也许这篇文章讲的内容不是每个人都适用，仅仅是我自己这几周以来的切身经历和体会，希望能对正在准备或有意向申请留学的朋友们有帮助。其中难免也有表达欠妥当之处，还请更有经验的同学指正。
无论是申英国还是美澳院校，留学文书最重要的部分都包括PS (Personal Statement) 个人陈述和RL (Reference Letter)推荐信。PS当然是自己写，RL通常需要大学教授出具。能为自己争取一份言辞恳切、内容详实的推荐信无疑可以为自己的申请加分。
我一共向这学期教我课的3位老师提出写推荐信的请求，分别是实践课Student Campus TV， 经济英语和德英翻译。最后的结果是拿到了两封，其中一封符合申请要求，也让自己满意。下面先以最终成功的来自德英翻译课老师的推荐信为例，一步步讲讲从提出请求到获得推荐信的过程；然后我也会总结一下另两次尝试不够成功的原因。
Step 1：提出请求
我认为最好当面提出，这样可以得到老师最直接的答复。如果没有机会，发邮件也可以。后者的好处是自己可以深思熟虑，组织好语言，避免与教授面对面的紧张和尴尬；坏处是可能许久得不到回复。我的翻译课老师是个有邮件必及时回复的人，所以我用了第二种方式。
邮件标题：Recommendation for [Your Name]
会不会太直白了？不，不要不好意思在标题里“挑明”自己的目的，“开门见山”在此时其实是明智的做法。而且这一原则在正文部分要继续坚持。
正文：
我最初的思路是：
1. 先感谢老师在课堂上付出的时间，表示自己收获很大；
2. 然后写想申请某某大学的研究生项目；
3. 最后表示希望教授能为自己写一份推荐信。
后来我突然意识到这是一个完全错误的顺序。有人玩笑说，西方人读东方人的信函要从下往上读，不然完全不知所云，因为来信真正的目的往往出现在最末尾。这样说不是毫无道理。东方人重含蓄，西方人喜直接，这是东西方思维习惯上的迥异。所以尊重西方人的习惯，最终成文的顺序正好相反，颠倒成3.2.1。字体可用Arial，5号。
这是我给老师的第一封邮件：
Dear Dr. [Surname or full name],
【说明来函目的】
My name is Yi Fan and I have taken part in your course “Translation I” (Group J). I am writing to ask if you would be willing to write a letter of recommendation for me.
【解释需要推荐信的原因】
I would like to further my study in the field of translation and am planning to apply for the graduate program MA in Translating and Interpreting in Great Britain after returning to China. So it would be of great help if I could receive a letter of recommendation from you in support of the application. I would really appreciate it. Herewith I also send the writing by myself and my résumé with more detailed information. [注]
【写明deadline and how you will follow up】
I am going back to China at the end of this week. Please let me know if you are willing to write me a recommendation letter and I'd be glad to come to your office.
【表示感谢】
Now the time as an exchange student here is about to over. Thank you for the time and assistance you offered us. It was a great pleasure to take part in this translation course and it was one of my favourite among all the courses I have attended at Ruhr-University.
Best regards,
Yi Fan
【注】解释两件事：
1. 我在邮件里附上了自己写好的草稿和个人简历。原则上说，推荐信应该完全由教授写，但是我相信大学教授们公务已经很繁忙，不会闲到有时间为我们斟词酌句，从空白的纸上写出费时又费力得推荐信。但如果是在现有的草稿上修改就不一样了，这不仅会为他们减轻很多工作量，而且能让他们知道你想在推荐信里强调自己哪方面的能力，从而最终的结果也更能meet your expectations. 即使不写完整的草稿，也要在邮件中提供详细的信息和材料。附上最基本的简历能为教授提供被推荐人的经历的大致轮廓，毕竟他们没有理由为一个自己根本不了解的学生写推荐。
2. 那么这些文件是以附件形式还是正文形式发送呢？这是申请中的老问题。有一个基本的原则是：如果收件人用的是hotmail、gmail之类的邮箱，则可用附件形式发送；如果是公司、学校的邮箱则在正文部分粘贴为佳，以避免这类邮箱不支持附件。
Step 2: 等待回复
当天下午，我收到了老师回复如下：（我真欣赏这老师的效率！）
Dear Ms Fan,
Thank you for your e-mail. Sure, I can write the letter of recommendation for you; however, as I am at the moment hard-pressed for time, I cannot promise to have the piece ready by the end of the week. Please let me know quickly whether it is alright if I send you the document after my return from my holidays at the beginning of August. Are there any deadlines?
Best
M. Goth
Step 3: 继续交涉和沟通
后来的回复中我给了老师邮寄地址，说了申请学校对推荐信的具体要求。然而第二天一早我就收到了下面这封邮件：
Dear Ms Fan,
I am happy to inform you that I have by now written your recommendation. I shall be at the university tomorrow; you can reach me between 9.15 and 10 in the morning, and between 2 and 4 in the afternoon. I have attached my text to your e-mail. Please let me know if you are able to pick it up tomorrow.
Best regards
M. Goth
回复老师自己大概什么时间去办公室，想一想感谢的话，一切OK！
Step 4: 感谢推荐人
最后别忘记再次发邮件感谢，这不仅仅是一种good manners, 更重要的是在未来的学术领域我们很可能还会需要他们的帮助。保持联系，告诉推荐人申请的进展；如果最终获得admission，更应和自己的推荐人分享这份欣喜。
我的感谢信是这样写的：
Dear Dr. Goth,
I would like to thank you for taking the time and effort to write the letter of recommendation for me. I am truly thankful for your support.
Translating gives me great pleasure and so did your translation course. I appreciate the way you teach and enjoyed the discussions in the class. Every time we finished translating a text, I felt a great sense of achievement. After this summer term, I become even more determined to further my study in this field.
I want to let you know how much your recommendation letter means to me. It will open doors and provide opportunities as I start this next stage of my life. I will keep you updated about my progress in applying to graduate school. Thanks again.
Best regards,
Yi Fan
写出来发现整个过程其实并不难，可能说的是成功的例子。也谈谈另外两次不够成功的尝试：
实践课Campus TV的老师其实也欣然应允了，答应邮寄给我。但是我一个多星期后仍未收到，于是打电话询问。同事告知这位老师正在休假，但答应帮我转达。后来回复邮件已寄出，但我至今未收到，从此也没有下文。
经济英语的老师我也是当面提出的，当时的回答是 I need to ask if I’m allowed to write you a recommendation.让隔天再去。隔日，他将推荐信给我，但遗憾的是没有用校方公函信纸打印，只有签字和系里的公章，因而显得很粗糙，也不符合所申学校的要求。因此，关于推荐信的细节一定要事先明确向老师说明，不能不好意思提这些要求，因为如果这时不提，等老师把细节上不符合要求的推荐信交到你手上时，就更加不好意思开口说了。
文章最后，我会附上自己的原稿和老师的最终修改稿。许多改动让我不得不心服口服。比较一下，会有很多收获。
我知道，DIY申请留学是一项多么漫长艰巨的工程。从考雅思、G/T开始，到留学文书的准备，四年不懈怠的努力才能换来一个满意的GPA。然而这一路走来，相信我们都会经历很多、成长很多。谨以此文与一同奋斗的朋友们共勉，祝我们都能走进自己心仪的大学。
附：
我的原稿：
Bochum, 20 July 2010
RECOMMENDATION LETTER FOR MS. YI FAN
To Whom It May Concern:
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for Ms. Yi Fan in support of her application for acceptance into your distinguished graduate program.
Ms. Yi Fan is currently studying at our university as an exchange student in her third academic year. She has taken part in the course “German-English Translation”. I am Ms. Fan’s professor and work with her and other participants of this course together, introducing translation principles and techniques, as well as providing them guidance on how to make effective use of translation resources and utilize their bilingual competence to meet the needs of different translation tasks.
Ms. Fan is one of the few non-German students in my course and has impressed me with her excellent spoken English and the ability to express her thoughts and ideas precisely and thoroughly, which is extraordinary for a non-native speaker. It is an extremely demanding task for a Chinese student to take an active part in the class, since both languages are not the mother tongue. In this course, Ms. Fan proves to have good mastery of the English and German languages, as well as great talent and enthusiasm for translation work. She has progressed a lot in terms of proficiency and practical skills in this field.
I can well imagine how difficult and challenging it must be for a foreign student participating in this course. Language is not the only barrier. One has to communicate with other participants who come from a totally different cultural background. This is no easy work, but Ms. Fan did it well. She is brilliant, diligent, and most importantly, open-minded. These qualities enable her to adapt herself quickly to such a diverse academic environment.
Judging from my observation, I have no hesitation in recommending Ms. Yi Fan to you. And I believe this year as an exchange student in our university would help her a lot in terms of adapting herself to a whole new environment and overcoming cultural differences, so as to further her study abroad.
If I may provide you with any further information in your consideration of Ms. Yi Fan, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
老师修改后的最终稿：
Bochum, 21 July 2010
RECOMMENDATION LETTER FOR MS YI FAN
To Whom It May Concern:
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for Ms Yi Fan in support of her application for your graduate programme.
Ms Yi Fan is currently studying at our university as an exchange student in her third academic year. She participated in my course “Translation I”, where we translate German texts into English. This course is an introduction to translation techniques, and also deals with related issues, such as grammar; it shows students how to use translation resources effectively and how to enhance their bilingual competence to meet the needs of different translation tasks.
Ms Fan is one of the few non-German students in my course and has impressed me with her excellent spoken English and the ability to express her thoughts and ideas precisely and coherently. This is an extraordinary accomplishment for a Chinese student, as neither German nor English is her mother tongue. Indeed, her performance in my course gives evidence for her mastery of both English and German, as well as her great talent in and enthusiasm for translating texts of all kinds. During the summer term, she has shown great intelligence, and has considerably improved her proficiency and practical skills in translation.
As I also spent a year abroad when I was a student, I know full well how difficult and challenging it is for a foreign student to participate in a course of this kind. Language is only one barrier; communicating with fellow-students who come from entirely different cultural backgrounds is another. Ms Fan mastered both, as she is a gifted, diligent, and most importantly, open-minded person. These qualities enable her to adapt herself quickly to a heterogeneous academic environment.
Her year as an exchange student at our university has indeed shown that she can not only adapt herself to an entirely new situation but that she also enjoys inter-cultural interaction. I have therefore no hesitation in recommending Ms. Yi Fan to you.
If I can provide you with any further information about Ms Yi Fan, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
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