If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that you have an email account. You may well have several – perhaps separate accounts for professional and personal contacts.
如果你正在阅读这篇文章，你肯定有一个或若干个甚至是不同帐号的私人或办公邮箱。
It’s easy to assume that we know how to use email effectively: it’s been around for long enough. But if you find yourself struggling to communicate effectively by email, these six tips should help:
邮件这样的沟通方式早已经渗入到了我们的生活工作中，因此可以说大多数人都能有效地使用邮件与他人交流。但如果你发现自己还没做得足够有效，我想以下这六点可以帮到你：
1. Start With an Appropriate Salutation
邮件开头称呼要恰当：
Some people jump straight into the text of an email without so much as a “hi”. It’s polite to add a salutation, just as you would with a letter. That might look like:
有些人写邮件不喜欢加称呼，甚至连简单的“你好”都忽略，直接开始正文内容。孰不知就像在传统的信件上一样，写上称呼是一种礼貌的象征。称呼可以这样写：
#Dear Sir/Madam 亲爱的先生/女士
#Dear Mr. Johnson 亲爱的约翰逊先生
#Hi Sue 苏，你好
#Hello Fred 你好，福瑞德
Your salutation needs to be appropriate. If you’re writing to a prospective employer, “Dear Mr. Johnson” is probably the best way to go. “Hi Bob” is going to look unprofessional.
称呼必须恰当。若邮件对象是你未来的上司，“亲爱的约翰先生”这样的称呼应该为最得体的。像“你好，鲍勃”更适用于随意的场合。
But don’t assume that formality is always the right answer. If you’re writing to a friend of a friend, using “Dear” plus their surname is going to seem oddly stilted.
那么，是不是正式的用语就万能呢?绝对不是。若你给你朋友的朋友写邮件，那用“亲爱的+姓”就显得异常别扭。
If in doubt, “Dear [first name]” will usually work just fine.
当你判断不出哪种场合该用什么称呼合适，你可以使用“亲爱的+名”来应付所有情况。
2. Get Straight to the Point
直奔主题
Your correspondent won’t want to wade through paragraphs of waffle – so get straight to the point. If you’re writing to someone out of the blue, don’t give them your life story before you make a request.
相信阅读你邮件的人不会愿意仔细浏览你那空洞无聊的长篇大论，所以你需要直奔主题。如果你想写封邮件安慰某个心灵受伤的朋友，开头先把你的建议亮出来，然后再用你的亲身经历来辅助说明。
Getting straight to the point might mean that the first line of your email (after the salutation) looks something like this:
直奔主题意味着邮件内容的第一行应该是这样：
#I’m working on an article about Acme Widgets for XYZ publication, and wondered if you had a few minutes to answer the following three questions.
我现在正在写一篇要交给某某出版社关于极致控件的文章，不知道您有没有时间回答3个问题呢?
#Could you supply me with a quote for the following project?
可否对下面的设计项目进行引证?
#I’d like to discuss the revisions with you. Would Tuesday at 2pm be a good time?
我想和你谈谈修订的事。这周二下午两点您有空吗?
#I’ve attached the documents you requested at our meeting yesterday.
昨天会议上您要求的文件已附上，请查收。
You may well need to include more details, but if you put the important point up front, your email is more likely to get a timely response. If your question comes too far down, the recipient may not even realise that you need a reply.
当然，你需要再增加更多的细节内容。若将邮件重点放到内容的开头，你将收到更加及时的回复信息。如果你的问题在邮件后头，收信人可能都不会意识到你在等他回复。
3. Keep it Short
内容言简意赅
try to keep your email as short as possible. Make the paragraphs short, too – long paragraphs can be difficult to read and take in.
尽可能将你的邮件内容写得简单明了。文章太长不易阅读和吸收。
Do make sure you give enough information for your correspondent to be able to make a decision, if that’s required. You might find that it’s best to offer this as an attachment – you’ll have more flexibility over formatting, and your correspondent can print out the attachment easily.
若对方需要通过你的邮件来做决策，那你一定要在邮件中将相关信息写完整。为了能更灵活地排版，你可以把这些信息作成附件形式，以方便对方将其打印出来。
4. Use Numbered Points
将内容编号
