有關日常或商務電子郵件的注意事項, 我分享15個大家可以參考的重點, 把握這些原則之後, 相信你也可以成為e-mail達人。
1. Make Your Reader the First Priority 把讀者擺在首位
Be organized and to the point. Stay focused in your writing and write briefly so you don't waste the reader's time.
要有組織且簡短扼要。專注於寫作上並寫得簡潔有力，這樣才不會浪費讀者的時間。
2. Write a Good Subject Line 撰寫好標題
Good subject lines are relevant, meaningful and let the recipient know quickly what the e-mail is about. Since people get so many e-mails on a daily basis, they often scan the subject line before they decide whether or not to open them or to simply junk them. Make sure yours doesn't get trashed for lack of a good subject line.
好的標題會切題，富有意義，並可讓收件人迅速瞭解該封電子郵件的內容。由於大家每天都會收到非常多的電子郵件，他們通常會快速掃描標題，然後才決定是否要打開該信件或只是將它刪除。務必要確定你的電子郵件不會因為缺少好的標題而被對方刪除。
3. Use a Standard Greeting 使用標準問候語
Some people consider it a bit rude to ignore the salutation, even in an informal e-mail. Use "Dear," "Hello" or even "Hi" (informal) as a salutation and then the person's name.
有些人認為即便是一封非正式的電子郵件，忽略稱呼語仍會顯得有些無禮。使用『親愛的』、『哈囉』、或甚至是『嗨』（非正式）作為稱呼語，然後接著才是該收件人的名字。
4. Specify Who You Are and Why You Are Writing 表明身份及來信理由
This is especially true if you are writing to the person for the first time. Don't make the reader guess who the e-mail is from and your purpose in writing him or her. Confusion is uncomfortable.
如果你是第一次寫信給那個人，情況尤其如此。別讓那位讀者猜測寄信者是誰及其目的為何。因為困惑會讓人感到不舒服。
5. Don't Make People Try to Read Your Mind 不要讓人去猜測你的想法
If you are vague and imprecise, the results you receive will very likely be less than satisfactory. You can save time and aggravation (on both your part and the other's part) by being clear. The results will definitely be better if people don't have to guess what you want or mean.
若你用詞含糊不精確，所收到的結果就很可能會不盡如人意。表達清楚可以省下時間並避免相互激怒（雙方都是如此）。假如人們不必猜測你想要什麼或你所指為何，結果一定會更好。
6. Avoid Long, Rambling Messages 避免冗長含糊的訊息
Your goal is to be concise, not impress people with your ability to string together ideas. In short, short is good, and long (usually) is bad. If you have many points that are not closely linked, think about splitting them up into different e-mails and sending them separately. Using bullet points also helps if a message is long.
你的目標是簡潔，而不是將眾多想法串在一起來讓人欽佩。總之，簡短為上策，冗長（通常）為下策。如果你有很多彼此並非緊密相連的要點，就要考慮將其分成不同的電子郵件分別寄出。假如訊息很長，使用要點符號同樣會有幫助。
7. Choose Between Formal and Casual 在正式與非正式間做選擇
Make sure the vocabulary you choose is appropriate to the situation. Use titles (Mr., Ms., Dr., etc.) in formal correspondence. Avoid slang and emoticons (such as "smilies") unless the e-mails are informal messages between co-workers or friends. In addition, the type of abbreviated vocabulary - e.g. "c u" (see you), "Gr8" (great) – shouldn't be included in formal writing.
務必確保你所選用的字彙適合該情境。在正式書信使用（先生、女士、博士等）的稱謂。除非是同事或朋友之間的電子郵件，否則就要避免使用俚語或表情符號（如”笑臉符號”）。此外，縮寫詞彙如”c u”（音似see you 表”再見”），”Gr8”（音似 great 表”太棒了”）不應出現在正式的寫作中。
8. Copy and Paste If You Can 儘量使用複製貼上
If the information you want to send is not too long, consider copying it and then pasting it into your e-mail rather than attaching a document as an attachment. Attachments need to be opened in separate files, such as Word or Adobe Acrobat, and can be a bit time-consuming for the recipient to access. As well, attachments may be worrying for recipients if they don't know the sender very well. In fact, some businesses refuse to accept attachments for fear of being infected by a virus.
如果你要發送的資訊不長，便可考慮將其複製，然後貼在電子郵件內，而不是附夾檔案作附件。附件需要個別用 Word 或 Adobe Acrobat 的檔案才能開啟，這可能會讓收件者在取得資料時花上一些時間。同樣地，如果收件者對發件人不熟的話，附件也許會讓他擔心。事實上，一些企業因為害怕感染電腦病毒，所以拒絕接受附件。
9. Take the Time to Proofread 要花時間進行校對
Proofreading your e-mail before hitting the send button can save you from making many careless and embarrassing mistakes, such as spelling the person's name incorrectly. It's good to get into the habit of re-reading your e-mails at least once before sending them. Correspondence that is riddled with typos and wrong information creates the impression you are sloppy and perhaps even lazy.
按下發送鍵之前先校對你的電子郵件，這能讓你免去許多粗心及令人難堪的錯誤，像是拼錯名字這樣的事。養成在寄出電子郵件前至少再重讀一遍的習慣是件好事。充滿拼字錯誤和錯誤資訊的信件會讓人對你產生草率甚至也許是懶惰的印象。
10. Watch What You Write 小心你所寫的內容
E-mailing may not be as private as you think. If you are at work, the boss might be secretly looking at the e-mails you are sending and receiving. Even if you are e-mailing at home, a hacker might have found a way to hack into your system and take a peek.
發送電子郵件可能不如你所想的那麼隱密。如果你正在工作，老闆可能會偷看你收發的電子郵件。即使你在家中發送電子郵件，電腦駭客也可能會有辦法侵入你的系統偷看信件內容。
11. Respect People's Privacy 尊重他人隱私
When sending out a mass e-mail, it's often a good idea to use the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) function so that others can't see all of the e-mail addresses of the people you sent the e-mail to. For one thing, using the BCC suggests that you are writing an e-mail to just one recipient, rather than firing off the same piece of correspondence to many people, therefore making it less impersonal. For another, some people may not want strangers to know their private e-mail address.
寄發大量電子郵件時，使用 BCC （密件抄送）功能通常會是個好主意，如此一來可以讓其他人看不到其他收件人的地址。一方面，使用密件抄送功能暗示你只是要寫給一位收件者，而不是把同樣的信件寄給許多人，這樣一來可以讓這封電子郵件看起來不會那麼沒人情味。另一方面，有些人也許不想讓陌生人知道他們的私人電子郵件地址。
12. Be Careful with Those Buttons 小心那些按鍵
Don't make the mistake of hitting the "Reply All" button if you only want one person to receive your e-mail. This is especially true if you are criticizing someone who happens to be on that "Reply All" list.
如果你只想要一個人收到你的電子郵件，不要犯下按到"回覆全部"按鈕的錯誤。如果你在批評的那個人碰巧剛好在那份"回覆全部"的名單上時，這個情況尤其如此。
13. Don't Forget to Reply Without Delay 別忘了要迅速回復
Responding promptly sends a message of professionalism, while late replies (or none at all) create the impression you don't care about the recipient. Think how it feels to have an e-mail ignored or to receive an e-mail reply much later than you sent your original message.
迅速回復代表專業，而延遲迴復（或完全不回覆）會給予對方你不在乎的印象。設想假如你的電子郵件被忽略，或是你原先的訊息過了很久才收到回覆，你會有什麼感覺？
14. Don't Write Anything You Will Regret Later不要寫下任何會讓你後悔的文字
Read over your e-mail before you send it, not just for typos but to see if you really mean what you've written. It's usually a bad idea to fire off an angry e-mail while you're still boiling mad. After re-reading your e-mail, you might decide it's better to reword it or, in some cases, cancel it.
在寄出你的電子郵件之前要把它看過一遍，這不只是為了要檢查是否有拼字錯誤而已，同時也是要看你所寫的是否真的就是你所要表達的。當你仍非常憤怒時，發出一封憤怒的電子郵件通常不是個好主意。重新讀過你的電子郵件後，你也許會決定最好還是改寫，或是在某些情況下，決定將其刪除而不發送出去。
15. Manners Matter 態度很重要
Remember that the people whom you send e-mails to may have a different perception of your messages than you do. They may see what you believe to be a simple request as a demanding order, for example. Also, they may see your joke as biting criticism directed at them. The problem is that writing lacks all of the non-verbal clues that exist in face-to-face communication. For that reason, it's important to make sure you carefully and politely phrase your words. Here's another tip: DON'T USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS (it looks like you are screaming!).
請記住，你寄發電子郵件的收件者對於你的訊息可能會有不同的看法。舉例來說，對你來說簡單的請求，他們可能視之為艱鉅的要求。此外，他們可能視你的笑話為針對他們所做的刺骨批評。問題就在於寫作時缺乏一切存在於面對面溝通才有的非語言線索。因為如此，確保你仔細且禮貌的用字是很重要的。這裡有另外一個訣竅：不要全用大寫字母。（那看起來很像你在尖叫！）
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