Communicating in English effectively is essential in today's global economy.

　　在今日全球化的经济环境下，有效地用英语交流已经变得至关重要。

　　But conveying your ideas clearly is a skill that needs to be learnt. Too often people simply copy the style of their co-worker and especially their superiors as they think this "good English". You see examples in your in-box every day - emails that are difficult to understand and that you need to read over and over again to get the message.

　　然而如何清晰地表达你的想法却是门大学问。太多时候人们只是简单地照抄他们眼中同事，尤其是上级写出来的“漂亮英语”。你每天都能在收件箱里看到很多例子——那些难懂的需要你读好多遍才能理解的邮件。

　　A big mistake is to pad out your writing with unnecessary words and phrases. Remember that the purpose of your writing is to communicate your ideas clearly.

　　一个巨大的错误就是用一些不必要的单词和词组让你的文章变得冗长。你要牢记你写作的目的是为了更清晰地交流你的想法。

　　Always try to reduce the number of words in your sentences and avoid lengthy phrases that can be replaced with a shorter alternative. Here are some examples:

　　总是尽可能减少你句子中使用的字数，避免使用可以用更短的词代替的长词。以下是一些例子：

　　*Instead of "prior to" use *before*

　　用“before”代替“prior to”

　　*Instead of "subsequent" use *after*

　　用“after”代替“subsequent”

　　*Instead of "in order to" use *to*

　　用“to”代替“in order to”

　　*Instead of "in the event that" use *if*

　　用“if”代替“in the event that”

　　*Instead of "with reference to" use *about*

　　用“about”代替“with the reference to”

　　*Instead of "state of the art" use *latest*

　　用“latest”代替“state of the art”

　　*Instead of "due to the fact that" use *since*

　　用“since”代替“due to the fact that”

　　*Instead of "not later than 2pm" use *by 2pm*

　　用“by 2pm”代替“not later than 2pm”

　　*Instead of "at the present time" use *now*

　　用“now”代替“at the present time”

　　Remember about organisation as well. Use topic sentences to indicate what each paragraph is about. In addition, keep your emails short. No one likes to read an email 10 paragraphs long!

　　同时也要记得文章有组织性。第一句话就要开门见山地点出你每一段要讲什么。除此之外，要控制你邮件的长度。没人想读一条长达10段的邮件。

　　By using simple words and easily understood phrases you can improve the clarity of your message no end.

　　通过使用简单的单词和易懂的词组，你就能最终提高你信息的清晰度。

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（实习编辑：高奕飞）