The English Language originates from Britain and as the British place so much importance on politeness it’s no surprise that the English Language evolved to reflect this ‘obsession’. We’re real sticklers about using ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ but we also insist on using diplomatic language when dealing with people both privately and professionally.
英語起源于英國，英國人非常重視禮貌，英語演變反映了英國人對禮貌用語的“堅持”并不奇怪，英國人在平時很注重使用“請”、“謝謝”等禮貌用語，在處理個人和專業(yè)事務(wù)時也同樣堅持使用外交語言。

The real challenge for many non-native speakers is how to sound diplomatic when doing business in English. Is it a cultural thing or can non-native speakers actually learn to be diplomatic?
對于非英語母語者來說，真正的挑戰(zhàn)是如何使用商務(wù)英語時更委婉更得體。這是一個文化問題嗎？非英語母語者能真正的學(xué)會外交用語嗎？

The good news is that there are language (verbal) techniques, as well as non-verbal techniques, that will allow you to get a much more successful response than you might have had before.
好消息是有很多口語技巧和書面技巧，會幫助你獲得更大的成功。

Culture does have a role to play in the use of diplomatic language in English. For example, the British prefer to use indirect language whereas the Americans are more direct. Nevertheless putting the cultural differences aside, they do share common expressions for certain situations and this is what I want to share with you in this post.
文化在英語外交語言的使用過程中扮演了重要角色。例如，英國人說話更加委婉，而相比之下美國人更加直接。盡管如此，拋開文化差異，他們在某一特定情況下也會有相同的表達方式，這正是我想在這篇文章要和大家分享的。

Let’s take a look at some situations where diplomatic language would be important if you were doing business in English.
下面讓我們來看看一些情況下，如果你用英語交流，外交語言將顯得尤為重要。

Giving bad news 傳遞壞消息
Making requests 提出請求
Giving a command 發(fā)出命令
Making an objection 提出異議
Negotiating 談判
Making suggestions 提出建議
Blaming someone 職責(zé)某人

In all the above situations, you’d want to soften your language. Well, you’d be expected to soften your language if you’re using English as the language of communication.
在以上所有這些情況下，如果你用英語作為交流工具你一定期待你的語言更加委婉和得體。

So how can we soften the tone and language and sound more diplomatic?
那么，我們怎樣才能使語氣和語言變得更加柔和，更加委婉呢？

Here are 7 techniques.
七大技巧分享給大家。

** 1. Using softeners**
** 使用“軟化詞”**

Consider this sentence.

I have to cancel the meeting.
我不得不取消會議。

This is direct with no apology for giving bad news. If you were delivering this to a superior or a client this would sound harsh. Wouldn’t you rather hear this instead?
這是一個直接的表述，并沒有對于壞消息表示出歉意。如果你把這個壞消息傳遞給上級或者客戶，聽起來會很刺耳的，如果是你也不愿意聽到這么表達。

• I’m afraid I have to cancel the meeting.

• I’m**so sorry **but I have to cancel the meeting.
• **Unfortunately, **something’s come up and I have to cancel the meeting.
• **Actually, **I have to cancel the meeting.
• To be honest, I’ll have to cancel that meeting.

Softeners come at the beginning of the sentence and prepares your listener or reader to the bad news you are giving them. They are a linguistic tool to soften the tone of your content or to show politeness when you’re speaking.
“軟化詞”這一類詞放在句子的開頭，在你告知你的聽眾或讀者壞消息時，先把這些詞放在前面。這些語言技巧軟化你句子的語氣，讓你說起來顯得更加有禮貌。

2. Modal Verbs
情態(tài)動詞

Imagine you are giving an order or making a request, using modal verbs like would, could, may or might would be of huge help.
想象一下，你發(fā)出一個命令或者提出請求，使用情態(tài)動詞would，could，may or might，將會有很大的幫助。

Making a Request

I want more time. (rather demanding)
我需要更多時間。

Try this instead:

I could do with more time.
It would be so helpful to have more time.

Giving an order

Give me an answer by tomorrow (how rude!)
明天給我一個答案。

Try this instead:

Could you give me an answer by tomorrow? (much better)

3. Rephrasing a negative sentence
** 改寫成否定句**

You can rephrase a negative sentence to make it sound more positive.
你可以改成否定句使得具體聽起來更加積極。

I’m afraid I haven’t finished the report.
我恐怕還沒有完成報告。

The use of ‘I’m afraid’ softens the bad news but we can soften it even more by doing this.
這個句子使用了“I'm afraid”，使這個表達壞消息的句子沒那么生硬，但是我們可以讓它更加“柔軟”。

I’m afraid I’ve not been able to finish the report yet.

Using be ablehighlights your attempt to finish the report was stopped by circumstances beyond your control, for example, heavy workload, awaiting more data and so on, and NOT by your failure. Using the word ‘yet’ emphasises your willingness to finish the report and that you’re still working on it.
使用be able突出你試圖嘗試完成這個報告，但是被周圍不可控制的因素干擾被迫停止，例如，繁重的工作量，等待更多的數(shù)據(jù)等等，而不是由于你個人的因素導(dǎo)致的失敗。使用“yet”這個詞強調(diào)了你想努力完成這個報告并且你將繼續(xù)工作。

Negative sentences formed withcan’tor won’tcan make you as a speaker sound especially unhelpful and negative.
否定句使用“can't”或者“won't”會使說話者聽起來不幫忙或者消極。

I can’t deliver the goods on time.
I won’t have the report ready by then.

How about trying this?
試試這么說如何？

I won’t be able to have the report ready by then.
I’m not in a position to say when the goods will be delivered.
I’m not able to say when the goods will be delivered.

Similarly, affirmative sentences containing words with a negative meaning can be rephrased to soften the message and have a more indirect effect:
同樣，含有否定意義的肯定句也可以“軟化”信息，并且有更多間接的影響。

I am unhappy with this arrangement.

I am not entirely happy with this arrangement.
I am not** totally** happy with this arrangement.

Here the negative adjective ‘unhappy’ is replaced with its positive opposite ‘happy’, modified with an adverb such as entirely, totally orcompletely, and the sentence is changed to the negative form.
這里否定形容詞'unhappy'代替了'happy',修改后加入副詞如'entirely'，'totally'，'completely',同時句子改為否定形式。

And now if you combine some of these techniques, you get the best example of diplomatic language in use.
如果你現(xiàn)在把這些技巧結(jié)合起來使用，你就會獲得一個最好的外交實例。

“I’m afraid I haven’t been able to get through to our suppliers, so I’m not in a position to tell you when we can expect the delivery. Could you give me a little more time?”

4. Using qualifiers
使用修飾

Qualifiers are words used to modify other words and they increase or decrease the quality of the other words. Here’s a simple example:
限定詞通常用來修飾其他單詞，他們能夠增加或者減少其他單詞的力度。

It is very expensive.

Here the qualifier ‘very’ modifies the word ‘expensive’ and increases its quality.
這里的限定詞'very'修飾'expensive',增加其語氣和力度。

If we use qualifiers to decrease the quality of a word, they make great **‘softeners’ **like in technique one.
如果我們使用限定詞修飾詞來增加單詞的力度，這里類似第一個技巧。

Other examples of qualifiers that can make great softeners are:
a little, a bit, a little bit, slight, slightly, small, one or two.
其他能夠使句子更加“柔軟”的修飾詞是：a little, a bit, a little bit, slight, slightly, small, one or two.

These qualifiers will help you especially when you have to give bad news to your superiors or a client.
當(dāng)你要傳達壞消息給你的上級或客戶時，這些修飾詞會給你很大的幫助。

We are having problems with the new medical device.
we are having** one or two** problems with the new product.

We’re going to run over budget
We’re going to run **slightly **over budget.

The launch plans are behind schedule.
The launch plans are a little bit behind schedule.

5.Negative Question Forms
否定問句形式

Ahh, I love this one because having been a woman in a man’s world (Finance) for many years, I learned early on that when making suggestions, I would be better off using this technique instead of being too direct. This is not only a linguistic issue but a gender one too.
哈！我最喜歡這個技巧，我很早就知道，在提建議的時候，用這個技巧比直接表述要好很多，這不僅是語言技巧問題，也是一個性別問題。

I was told that my male colleagues wouldn’t appreciate a suggestion delivered in this way:
我的男同事不喜歡這種直接提出建議的方式：

We should change the wording of the investment warning in our brochures. (too direct and aggressive!)

Instead, I should say this:
你可以試試這么說：

Shouldn’t we change the wording of the investment warning in our brochures? (Remember you’re a woman and must sound more feminine!)如果你是女性，這樣聽起來更加女性化。

From a language point of view, yes it does sound a lot better, especially if you talking to a superior or a client. What we’ve done is to take a forceful sounding statement and turned it into an indirect suggestion by adding ‘not’ and making it into a negative question.
從語言角度來看，這聽起來確實要好很多，尤其是當(dāng)你和你的上級和客戶交談時。我們是將一個有力的聲明變成間接的建議，通過加入‘not’否定詞變成的否定句。

We use** shouldn’t, wouldn’t and couldn’t** for this purpose.
我們可以使用** shouldn’t, wouldn’t and couldn’t**來實現(xiàn)。

We must inform the shareholders immediately.

Wouldn’t it be a good idea to inform the shareholders immediately?
Couldn’t we arrange to inform the shareholders immediately?

6.Using the Past Continuous (Progressive)
使用過去進行時

You could also use the past continuous tense to sound more diplomatic.
你也可以使用過去進行時聽起來會更得體。

I hope we can come to an agreement today.
I was hoping we could come to an agreement today.

The past continuous makes the sentence sound more hypothetical and hesitant, and therefore less direct. Here are a few more examples:
過去進行時使得句子聽起來有著假設(shè)和猶豫的意味，聽起來不那么直接，下面有更多的例子，來看一下：

I think we should offer Sally the job.
I **was thinking **we should offer Sally the job.

I plan to organise a conference call to discuss this issue.
I was planning to organise a conference call to discuss this issue.

7. Passive Voice
被動語態(tài)

While I advise my clients to avoid using the passive voice in business writing, it can be useful to use it to soften your language and introduce more politeness.
雖然我建議我的學(xué)員避免在商務(wù)寫作中使用被動語態(tài)，但它是有用的，它能夠“軟化”你的語言聽起來更有禮貌。

You have broken your promise!

This active voice sentence is brutally direct and if your aim is to avoid confrontation then you might consider using the passive voice to reduce the emotion in the sentence:
這個主動語態(tài)的表達太過直接，如果你的目標(biāo)是避免正面對抗，你應(yīng)該考慮被動語態(tài)來減少句子的情感因素。

A promise has been broken!

Here we are removing the subject (you) from the sentence completely and focusing on the object (the promise) and the action. The effect here is to place the blame on the action and not the person.
這里我們?nèi)サ糁髡Z（you），聚焦在對象（the promise）和行為上，這個作用是把指責(zé)推向行為而不是人。

Let’s have a look at a few more examples of diplomatic sentences using the passive voice:
讓我們來看看更多使用被動語態(tài)的句子：

You said you were going to sign the contract today.
We were told that you were going to sign the contract today.

You agreed to lower your fees.
It was agreed you would lower your fees.

Now that your language tool box is full of phrases, you’re fully equipped to be a diplomatic ambassador for the English Language!
現(xiàn)在你的語言工具箱里有很多技巧，你完全有能力成為一個出色的外交大使！

Good luck!!!
祝你好運!

謝圖圖英語
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