26 THECUBAREVIEW 



CORRESPONDENCE WITH SPANISH PEOPLE 



By Commercial Agent Gereard Harris 



SOME VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS REGARDING BUSINESS LETTER WRITING 



A first-class business house in the United States is mindful of the value of good 

 impressions. The stationery is of the very best quality; the letters are carefully type- 

 written, carefully composed, and altogether, according to accepted standards, artistic and 

 perfect examples of the art. Why, then, should business houses be so careless in their 

 correspondence with foreign concerns who set even greater store by externals and small 

 points than we do? 



In order of objection is the literal Spanish version of some business letter. The 

 epistle is drafted in English and the Spanish clerk given instructions to put it, word 

 for word, in Spanish. The result is a creation fearful and wonderf(ul to behold in the 

 estimation of the recipient. The Spanish form of correspondence is considerably 

 different from the terse, almost curt, form of the United States. There is more of 

 salutation, of thoughtfulness, and less of blunt expression ; more of the personal note, 

 so to speak, and finally a conclusion that would seem florid to the American business 

 man. The absence of these evidences of good business breeding (according to the 

 standard of the man to whom it is addressed) is a puzzle to the average Spanish-speaking 

 business man. He does not know whether to become ofifended at the implied lack of 

 respect and kindly interest in him, or to be merely amused at the exhibition of ignorance 

 on the part of the American. In either event it is not the frame of mind the writer 

 would have his effort produce, nor is such a state of mind conducive to the best results. 



So small a matter as the signature may be the cause for umbrage. If Smith & Brown 

 send out a letter signed "per Jones," or "per M," or anybody else than the principals, 

 the recipient concludes that Smith & Brown do not estimate him or his business very 

 highly, or else they would not allow a mere clerk to carry on the correspondence and 

 sign the letters addressed to him. He thinks that a person of at least equal dignity with 

 him as head of the firm should sign the letter. 



The address is also a matter that sometimes is unfortunate in its effect. An American 

 firm would not care if its letters were simply addressed "Smith & Brown, Washington, 

 D. C," or "John M. Smith, Washington, D. C." Yet the failure to put the titles of 

 "Sefior" or "Senors" or "Don" where it is proper and where the person addressed is 

 entitled to it, is likely to a certain extent to prejudice the recipient against the missive 

 and its source. 



These are small matters, it is true, but they are matters that custom and education 

 and long use have made proper in the Latin-American countries. Conformance of them 

 is easy and is very likely to produce good results. 



These are the principal objections to correspondence with American houses, together 

 with the allegation that the Americans are not so prompt about answering their corre- 

 spondence as they should be. To eliminate these apparently trivial objections means a 

 hisrher regard for the firms doing so and the facilitation of business. 



SPANISH SHOULD BE TAUGHT advantage. But even more than this, there 

 The United States has some foreign pos- is a vast business field, as our various cham- 

 sessions. Both Porto Rico and the Philip- bers of commerce are just findmg out in 

 pines are Spanish speaking. Cuba, with this South American country. But if it is 

 which we have had much to do, speaks the to be occupied, it must be by men who 

 same language. Mexico, and all the Central speak Spanish and are familiar with the 

 Am.erican republics, with which our future customs of these lands which are still so 

 is likely to be more closely connected, use largely Spanish. Some of our business 

 the same language. And practically the houses have long recognized this. Occa- 

 whole of South America is Spanish speak- sionally one may see an advertisement for 

 ing. a stenographer who can speak and write 

 John Lind cannot speak Spanish ; we need Spanish, oi for a salesman with the same 

 men for all sorts of foreign posts who can. qualification. But we are just at the begin- 

 There is a splendid chance for teachers, for ning of this new and vast business oppor- 

 engineers and scientists of all sorts in these tunity. Who should enter into it if not 

 Spanish-speaking countries which are just the young people? And how can they un- 

 beginning their development. And the man less they learn the language required? — 

 who speaks Spanish has naturally a great Newburg Port (Mass.) Nezvs. 



