

总 值Amount

N/M

15 (FIFTEEN) WOODEN CASES OF TABLECLOTH

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗QTY. UNIT PRICE50,000 yards USD2.8 per yard

USD140,000.00 CIF Singapore

江苏省利华进出口公司JIANGSU LIHUA IMPORT AND EXPORT CORPORATION

2. 根据以下实际业务情况，缮制一张商业发票。 江西省天星进出口公司出口一批货物到美国，货物品名是中国大麻籽（ Chinese hempseed ），进口方是 Vitakraft-werke Mahndorfer Heerstr. 92800 New York, U.S.A. ，运输方式是直达海运，从大连至纽约港。 具体资料如下： 发票号码： 98204987 发票日期： 2009 年 4 月 28 日 合同号码： 98301237 信用证号码： 46-768 包装： 新麻袋包装，共用 833 个 单价： 每公吨 147.50 美元 CIF 纽约 总价： 7372.05 美元 总净重： 49980 公斤 总毛重： 50813 公斤 唛头： 无唛头（ N/M ）

江西省天星进出口公司JIANGXI TIANXING IMPORT & EXPORT CORPORATION

INVOICE

发 票 号 码 Invoice Number 98204987

To: Vitakraft-werke Mahndorfer 定单或合约号码 Heerstr. 92800 New York, U.S.A. Sales Confirmation No. 98301237

发 票 日 期 Date of Invoice April 28, 2007

装船口岸 目的地 From Dalian To New York

信用证号码 Letter of Credit No. 46-768

唛 头 号 码Marks and Numbers

数 量 与 货 品 名 称 Quantities and Descriptions

总 值Amount

N/M CHINESE HEMPSEED

Packed in 833 new gunny bags

G.W.: 50,813kgs

N.W.: 49,980kgs

Unit Price: USD147.50/MT CIF New York

USD7,372.05

江西省天星进出口公司JIANGXI TIANXING IMPORT & EXPORT CORPORATION

Answer of Exercises1. Complete the following sentences by translating the part

in Chinese into English.(1) Please send us your best offer by fax indicating ( 指明 ) p

acking, specifications ( 规格 ), quantity available and the earliest time of delivery ( 最早交货时间 ).

(2) We would be pleased to receive your latest catalogue of your product with a price list ( 一份贵公司产品的最新目录表和价格表 ).

(3) You must take into consideration ( 考虑 ) when quoting a price that we may place regular orders for ( 经常性订购 ) larger quantities.

(4) Please quote us lowest price CIF London, inclusive of 5% commission ( 包括 5% 的佣金 ) .

(5) We take the liberty ( 冒昧地 ) to ask you to send us some samples of the advertised products.

2. Read the following sentences and try to find out the mistakes and make corrections. There is one mistake in each sentence.

(1) We welcome you for your enquiry of April 11 and the given catalogue.

given → enclosed

(2) If your prices are workable, we are prepared to order the sewing machines for large quantity.

for → in

(3) We hope to include the business to our mutual benefit.

include → conclude

(4) We should be pleased if you quote us your lowest price on CIF basis, stated the earliest shipment and the quantity available.

stated → stating

(5) While doing an enquiry, you ought to enquire into catalogue, price, etc.

doing → making

3. Translate the following sentences.

Part I Translate the following sentences into English.

(1) 我方有意进口你方的产品，若能寄来目录、样品以及价格单将不胜感激。

We have great interest in importing your goods and would appreciate your sending us catalogues, samples and price lists if possible.

(2) 我方希望你方的价格具有竞争力，我们之间的贸易能够实现双方互利。

We hope that your prices will be competitive and that business will materialize to out mutual advantage.

(3) 我方一客户对你方的产品感兴趣，并希望你方寄如下所列商品的报价单来。One of our clients takes interest in your products and wishes to have your price list for the items specified below.

(4) 我方在广交会上看到你方的产品，请报皮手套的最低价格及最早交货期。We have seen your products at the Guangzhou Trade Fair and should be glad to have the lowest price and the earliest date of delivery.

(5) 请报下列各种商品的伦敦到岸价，包括我方百分之二的佣金。Please quote your price C.I.F. London for each of the following items, inclusive of our 2% commission.

Part II Translate the following sentences into Chinese.

(1) Please send us as soon as possible your proforma invoice by fax and hard copy in duplicate by airmail.

请尽快传真你方的形式发票给我方并航寄复制本一式两份。

(2) We are interested in the captioned goods, and shall be appreciated if you will send us quotations on C.I.F. New York basis, including 3% commission for us.

我方对你方标题中所列的商品感兴趣，请报纽约成本保险费加运费价，包括我方百分之三的佣金，我方将不胜感激。

(3) We have an interest in your waterproof garments and would like to obtain your quotation and information concerning the designs, colors, materials, etc.

我方对你方的防水外套感兴趣，请报产品价格及产品图案、颜色和材质的相关信息。

(4) One of our clients has obtained an import licence to import US$20,000 worth of various kinds of wires. Please quote us your lowest prices with the best discount and the date of delivery.

我方一客户已获得价值 2 万美元的各类电线的进口许可证，请报最低价、最优折扣和交货期。

(5) We wish to inform you that we are well connected with major dealers in the line of textiles.

我方想告知你方我方与纺织业的主要经销商有很好的关系。

4. Translate the following letters into English: (1) Dear Sirs,

We are pleased with the signing of the trade agreement between our two companies two months ago, which, we believe, will be of far-reaching significance in the development of our bilateral trade.

We are now in the market for washing machines. We would be pleased if you would inform us of items in the attached form and send us your quotation CIF Weihai at an early date. While quoting, please let

us have full details of your products, the earliest time of delivery and discount for regular order.

If you were unable to supply the goods exactly as specified, would you please offer goods of the nearest specifications? When replying, please indicate the number of this enquiry for easy identification.

We hope you will give us an early reply.

Yours faithfully,

Dear Sirs,

We saw your range of products at the Shanghai Autumn and Winter Trade Fair this year and found your Lady’s Sweaters and Children’s garments quite attractive.

We should be grateful if you would quote your lowest price for the items in the enclosed list with the earliest date of delivery, packing conditions, terms of payment and discount for regular orders.

We look forward to your early reply..Yours faithfully,