Communication through email has been a global business practice since the 1990s. If you communicate through email, there will be no longer international phone bills, there will be no charge for express courier services, no waiting for overseas mails – we don’t have to wait until late at night to call a friend overseas due to the time difference. Yet, we need to remember that email sometimes can lead to misunderstanding. A hasty reply to an email, will sound informal and ambiguous. Email as a business tool deserves self control particularly if intercultural aspects are involved. 

Here are some tips to improve your international email

• Always type the subject. Email without a subject tends to be deleted or treated as junk mail. Make sure that the subject is short and clear.
• Keep your message short. Focus on main ideas and what you expect the reader to do after reading your email. 
• Check the spelling. Read your message two or three times before sending
• Put your complete identity – name, designation, email address, country code for telephone and fax numbers
• Avoid directness to certain people particularly in Eastern cultures
• Be careful when you use ‘reply all’, unless you really know they are
• Remember that there is no such private email. Emails are easily accessed by other persons particularly in offices. It is not a personal mailbox 
• Take special care for attachment. In most cases, attachment cannot be opened due to the difference in software
• Think before you reply and spend some time to arrange your message thoughtfully. If you are not in a good mood, wait for another day to reply.
• Take your time, watch your fingers, control their steps