Wenn Sie etwas mitteilen müssen, greifen Sie nicht gleich zu der mit “herewith” beginnenden Standardfloskel. Nutzen Sie lieber diese modernen und weniger steifen Secretary Today Alternativen.

Susanne H. from Boizenburg wrote to ask Jean Lennox how to say “Hiermit teile ich Ihnen mit” in English. She had learned the phrase “We herewith inform you,” but this was “many years ago,” and she wanted to check if people still use this phrase today.

The answer is yes. It is a phrase that is still used in English – but not by Jean Lennox! For her it is very old-fashioned and formal, even more formal than “Hiermit teile ich Ihnen mit,” which she also don’t like. He is her suggestion:

My first idea was “We are pleased to tell you,” which is fine. But you can’t use it all the time and anyway, what if the news is not good and the person is sorry they’re writing? To find out the best answer for Susanne, and for you too, I looked through some emails I received during 2011 and selected the ones I found most modern and professional. Here they are for you to copy.

• I am pleased to inform you that we have transferred the amount of $120 to your account. (HSBC bank)
• Here are the details of your trip. (A travel agent)
• This is to inform you about the conditions that you must fulfill before sending your application. (This was for a course that I wanted to attend.)
• This is to let you know that we are making changes to our accounting system. (This was from a client.)
• We wanted to let you know that we successfully completed a payment to xyz project for $30.00 on December 1, 2011. (This was from Amazon Payments.)

And here are some ideas for when the news is bad.

• We regret to inform you that we have chosen another candidate for the job.
• We are sorry to inform you that we are at present unable to lend you the $1 million you asked for.

I would like to repeat that “We herewith inform you” is still used, but mainly by lawyers or stuffy older people. And I would like to encourage you to use phrases that are less oldfashioned. After all, that’s what Secretary Today is all about – keeping you up to date with modern and professional business English!

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