Rejection / Refusal Letter
REJECTION / REFUSAL LETTER
Grammar Pattern
Warm-up
Discuss these questions with your teacher before reading.
- Have you ever had to write a letter or email rejecting someone's request? How did you handle it?
누군가의 요청을 거절하는 편지나 이메일을 작성해야 했던 적이 있나요? 어떻게 처리하셨나요? - In your opinion, what is the most important thing to remember when writing a refusal?
거절서를 쓸 때 가장 중요하게 기억해야 할 것은 무엇이라고 생각하시나요?
Vocabulary
Key words and expressions from the reading.
Reading
Read the passage with your teacher.
선생님과 함께 지문을 읽어보세요.
Grammar Pattern
SAMPLE 1
Refusal of Offer of Employment
Dear
I am most appreciative of your offer of employment. It is unfortunate that your offer arrived when it did, as I have just accepted another position. Should my situation change, I will be in prompt contact with you. However, I believe the firm which I have chosen to associate with holds great career promise.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
SAMPLE 2
Dear
Your request for a letter of recommendation from our firm cannot be granted. While the work that you performed for us was always satisfactory, we do not feel that it would be fair to either you or our firm to evaluate your capabilities based on a two month tenure of employment.
If any inquiries are made of us, we will reply most favorably. We wish you the best of luck in the future
SAMPLE 3
Dear
We regret to inform you that we are unable to extend any more time for payment of the above invoice.
We feel that we have been extremely patient, but if we do not receive payment in full on or before (date), we shall have no other choice but to turn this matter over to our attorney with instructions to use all available legal remedies to collect the amount owing.
SAMPLE 4
Dear
Over the years we have had to formulate various company policies. These policies have never been arbitrarily adopted, but rather chosen in order to be able to accommodate our customers by providing our product at the lowest conceivable price while remaining in business.
One of these policies is that our customers have ( ) days in which to return any merchandise for a full refund. We feel this allows sufficient time to inspect our product and be assured of its quality.
I am grateful for the business you have seen fit to give our firm and am proud to have you as one of our customers. I cannot, however, authorize the return of our merchandise as you have requested, inasmuch as you took delivery over (time) ago.
I am sorry that I cannot accommodate you in this matter and I hope you will understand why we must take this position.
Korean Trap
Korean speakers often make this mistake when writing refusal letters.
'불가능합니다'를 'It is impossible'로 직역하면 너무 직접적이고 무례하게 들립니다. 비즈니스에서 거절할 때는 'We regret that we are unable to...' 또는 'Unfortunately, we cannot...'과 같은 완곡한 표현을 사용하세요. 'at this time'을 추가하면 영구적 거절이 아닌 인상을 줍니다.
Discussion
Discuss these questions with your teacher after reading.
- Sample 1 declines a job offer gracefully. Notice how it expresses appreciation, gives a reason, and leaves the door open. If you had to decline a job offer, which phrases from this sample would you use?
샘플 1은 입사 제안을 우아하게 거절합니다. 감사 표현, 이유 설명, 가능성 열어두기를 주목하세요. 입사 제안을 거절해야 한다면 어떤 표현을 사용하시겠습니까? - Sample 3 is a firm payment demand. How does the tone escalate from polite to serious? What phrases signal that legal action may follow?
샘플 3은 단호한 결제 요구입니다. 어조가 정중함에서 심각함으로 어떻게 고조되나요? 어떤 표현이 법적 조치가 뒤따를 수 있음을 알려주나요? - Sample 2 refuses a recommendation request by saying the employment was too short. How would you handle this situation in Korean business culture, where refusing directly can damage relationships?
샘플 2는 근무 기간이 너무 짧아 추천서 요청을 거절합니다. 직접적 거절이 관계를 손상시킬 수 있는 한국 비즈니스 문화에서 이 상황을 어떻게 처리하시겠습니까? - All samples maintain a professional tone even while delivering bad news. What patterns do you notice across all four refusal letters?
모든 샘플이 나쁜 소식을 전하면서도 전문적인 어조를 유지합니다. 네 개의 거절서에서 어떤 공통 패턴을 발견하시나요?
Lesson Summary / 수업 요약
Today's Topic: REJECTION / REFUSAL LETTER
Level: Business (BIZ)
Review this lesson before your next class! / 다음 수업 전에 복습하세요!