Academic Communication English

Semester contents

​ TC(technical communication project)+IC(international conference)+Mooc

Final exam contents

​ 50%+50%

  • Module 1: Technical Communication 单选、判断、改写
  • Module 2: International Conference 单选、判断、配对、翻译

User Manual(TC)

  • definition of Technical Communication
  • basic qualities of TC
  • user dont read, dont scroll, are easily lost, frustrated, strangely persistent, different
  • The best instruction is no instruction(intuitive and invisible)
  • A definition clarifies a description of a new development or a new technology in a technical field. Definitions help specialists communicate with less knowledgeable readers.
  • create glossary, simplified English(SE), easily recognizable terms, pay close attention to key terms, use graphics
  • SE main characteristics
  • ASD Simplified Technical English for aeroplane maintenance documentation
  • SE requires writers to do what?
  • Before you pump gasoline into the gas tank, turn off the propane line to the refrigerator. If you do not turn off the propane line , it could explode.
  • Three types of definitions: Parenthetical definitions(附注型), sentence definitions(item is ‘category’ + distinguishing characteristics), Extended definitions(A more detailed explanation of an object, process, or idea. Usually one or more paragraphs)
  • guidelines for writing descriptions: functional, spatial(functional and spatial is all verbal), graphics(photographs图片, drawings制图, cutaways分解图/爆炸图)
  • guidelines for writing descriptions 2: process descriptions.(step by step, causal relationships among step, present tense, flow chart)
  • elements contained in instructions: title, general introduction, step-by-step instructions, conclusion
  • to achieve clear and attractive designing we must: create an open and airy design, use graphicsa and relate graphics to text clearly
  • Two ways to draft title: How to and gerund
  • The main difference between manual and instruction is that a manual has more elaborate front matter and back matter.
  • Ethical notes on TC: personal ethics(family), social ethics(constitutional) and conservation ethics(preserve ecosystem). You are in an ethical dilemma, resolving an ethical dilemma requires you to consider it from various ethical perspective.

Email(TC)

  • definition electronic mail a system for receiving, sending and storing electronic messages
  • both personal and business communication
  • advantages: fast and efficient, inexpensive and green, convenient and time-saving
  • limitations: insecure, anonymous, cant be retracted, not private, forge email, junk email and spam
  • structure of an email 8: Header(Subject, TO, CC courtesy/complimentary copy, BCC blind courtesy/carbon copy), Salutation/greeting, opening paragraph, middle paragraph, closing paragraph, complimentary close, signature, pre-set contact info.
  • formality: frozen, formal, consultative, casual, intimate
  • 写邮件时候的注意点：avoid long sentences, concise and to the point, identify yourself and the topic, active voice, gender-neutral, no CAPITAL, careful with formatting, kind no flame, avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT, take care with abbreviations and emoticons, respond promptly, not overuse reply all, maintain coherence, answer all questions, not reply to spam, use templates for frequently used responses

Memo(TC)

  • definition: shortened form of “memorandum”, used in company or organization for internal communication
  • Memo vs. Letter: Memo接收者是同一个公司或组织的，Letter的接收者是本公司外部的个人或组织；Memo可以通过电子邮件或者公司内部的通信平台，Letter通过传统的邮件、电子邮件或者数字通信平台；Memo在公司内部个人或组织之间循环传输，Letter在公司外部的个人、组织等传输；Memo通常同时发给公司内所有人确保一致性，Letter有时会手动编辑发给不同的组织或个人；
  • functions: facilitate, informative, persuasive, vertical&horizontal&diagonal, bridge, permanent, to request, to explain, to announce, to confirm, to suggest, to offer, to bring up, to report
  • classification: documentary memos, congratulatory memos, disciplinary memos
  • structure of a memo 7: name of organization and address(printed), heading, opening, discussion, closing, signature, optinal(attachment and distribution)
  • 为什么作者会在名字旁边写上名字的缩写：为了展示他们已经看过了memo了，对该memo负责
  • heading的subject首个字母大写，其他都小写
  • CC的名字排序，按照A-Z或者按照组织的排序
  • opening includes: context and problem, specific assignment or task, the purpose
  • closing: complimentary close or directive close or recommendations
  • 写memo的tips：使用标准或组织规定的格式，包含全部必要的segments，opening清楚交代context和purpose，牢记和接收者的关系选择合适的语气和formality，积极或者中性tone、尽量短且抓住重点，适量使用高亮、粗体等

Job Application(TC)

  • Resume vs. Curriculum Vitae(CV): 1 or 2 pages or more? for any position in an organization or for a position in a research organization? more skill-oriented or more knowledge-oriented?
  • before writing resume: 3 know, know ourselves, know target company/employer, know target post
  • types of resumes: chronological resume（更加普遍）, functional/skills resume(初始求职者), hybrid/combination resume（not popular or not commonly used as it tends tobe very long and also it may turn out to be repetitive in nature）
  • 对于刚毕业的学生，他们通常使用chronological resume!!!
  • A resume communicates in two ways: through its content and appearance
  • basic information 6: identifying information, objectives or summary of qualifications, education, employment history, interests and activitiies, references
  • 教育经历是一个应届毕业生最大的卖点
  • employment history: 强调结果，量化结果，注意写时间地点、使用倍动语态、合理的缩进
  • 对于写个人的职能等时，使用active voice
  • reference: those people who are willing to speak or write on your behalf

Book(IC)

​ Unit 1: The ingredients of a Great Presentation

​ A presentation is a mixture of three aspects: content, design and delivery.

​ A presentation is composed of three parts: introduction, main part and closing.

​ Unit 2: Signposting Your Way Through a Presentation

​ Throughout a presentation, you will put up “signposts”, constantly telling the audience which section or point you have reached and where you are going now. This technique is called “signposting” during a presentation.

​ Signposting language in a presentation is verbal statements-usually words, phrases or sentences-that clearly highlight your key points and signal the logical connections between you ideas.

​ Unit 3: The Basics of International Conferences

​ How to find academic conferences? Internet search engines; Conference alert platforms; Journals and magazines; Consulting your supervisors and fellow researchers;

​ Unit 4: Call for Papers

​ Major components of the sample Call for Papers: Name, time and venue of a conference; Conference objectives; conference themes; Organizing institution and committee; Information on paper submission/requirements for papers; Contact information

​ 会议分类：Meeting(general), Conference(大的学术会议), Symposium（小的学术会议）, Congress（代表参加的）, Convention（周期性日常会议）, Forum（开放论坛会议）, Seminar（小型研讨会）, Workshop（讲究实际效用的周期性会议）, Colloquium（大型研讨会）, Session（议会、法院）

​ Unit 5: Opening Speeches

​ Ladies and gentlemen, good morning! Distinguished guests, good evening!

​ Unit 6: Introducing Keynote Speakers

​ structure: Why is this subject important? Why is this speaker invited? Why does this very audience need to sit at the presentation? Why does the audience need to listen to the speech right now?

​ Unit 7: Keynote Speeches

​ before draft keynote speech: determine the purpose of the speech; know your audience; decide on the length and the structure.

​ introduction+main body+conclusion

​ Unit 8: Question and Answer Session

​ Unit 9: Closing Speeches

Translate(IC)

首先我要对本领域近几年的研究工作做一个简要的回顾。

First of all, I would like to begin with a brief review of research in this area in recent years.

我的演讲将由以下四个部分构成：第一部分对目前这项研究做一个简要的背景介绍，第二部分是关于研究方法的介绍，第三部分主要分析研究结果，最后一部分讨论的是结论和此项研究有待改进之处。

My presentation will consist of four parts: the first part gives a brief background of the current study, the second part describes the research methodology, the third part focuses on analysing the results of the study , and the last part discusses the conclusions and areas of improvement of the study.

今天我想跟大家简单探讨有关大学英语教学的问题。我谈一下我的看法，也算是抛砖引玉。

Today, I would like to discuss with you briefly issues relating to the teaching of English at university. I will talk about my views, which is also a way of throwing light on the issue.

文献综述我就介绍到这里，下面我想谈一下这个项目的可行性。

That’s all I have to say about the literature review, and I’d like to talk about the feasibility of this project.

这是我今天所讲内容中最重要的一个部分，所以我会提供更多细节对此加以重点说明。

This is one of the most important parts of what I will be talking about today, so I will provide more details to highlight this.

由于时间有限，我只能简单罗列我一直从事的研究。对你们所提出的任何问题我愿意随时和你们展开讨论。

Due to time constraints, I can only briefly list the research I have been engaged in. I would be happy to discuss any of the issues you have raised with you at any time.

论文采用网上投稿，请在10月30日前登陆网站并完成投稿。

Papers are submitted online, so please visit the website and complete your submission by 30 October.

此次会议的中文摘要限1000字。

Abstracts for this conference are limited to 1000 words in Chinese.

第十九届国际城市语言学会年会将在南京举行，现公开征集稿件。

The 19th Annual Conference of the International Society for Urban Linguistics will be held in Nanjing and there is an open call for contributions.

请附上以下个人资料：论文题目、作者姓名、所属单位、通讯地址。

Please include the following personal data: title of the paper, author’s name, affiliation, and mailing address.

记住论文提交的截止日期为2023年5月6日。

Remember the deadline of 6 May 2023 for paper submissions.

我要感谢你们所有人的关心和努力，帮助我们使本次会议成为可能。

I would like to thank all of you for your interest and efforts in helping us to make this meeting possible.

对于没有参加上次会议的各位，我想简要介绍一下这一系列会议的背景。

For those of you who did not attend the last meeting, I would like to give a brief background to this series of meetings.

会议有50多个有趣的专题讨论会，涵盖语言学的各个分支。

The conference features more than 50 interesting symposia covering all branches of linguistics.

此次会议旨在展示尖端芯片的进步，促进全球合作，培养新一代科学家。

The conference aims to showcase advances in cutting-edge chips, promote global collaboration and foster a new generation of scientists.

最后，我祝愿会议取得圆满成功。

In conclusion, I wish the Conference every success.

很荣幸由我来介绍XX博士，ISSCC 50周年首位主旨发言人。

It is an honour for me to introduce Dr. XX, the first keynote speaker for the 50th anniversary of ISSCC.

Moore博士1950年本科(BS)毕业于加州大学伯克利分校化学专业。1954年从加州理工学院获得化学和物理博士学位。

Dr Moore graduated with an undergraduate (BS) degree in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1950. received his PhD in Chemistry and Physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1954.

现在请和我一起欢迎袁隆平院士给我们介绍他是如何用高产杂交水稻喂养全世界五分之一的人口。

Please join me now in welcoming Academician Yuan Longping to tell us how he feeds one-fifth of the world’s population with high-yield hybrid rice.

在钟南山60年的医生和教师生涯里，他以自己的专业和勇气完美诠释了医务工作者的初心和使命。

In Zhong Nanshan’s 60-year career as a doctor and teacher, he has perfectly interpreted the original heart and mission of medical workers with his professionalism and courage.

作为亚洲飞人，苏炳添在东京奥运会半决赛中以9.83秒的成绩打破男子一百米的亚洲记录，成为这个项目第一位晋级决赛的中国人。

As Asia’s flying man, Su Bingtian broke the Asian record for the men’s 100 metres with a time of 9.83 seconds in the semi-finals of the Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first Chinese to reach the final in this event.

今天我要和大家说的是区块链的应用，这是本次大会的主题，也是我近期的学术工作主题。

Today I’m going to talk to you about blockchain applications, which is the theme of this conference and the subject of my recent academic work.

正如您在这张曲线图上看到的，MA2001在今年1-4月份的产量稳定在每月5000左右。

As you can see on this graph, the MA2001 has been producing at a steady rate of around 5,000 per month from January to April this year.

正如之前我所提到的，随着在线教育持续增长，许多高校在积极探索如何向线上学习者提供课程内容。

As I mentioned earlier, as online education continues to grow, many colleges and universities are actively exploring ways to deliver course content to online learners.

看完了有关市场的供求问题 ，接下来我想谈一谈商业投资。

Having looked at the issue of supply and demand in the relevant market, I would like to talk about business investment next.

最后，我想强调，既然水的问题已经影响到我们每个人，而且目前不少措施见效较为缓慢，所以我们认为只有节约用水、控制污染，这一问题才能最终解决。

Finally, I would like to stress that since the water problem has affected all of us, and since a number of measures are now yielding slow results, we believe that the problem can only be solved ultimately by conserving water and controlling pollution.

这个问题不好回答，恐怕短时间内没法给你一个满意的解释。

That’s not a good question, and I’m afraid I can’t give you a satisfactory explanation anytime soon.

有意思，但是你的观点如何切合我们正考虑的问题呢？

Interesting, but how does your point fit into what we are considering?

从你的问题判断，我能看出来你理解的X和我们完全不一样。我本意是……

Judging by your question, I can see that you understand X quite differently than we do. I intended ……

很高兴你对这个话题感兴趣，但凭心而论，我想咱们应该听听别人的问题。

I’m glad you’re interested in this topic, but in all fairness, I think we should listen to other people’s problems.

我回答了你的问题了吗？

Did I answer your question?

我们就要结束本次富有成效的会议了。

We are about to conclude this productive meeting.

我要感谢所有努力工作、奉献自我的员工，是他们使本次会议成为可能。

I would like to thank all the hard working and dedicated staff who made this conference possible.

几位主旨演讲人在本次会议主会场上做了关于物流实践的演讲，非常有趣。

Several keynote speakers gave interesting presentations on logistics practices in the main session of the conference.

听众虽然有大量的论文压力和时间压力，但他们依然怀着极大的兴趣学习了科学家和商业专家们的研究成果。

The audience was under a great deal of paper pressure and time pressure, but they still learnt with great interest what the scientists and business experts had to offer.

最后，请允许我宣布本次会议胜利闭幕。

Finally, allow me to declare this meeting closed.

Mooc

​ The process of copying or converting exitsing content when it is suitable to the ongoing project is called repurposing.

​ Pronouns, such as you and your, can personlize the manual and promote good customer-company relationships.

​ Memos should be brief but sufficiently informative. Readers expect memos that are short and to the point but not at the expense of clarity.

​ Persuasiveness is the soul of proposal.

​