One day last fall, my colleague Miguel Morales received an email with a sign-off that was so strange, it has stuck in his mind for the last year. It came from Melissa Geisler, who works in digital sports programming and production at Yahoo. Below Geisler’s title and above her cell phone number was this mystifying quote: “The Bird is equal to or greater than the Word,” attributed to someone named, simply, “scientist。”

去年秋天某一天，我的同時(shí)Miguel Morales收到了一封結(jié)尾很奇怪的郵件，這個(gè)結(jié)尾去年一直讓他反感。這封郵件是Melissa Geisler發(fā)的，她在雅虎從事數(shù)字體育節(jié)目制作的工作。在Geisler的職位下面，電話號(hào)碼上面有這樣一句奇怪的引言：“鳥(niǎo)可能大于或等于那個(gè)詞”引自一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的名字自稱為“科學(xué)家”的人。

With this and other strange sign-offs in mind, Miguel suggested I tackle the subject of how best to conclude an email. I polled colleagues, friends and four people I’d consider experts, including Cynthia Lett, 55, a business etiquette consultant in Silver Spring, MD. Below is their combined wisdom and some commentary of my own. I offer four rules and a long list of potential sign-offs。

對(duì)于這樣子的和其它的一些結(jié)尾很奇怪的郵件，Miguel 建議我著手處理一篇主題為如何最好的結(jié)束一封郵件的文章。我對(duì)同事，朋友和我認(rèn)為是專家的四個(gè)人進(jìn)行調(diào)查，包括Cynthia Lett，他55歲，在馬里蘭州銀泉做商業(yè)禮儀顧問(wèn)，然后總結(jié)出如下凝聚他們智慧和我自己補(bǔ)充的結(jié)尾語(yǔ)。

But first, Geisler’s quote. She says it came from an episode of the animated cable TV show Family Guy, about a song from the 1960s. “That was me trying to have a little fun,” she says, adding that she has since changed her signature to add Yahoo’s new logo, and abandoning the quote, which she hoped recipients enjoyed while it lasted. Much as I respect Geisler’s attempt at levity, I think it’s a mistake to leave people guessing about what you want to say。

但是首先著手的是Geisler的引言。她說(shuō)那句引言出自于動(dòng)畫(huà)片惡搞之家，是關(guān)于二十世紀(jì)六十年代的一首歌曲。她說(shuō)“我只是想找些樂(lè)子，”，她還說(shuō)她已經(jīng)刪掉了那個(gè)引言，將結(jié)尾改成了雅虎的新標(biāo)識(shí)，她希望收件人能夠喜歡。我認(rèn)為Geisler的這種嘗試是有點(diǎn)輕率的，讓別人去猜測(cè)你在郵件中真正想要表達(dá)什么是不妥當(dāng)?shù)摹?/p>

Here are my four rules for signing off on emails:

下面是我總結(jié)出來(lái)的郵件結(jié)尾的四個(gè)規(guī)則：

1.Don’t include quotes。

1.不要包含引言。

2. Avoid oversized corporate logos.

2.避免過(guò)大的公司標(biāo)識(shí)。

ometimes we have no choice about this, because our companies insist we include these things, but if they are too big, they draw the eye away from the message。

有時(shí)候我們別無(wú)選擇，因?yàn)楣�司�?jiān)持讓我們使用這些東西，但是如果標(biāo)識(shí)太大了，它會(huì)分散看信息的注意力。

3. Include your title and contact info, but keep it short.

3.包含你的職位和聯(lián)系信息，但是保持簡(jiǎn)潔。

In most business emails, you’re doing the person a favor by sharing your vital information. But make it minimal. Mine just says, “Susan Adams, Senior Editor, Forbes 212-206-5571.” A short link to your website is fine but avoid a laundry list of links promoting your projects and publications。

對(duì)于大多數(shù)商業(yè)郵件，分享重要信息是在幫助別人。但是保持簡(jiǎn)短。像我的就寫(xiě)，“Susan Adams，福布斯雜志高級(jí)編輯，212-206-5571。”包含你公司網(wǎng)站的短鏈接是可以接受的，但是避免出現(xiàn)一系列推廣你的項(xiàng)目和出版物的鏈接。

4. Do include some kind of sign-off。

4.務(wù)必包含結(jié)尾。

Mark Hurst, 40, author of Bit Literacy: Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail Overload, says the function of a sign-off is to signal the end of a message, so the recipient knows it didn’t get short-circuited. “To me the sign-off is not so much style as function in the service of clearly communicating your message,” he says。

Mark Hurst，40歲，比特素養(yǎng)的作者說(shuō)：在信息和郵件超載的時(shí)代，結(jié)尾的功能是標(biāo)志郵件的結(jié)束，因此收件人知道沒(méi)有短路。他說(shuō)，“對(duì)于我來(lái)說(shuō)，結(jié)尾作為清晰地傳達(dá)信息的工具沒(méi)有太多的格式。”

Etiquette consultant Lett advocates a more formal approach. “I don’t believe emails are conversations,” she says. “They’re letters。” I disagree. Emails are their own form of communication and they’re evolving fast. Farhad Manjoo, 35, Wall Street Journal technology columnist and until recently, the voice behind a Slate podcast, “Manners for the Digital Age,” puts it well: “An email is both a letter and an instant message,” he observes。

禮儀顧問(wèn)Lett提倡一個(gè)更加正式的方法。他說(shuō)“我不認(rèn)為郵件是對(duì)話，他們是信件。” 我不同意。郵件是他們彼此交流的形式，并且他們迅速發(fā)展。Farhad Manjoo，35歲，華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)技術(shù)專欄作家，最近在Slate播客“數(shù)字時(shí)代的禮儀”中說(shuō)的好，“郵件既是信件也是即時(shí)消息。”

All of that said, here is a list of common and not-so-common email sign-offs, with commentary and notes from the experts。

盡管如此，下面是一些帶有專家評(píng)論和注釋的常見(jiàn)的和不那么常見(jiàn)的郵件結(jié)尾。

Best – This is the most ubiquitous; it’s totally safe. I recommend it highly and so do the experts。

Best –是最普遍的;絕對(duì)安全的。我和專家都極力推薦這個(gè)。

My Best – A little stilted. Etiquette consultant Lett likes it.

My Best –有點(diǎn)生硬。禮儀顧問(wèn)Lett喜歡這個(gè)。

My best to you – Lett also likes this one. I think it’s old-fashioned。

My best to you –Lett也喜歡這個(gè)。我認(rèn)為它過(guò)時(shí)了。

All Best – Harmless。

All Best –用起來(lái)無(wú)大礙。

All the best – This works too。

All the best – 這個(gè)也管用。

Best Wishes –Seems too much like a greeting card but it’s not bad。

Best Wishes –看起來(lái)特別像賀卡，但是還不賴。

Bests – I know people who like this but I find it fussy. Why do you need the extra “s”?

Bests – 我知道有人喜歡，但是我覺(jué)得它很繁瑣。為什么你需要多余的“s?”

Best Regards – More formal than the ubiquitous “Best。” I use this when I want a note of formality。

Best Regards – 比最普遍的“Best”更正式。當(dāng)我想要正式的寫(xiě)結(jié)尾時(shí)我會(huì)用這個(gè)。

Regards – Fine, anodyne, helpfully brief. I use this。

Regards – 好，穩(wěn)重，簡(jiǎn)短。我用這個(gè)。

Rgds – I used to use this but stopped, because it’s trying too hard to be abbreviated. Why not type three more letters? OK if you’re sending it from your phone。

Rgds – 我過(guò)去常用這個(gè)但是現(xiàn)在沒(méi)用了，因?yàn)檫@個(gè)很難被縮寫(xiě)。為什么不多寫(xiě)幾個(gè)字母?如果是用手機(jī)發(fā)郵件的話，這個(gè)OK 。

Warm Regards – I like this for a personal email to someone you don’t know very well, or a business email that is meant as a thank-you。

Warm Regards – 給不是很了解的人發(fā)私人郵件時(shí)我喜歡用這個(gè)，商業(yè)郵件中它的意思是謝謝你。

Warmest Regards – As good as Warm Regards, with a touch of added heat。

Warmest Regards – 增添了一絲溫暖，跟Warm Regards一樣好。

Warmest – I use this often for personal emails, especially if I’m close to someone but not in regular touch。

Warmest – 私人郵件中我常常用這個(gè)，尤其是當(dāng)我離別人很近但是又不常聯(lián)系的時(shí)候，我會(huì)用這個(gè)。

Warmly – This is a nice riff on the “warm” theme that can safely be used among colleagues。

Warmly –這個(gè)一個(gè)關(guān)于 “warm” 的主題的很好的結(jié)尾，在同事之間使用很安全。

Take care – In the right instances, especially for personal emails, this works。

Take care – 在適合的情況下，尤其是私人郵件，這個(gè)很有用。

Thanks - Lett says this is a no-no. “This is not a closing. It’s a thank-you,” she insists. I disagree. Forbes Leadership editor Fred Allen uses it regularly and I think it’s an appropriate, warm thing to say. I use it too。

Thanks - Lett說(shuō)這個(gè)禁用。他認(rèn)為“這不是結(jié)尾而是感謝。”我不同意。福布斯編輯領(lǐng)導(dǎo) Fred Allen經(jīng)常用這個(gè)，我認(rèn)為它是一個(gè)合適的、暖心的詞。我也用。

Thanks so much – I also like this and use it, especially when someone—a colleague, a source, someone with whom I have a business relationship—has put time and effort into a task or email。

Thanks so much – 我也喜歡這個(gè)，并會(huì)用這個(gè)，尤其是當(dāng)某人—同事，人脈資源，跟我有業(yè)務(wù)關(guān)系的人—花時(shí)間和精力完成任務(wù)和郵件時(shí)，我會(huì)用這個(gè)。

Thanks! – This rubs me the wrong way because I used to have a boss who ended every email this way. She was usually asking me to perform a task and it made her sign-off seem more like a stern order, with a forced note of appreciation, than a genuine expression of gratitude. But in the right context, it can be fine。

Thanks! – 這個(gè)很讓我惱火，因?yàn)槲以��?jīng)有個(gè)老板每封郵件都用這個(gè)結(jié)尾。他經(jīng)常讓我完成一個(gè)任務(wù)，帶著勉強(qiáng)感謝的符號(hào)，這讓他的結(jié)尾看起來(lái)像是一個(gè)嚴(yán)厲的命令，而不是真誠(chéng)地表達(dá)致謝。但是在合適的語(yǔ)境中，它也適用。

Thank you – More formal than “Thanks。” I use this sometimes。

Thank you – 比“Thanks”更加正式。我有時(shí)用這個(gè)。

Thank you! – This doesn’t have the same grating quality as “Thanks!” The added “you” softens it。

Thank you! – 這個(gè)不會(huì)像“Thanks”那么讓人不悅!多余的“you” 使它變得緩和。

Many thanks – I use this a lot, when I genuinely appreciate the effort the recipient has undertaken。

Many thanks – 當(dāng)我真誠(chéng)的感謝收件人所付出的努力時(shí)，我常常用這個(gè)。

Thanks for your consideration. – A tad stilted with a note of servility, this can work in the business context, though it’s almost asking for a rejection. Steer clear of this when writing a note related to seeking employment。

Thanks for your consideration – 有點(diǎn)生硬帶點(diǎn)屈從，盡管它幾乎是尋求排斥，但是在商業(yè)郵件中它很有用。當(dāng)你寫(xiě)就業(yè)相關(guān)的郵件時(shí)，避免使用它。

Thx – I predict this will gain in popularity as our emails become more like texts. Lett would not approve。

Thx – 隨著我們的郵件變得更像文本，我猜想這個(gè)會(huì)獲得歡迎。Lett 可能不會(huì)贊同。