謝り方

Saying “sorry” is very different in English and Japanese, due to both language and cultural reasons. In this week’s newsletter we look at how to say “sorry” appropriately. Many Japanese people think that there are no polite expressions in English, however, this is not true. In appropriate situations, particularly in business, it is very important that you use the correct level of politeness.
-how to say “sorry” appropriately: 適切な謝り方

Points:
1. Identify the level of seriousness of the situation
（状況の深刻さを識別しましょう）
Do not say sorry if it is not your fault. If a company sends you the wrong product, it is their fault, and you should not say “I am sorry”.
e.g.

Dear James, 

I am sorry 

I received the package, however, it seems that you have sent me the wrong book. 

Would you mind… 

2. Use the appropriate apology for the situation:
以下は、下に向かうほどフォーマルな表現となります。

Casual/Normal:
Sorry about that.  (Use for general/casual situations)

I am sorry about … (Make it more personal to show that you are serious)

Apologies for …(“Apologies” is more serious that “sorry”)

I am afraid that… (残念ですが。。。 - use especially when saying “no”)

I apologise for …(More personal and more serious)

I sincerely apologise for… (This is very serious)

Please accept my sincere apologies. I am truly sorry about this and I shall ensure that this never happens again. (Hopefully you will never have to write this.)
-Sincere: 誠実な
Formal/Serious

e.g.
Sorry – just missed your call.
(電話に出られなくてにごめんなさい -　友達等・軽い言い方)

I am sorry for missing your call just now.
(電話に出れずにすみません – 普通・ビジネス用語)

I am sorry about not being able to make it on Friday.
(金曜日に行けなくなり、すみません　– 普通・ビジネス用語)

Apologies for not being able to make it on Friday.
(金曜日に行けずに申し訳ありません – 上記より丁寧・堅いビジネス用語)

I am afraid that I will not be able to make it on Friday.
(上の言い換え文。意味、丁寧さ共に同じくらい)

I am afraid that we will not be able to take this work on, as we have no capacity left after accepting a large project earlier this week.
(すみませんが、別件が入っており今回の業務はお請けできません
–とても真面目な言い方)

Unfortunately, the earliest we will be able to deliver the cake will be Sunday morning. I apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause.
(残念ながら、最速でケーキをお届けできるのは日曜日の朝になります。大変申し訳ございません　－とても真面目な言い方・ビジネス用語)

I sincerely apologize for this problem, and I shall send you the correct book immediately.
( [ 間違っていた本をお送りしてしまい、] 大変申し訳ございません。
直ぐに正しい本をお送りさせていただきます。
－とても真面目な言い方・ビジネス用語)


3. Do not translate “失礼します” as “I am sorry.”:
謝意を示す時には、一般的に“I am sorry” の後は“for”をつなげ、
まず何に対して謝っているかを説明するべきです。
e.g.
「先ほどは失礼いたしました」と言いたいときの表現
I am sorry.
I am sorry for sending you the wrong attachment.
(誤ったファイルを送ってしまして、申し訳ありません)
I wrote the wrong date in the email I just sent. I should have put Monday June 22, not 21. Sorry for the trouble.
（先ほどのメールに記載しました日付が間違っておりました。7月21日では
なく、22日の月曜日です。大変申し訳ありません。）


今週は以上です。
ご質問等ございましたらお気軽に
コメントください。

Articles I (冠詞I):”the”

今回のテーマ

Articles I (冠詞I):”the”

The article “the” is used to point at other words. In English, you must either specify

are you talking specifically (e.g. my friend, the park, that shop’s orange juice),

or generally (e.g. a friend, a park, orange juice from a shop).

- used to point at other words:

他の言葉に指すときに使われる

- you must either specify are you talking specifically or generally:

特定か一般か指定しなければならない。

For example, 「公園に行きました」:

General (a)

I went to a park

I went to one of the country’s national parks

Specific
(the/that)

I went to the park near my house

I went to that park you mentioned

Points:

1. If you are talking about a word which there is only one of,

　　then you must use “the” (except for the exceptions in point 2):

e.g.

The cup on my desk

(机の上のそのコップ；コップが一つしかない場合)

The state of the world

(世界は一つなので、必ずThe world

　状況が一つしかないのでThe state)

The center of Paris

(パリの中心は一つしかない)

The Earth

However:

2. You generally do not use “the” for names:

e.g.

Paris

(but not “the Paris”)

Disneyland

(but not “the Disneyland”; 一般的には名称にTheは用いません。

しかし、

The Berlin Wall

など、元の名称に含まれている例外もあります。)

3. You should use “the” when referring to a prior sentence

　　 (予め前の文で内容が示されている場合)

e.g.:

“I booked a hotel, and the plane ticket”

(話者がどのホテル予約したのかはわからないが、

切符は前に話題で出たもの)

　　　　- To book　= 予約すること

“I booked the hotel, and a plane ticket”

(話者がどの飛行機の切符を予約したかはわからないが、

ホテルは分かる)

“The presentation was long”　

(プレゼンは長かった；どのプレゼンか分かるので「The」)　

“A presentation was long”　

(意味が通じません。

「どのプレゼンかはわからないが、とにかく長かった」

では、明らかにおかしな表現です。

もし「たくさんの中のひとつのプレゼン」と

限定して表現したければ

One of the presentations was long.)

Example:

Dear John,

Thank you for the file.

I heard you had a good time at the party last week.

Did you have a chance to look at the new website?

Also, would you mind sending me a copy of the draft for the March

proposal?

Best regards,

Keiko Tanaka

the file: 前のメールで出たのでthe

the party: 一つしかない、限定されたパーティーなのでthe

the new website: 一つしかないのでthe

a copy: コピーは色々あるかも知れない。一つしかない場合はthe copy

Did you have a chance to look at～：～は、もうご覧になりましたか？

Draft: 原稿

the draft: 一つしかないのでthe

had a good time: 楽しかった

今週は以上です。

ご質問等ございましたらお気軽に

コメントください。

英文でのメールの書き方、挨拶・お礼・照会

今回は英文で書いてみました。

黄色のラインは訂正部分です。

When you write an email, there are many fixed phrases that come up time and

time again. Instead of trying to think of a good way to express yourself in an email,

it is best to just copy standard expressions. Here we look at how to confirm receipt of 　an email.

・fixed phrases: 決まり文句

・come up time and time again:毎回出てくる、何度も出てくる

・Instead of…it is best to (もしくはit is better to)～:…の代わりに、～した方がいい

Points: 

1. If you are sending an email to someone for the first time you should

　　introduce yourself:

e.g.

Dear Bob,

This is Akiko Tanaka from ABC Corporation. I am writing to you

concerning…

However:

2. If you have already received an email from someone (or if it is clear that the email

　　is from you), then you do not need to say: “This is Akiko Tanaka from

　　ABC Corporation”. You just need to say:

e.g.

Dear Bob,

Thank you for your email. 

I think the file looks great, and…

3. Do not use “kind”, “nice”, etc., in business unless it is a very special

situation. 

You do not need to say “Thank you for your nice email” / “Thank you for your kind

email”, unless the email was particularly nice/kind (e.g. the email was full of compliments). If you are responding to a business email, there is almost no reason

to say anything other than “Thank you for your email”.

・“kind”, “nice”　は、ビジネス用語としては基本的に使わない方が無難です。

あまり親しくない人に使うと、怪しまれてしまうかもしれません。

e.g.

X: Thank you for your kind email

O: Thank you for your email.

4. How to thank someone in a business/ formal way:

e.g.

- Thank you for your quick response.

- I appreciate your help with this.

5. How to confirm receipt of a file

- Thank you for the file.

- I confirm receipt of the file.

Full Example

原文：

Dear Bob,

This is Akiko from ABC Co., Ltd. 
Thank you for your kind message. I surely received the file.
Please could you let me know when you are available next week.

Best regards,

Akiko Tanaka

正しいバージョン：

Dear Bob,

Thank you for your email. I confirm receipt of the file.

Please could you let me know when you are available next week.

Best regards,

Akiko Tanaka

以上です。参考になればうれしいです。

質問もあったらぜひ。