Is Flemish sophistication in business email necessary?
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You may not be unaware that the Dutch are good at languages. For example, according to research*, we are among the top when it comes to mastery of the English language. In addition, we also have a reasonable amount of knowlge of foreign languages. But: what exactly is the situation with Flemish versus Dutch? And what is the best way to write a business email to a Flemish contact?
Because Flemish is similar to Dutch in many ways, we tend to take that language for grant. That is unjustifi, because there are many differences to be discover with Dutch. Just look at how we format a business e-mail. The salutation and the closing of such an e-mail differ considerably from each other. You can read more about it in this article.
Biggest differences between Dutch and Flemish
Before I tell you more about that, it is good to know more about the language differences between the Netherlands and Belgium. Although Flemish is very similar to Dutch, there are some striking differences to be not. The biggest difference is the pronunciation of certain words, where Belgians have the well-known soft G that we in the Netherlands only hear in Limburg and in some places in North Brabant. The stress is also us differently in both countries for various words.
That is certainly not the only difference. In Flemish, for example, there are also quite a few other words, different sayings and proverbs than in both countries. In general, a Flemish word with an unknown meaning does not cause too many problems for a Dutch person. Because you both speak the same language, you simply ask what the word means. You do not immiately have to hire a professional translation agency for that. For example, do you want to have a book translat or write a typical Flemish article for a website? Then it is useful to learn more about the Flemish language.
Also read: Exciting! 9 words that differ greatly in Dutch & Flemish
Writing Flemish email: the salutation and the closing
Even if you have to send an e-mail to a Flemish customer, it is nice to be aware of a few simple rules. When composing such a business e-mail, it is best to look at how Belgians write a formal letter. We see that they also write ‘dear sir/madam’ at the beginning of a letter and therefore also a formal e-mail. We do that in the Netherlands too. Words such as ‘best’ and ‘day’ are also accept. If it is not known who will receive the e-mail, then ‘Dear customer’ or ‘Beste zakenrelatie’ will suffice. A comma always follows the salutation.
Next, you ensure a clear layout of the e-mail. In the first paragraph, you explain why you are sending the e-mail and then discuss what you expect from the recipient of the e-mail. An e-mail may consist of several paragraphs, just like a formal letter. In any case, keep it short and sweet, so that the recipient immiately understands why you are sending the e-mail. A Flemish e-mail is conclud with the words ‘I hope to have inform you sufficiently’ or ‘If you have any questions, please contact me’. The e-mail is conclud with ‘ list of serbia consumer email kind regards’ or the very formal ‘hoogachtend’. In short: a business e-mail in Belgium is very similar to a Dutch e-mail.
Is there no difference at all in emails?
At first glance, it seems that there are no differences between the salutation and the closing of a Dutch or Flemish e-mail. If you send an e-mail from the Netherlands to a exclusive interview with santa claus: on branding & international success Flemish customer, there is a good chance that he or she will fully understand the text. What can help, however, is to immerse yourself in the Flemish language if you often deal with customers from Belgium. There are quite a few words that are us (formally) in Belgium and not with us . Show that you are making an effort for the customer.
In order to maintain good customer contact and in aob directory this way bind customers from Belgium to your company and/or brand, it is therefore certainly advisable to delve into the Flemish vocabulary. There are more and more companies in the Netherlands these days , which makes it important to invest in the customers you already have. Make sure that they have no reason to go to the competition and you have (business) customers for life. Of course, this does not only apply to Flemish customers, but also to people from other countries.