E-mailの文体

1991.1.21

ビジネスのE-mail

ビジネスのE-mailの文体は基本的にはFAXと同じです。一部の指導者によって、E-mailでは、挨拶が省略されるとか、話すように書くとか、省略が多用されるとか説明されていますが、これは私事のE-mailやメーリングリストでのE-mailとの混同です。あるいは、その指導者に実社会での経験がない（たとえば大学の講師）ため、他人の意見の鵜呑みです。ビジネスの現場では、E-mailといえども、従来からの社会的マナーは守られます。

ビジネスのE-mailの例

Date: Tue, 13 Feb 96 15:56:20 PST
From: utran@epic.com (Uyen Tran)
Message-Id: <9602132356.AA00507@comet.epic>
To: kurashima@logicalskill.co.jp
Subject: Re: Testcase for AMPS/CS (Cell Swapping)
Status: U

Dear Kurashima-san,
After careful review of the netlists, indeed netlist #2 and netlist #3 are very different as I stated in my original email. Would you please check on this?

Best Regards,
Uyen

メーリングリストのE-mail

メーリングリストでのE-mailでは、話し言葉に近い英語が使われます。略語やSmilyや大文字を使った強調表現が頻出します。

メーリングリストののE-mailの例

Date: Mon, 19 Feb 1996 14:36:42 -0500
From: Win Day <winday@IDIRECT.COM>
Subject: Re: TECHWR-L Digest - 17 Feb 1996
At 10:47 AM 2/19/96 -0500, Patrick McCarthy wrote:

<SNIP>
> I agree with the individual who says that engineers cannot
> simply walk into a technical writing position with no more
> than English Comp 101 and the belief that tech writing is
> simple.
>
> I have seen enough junk written by such individuals. In the
> consulting end of tech pubs, I believe that no one takes you
> seriously (pays decent bucks) until you have between 8-10
>  years experience.
　

I _DON"T_ agree. I am a chemical engineer who went from full-time engineering right into freelance technical writing. I had never had any formal tech writing training other than an introductory course in my freshman year of university.
　

I have seen enough JUNK written by some non-tech tech writers, one of whom actually has a Masters degree in tech writing (or tech communication, I'm not sure what his degree is called), to realize that I can stack my writing up against theirs, any time.
　

Bah! Humbug! I know there are marvelous tech writers who don't have tech backgrounds. I also know there are marvelous tech writers who do. Blanket statements that exclude either group from the community of good tech writers because of their education and background are ridiculous.