{"id":4505,"date":"2026-05-28T09:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T09:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/business-email-english-phrases-taiwan\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T09:09:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T09:09:36","slug":"business-email-english-phrases-taiwan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/ko\/business-email-english-phrases-taiwan\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Email English: 35 Phrases for Taiwan Pros (2026) | \u5546\u696d\u82f1\u6587\u66f8\u4fe1\u5b8c\u6574\u6307\u5357"},"content":{"rendered":"

The average Taiwan office worker writes 14 English emails a day \u2014 and most of them open with \u201cDear Sir\/Madam, I hope this email find you well\u201d<\/em>. That single line breaks two grammar rules, sounds 30 years out of date, and tells the reader you copied a textbook from cram school. Business email English (\u5546\u696d\u82f1\u6587\u66f8\u4fe1)<\/strong> is the one skill that quietly decides who gets the international account, the promotion, and the foreign client meeting. This guide gives you 35+ ready-to-use phrases, real templates, and the Chinglish traps to avoid \u2014 all built for Taiwan professionals writing in 2026.<\/p>\n

\"Business
A clean, structured business email opens more doors than perfect grammar ever will.<\/em><\/p>\n

Why Business Email English Still Decides Your Career | \u70ba\u4ec0\u9ebc\u5546\u696d\u82f1\u6587\u66f8\u4fe1\u4ecd\u662f\u95dc\u9375<\/h2>\n

Slack, LINE Works, and Microsoft Teams haven\u2019t killed email \u2014 they\u2019ve made it more important. Internal chat is for noise; email is where the decisions<\/em> get documented. When a Hsinchu engineer pitches a feature to a German PM, when a Taipei marketer follows up with a Hong Kong agency, when an HR specialist makes an offer to a Canadian candidate \u2014 that conversation lives in email. A 2025 Grammarly Business report found that 73% of decision-makers form their first impression of a colleague from their email writing, not from a meeting or call.<\/p>\n

The truth is, most Taiwan professionals don\u2019t need more vocabulary. They need to stop translating Mandarin sentence patterns directly into English. The fix is not bigger words \u2014 it\u2019s shorter sentences, clearer structure, and phrases that native speakers actually use at work.<\/p>\n

The 5-Part Structure of Every Business Email | \u5546\u696d\u82f1\u6587email\u4e94\u5927\u67b6\u69cb<\/h2>\n

Every effective business email \u2014 whether it\u2019s 30 words or 300 \u2014 has the same skeleton. Skip a piece and you sound either rude or amateur.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Subject line<\/strong> \u2014 the only line guaranteed to be read<\/li>\n
  2. Greeting<\/strong> \u2014 sets the tone for everything after<\/li>\n
  3. Opening sentence<\/strong> \u2014 context in one line<\/li>\n
  4. Body<\/strong> \u2014 one ask, one idea per paragraph<\/li>\n
  5. Closing + sign-off<\/strong> \u2014 tells the reader what happens next<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Notice what\u2019s missing? The 100-word apology paragraph (\u201cI am so sorry to bother you, but if you have a moment, would it perhaps be possible\u2026\u201d). Westerners read that as anxious, not polite. Lead with the request, soften with one phrase, move on.<\/p>\n

    \"Email
    Five blocks. Same in every email. Master the order and the words follow.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Subject Lines That Get Opened | 8 Email Subject Line Examples<\/h2>\n

    HubSpot\u2019s 2025 email study found that subject lines between 28 and 39 characters get the highest open rates, and ones that start with a noun outperform ones that start with a verb. For Taiwan workers writing to overseas clients, the rule is simple: tell them what it\u2019s about<\/em> and what you want<\/em>, in that order.<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Q3 forecast \u2014 your input needed by Friday<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Action required: invoice #2294 approval<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Following up on our 5\/14 demo call<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Quick question about the Taipei shipment<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Meeting request \u2014 30 mins next week<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Updated proposal attached (v3)<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Thank you + next steps<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Heads-up: site maintenance Sunday 2 AM TST<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      What you\u2019ll never see in these examples: the words Important<\/em>, Urgent<\/em>, or !!!<\/em>. Western inboxes treat those as spam signals. If something is truly urgent, write \u201cAction required\u201d or give a deadline. The Chinglish trap to avoid: writing \u201cDear Sir, About the matter mentioned yesterday\u201d<\/em> as a subject. That\u2019s a sentence. It belongs in the body.<\/p>\n

      Email Opening Lines for Every Situation | \u82f1\u6587email\u958b\u982d\u554f\u5019<\/h2>\n

      The opening is where 90% of Taiwan-written emails sound robotic. The fix is matching the opener to the relationship and the moment, not defaulting to \u201cI hope this email finds you well\u201d for everything.<\/p>\n

      Cold outreach (first email):<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m reaching out because\u2026\u201d \/ \u201cYour colleague Alice suggested I contact you about\u2026\u201d \/ \u201cI came across your work on [project] and wanted to ask\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

      Replying to someone:<\/strong> \u201cThanks for getting back to me so quickly.\u201d \/ \u201cGreat to hear from you.\u201d \/ \u201cAppreciate the detailed update.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Following up:<\/strong> \u201cJust circling back on my note from last Tuesday.\u201d \/ \u201cFollowing up in case this got buried.\u201d \/ \u201cWanted to check in on the proposal we discussed.\u201d<\/p>\n

      After a meeting:<\/strong> \u201cThanks for the call this morning.\u201d \/ \u201cGreat catching up earlier.\u201d \/ \u201cFollowing up on what we covered today.\u201d<\/p>\n

      \"Professional
      The right opener matches the moment \u2014 not the textbook.<\/em><\/p>\n

      Making Polite Requests Without Sounding Weak<\/h2>\n

      This is where Taiwan writers most often hurt themselves. The Mandarin instinct is to layer in softeners until the actual ask disappears. The English business norm is the opposite: state the request clearly, then add one<\/em> polite frame around it.<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Could you send me the Q2 numbers by Thursday?<\/strong> \u2014 clean, direct, deadline included<\/li>\n
      • Would you be able to review the attached deck before our call?<\/strong> \u2014 slightly softer, still clear<\/li>\n
      • I\u2019d appreciate it if you could confirm the meeting time.<\/strong> \u2014 formal, used with senior contacts<\/li>\n
      • Any chance you could share last year\u2019s contract template?<\/strong> \u2014 casual, peer-to-peer<\/li>\n
      • When you get a moment, could you check the invoice?<\/strong> \u2014 low-priority, no deadline pressure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Avoid stacking softeners: \u201cI\u2019m so sorry to bother you but if you have time and it\u2019s not too much trouble would you perhaps maybe\u2026\u201d<\/em> reads as a panic attack, not politeness. One frame. One ask. Done.<\/p>\n

        Saying No, Apologizing, and Delivering Bad News<\/h2>\n

        Telling a client \u201cno\u201d in English without burning the relationship is a skill that most Taiwan professionals are never explicitly taught. The formula: acknowledge, decline with a reason, offer an alternative.<\/p>\n

        Saying no to a request:<\/strong> \u201cThanks for thinking of us \u2014 unfortunately we won\u2019t be able to deliver by 6\/15, but we could commit to 6\/22 if that works.\u201d<\/p>\n

        Apologizing for a mistake:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m sorry for the confusion on yesterday\u2019s invoice. The corrected version is attached, and we\u2019ve updated our process so this won\u2019t repeat.\u201d Notice \u2014 one apology, one fix, one prevention statement. Don\u2019t apologize five times in one email.<\/p>\n

        Delivering bad news:<\/strong> \u201cI wanted to flag a delay on the Taipei project before our Friday review. The factory inspection has been pushed to next week. Here\u2019s what we\u2019re doing to keep the timeline on track\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

        \"Email
        Bad news lands cleaner when you pair it with a plan.<\/em><\/p>\n

        Email Closing Phrases That Don\u2019t Sound Like a Robot | \u82f1\u6587email\u7d50\u5c3e<\/h2>\n

        The closing line is your last impression. Most Taiwan-written emails end with \u201cLook forward to your reply. Thank you.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 grammatically fine, but it\u2019s the \u201cHave a nice day\u201d of business English. Forgettable. Try ending with something specific to the email instead.<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Let me know if Thursday at 3 PM works on your side.<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • Happy to jump on a quick call if it\u2019s easier to discuss live.<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • Standing by for the signed contract \u2014 please email it back when ready.<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • I\u2019ll send the revised quote by end of day Friday.<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • Thanks for the quick turnaround on this \u2014 much appreciated.<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • Let me know if anything\u2019s unclear and I\u2019ll dig in.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Sign-offs ranked by formality:<\/strong> Sincerely<\/em> (very formal, almost legal) \u2192 Best regards \/ Kind regards<\/em> (default for most business) \u2192 Best<\/em> (slightly casual, common in tech) \u2192 Thanks<\/em> (only when you\u2019re actually thanking someone) \u2192 Cheers<\/em> (UK\/Australia casual, avoid with US contacts). Stick to Best regards<\/em> if you\u2019re unsure. It\u2019s never wrong.<\/p>\n