R.D. Communications 睿道国际交流和咨询 English tips

Understand what you are writing about: This is absolutely the first step. You must understand what you are writing before you can write well about it. If it is technical and complicated you must ask questions. And remember there is no such thing as a dumb question.
Write short sentences: Please keep your sentences short. Keep them to less than 15 words. A sentence must contain only one complete thought. Don’t try to show off by writing long, convoluted sentences. Think about this three-word idea when writing a sentence: Less is more.
Do not write long lists: We know that in Chinese it is okay to write a long list of one thing after another. This technique doesn’t work well at all in English. If you must describe something with many attributes keep it to three, then start another sentence and creatively find away to several more attributes. Never, ever end a sentence or list of things with etc.
Keep it logical: English is a very linear, straightforward language. The content must be presented with perfect logic. This means each sentence and each paragraph must contain similar thoughts and ideas. One paragraph should flow to the next.
Use the KISS principle: All professional English writers know the KISS principle. KISS stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. Short, simple sentences are the key to effective business communication. In this line of work there is no room for long, flowery imagery or poetic flights of fancy. Don’t get us wrong, writing effective business English that engages the reader requires creative thinking; just keep it simple, logical, short and concise.

If you find these tips useful or have a comment or suggestion please let us know. We’ll be happy to hear from you.

Improving China's Online English

How to write good P.R. copy for Westerners

Not only are English and Chinese very difficult languages, the cultural differences between East and West on how to promote a company are worlds apart.

In the West, consumers are far more cynical and far less forgiving than people in China. Westerners ask three basic questions when they read a company website: What is the company going to do for me? What real news does the company have to share that is important to me? How does the website entertain, engage and keep my interest?

Here are three things Westerners care the least about:

1. When the company was first formed and its history.

2. Unfocused, convoluted long sentences that end with the word ‘etc’.

3. Exaggerations, boasting and name dropping.

Here are some contradictions between Chinese and Western public relations:

Western concepts

Focus is on the consumer: engage, inform, and entertain the client, customer or investor
Most important, newest fact first
The focus is on today or tomorrow
Short, focused articles that engage the reader
Prove a point with a convincing argument
Political affiliations are a private matter

Chinese concepts

Focus is on the company: its size and connections
Tend to save best for last
The focus is on past history
Long documents that read like corporate reports
Fancy writing that obscures the facts
Political connections a source of pride

Here’s how to improve your English writing