Learn English – How to write “just so you know” politely in formal letters

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In my first language (Thai), a typical formal letter usually has quite a similar format to English letters, with one exception…

Between the last paragraph of the body of the letter and that "Yours sincerely" line, we usually insert another short paragraph, usually with only one sentence, typically can be translated literally to,

then-inform-to-know

which means something similar to the phrase "just so you know".

Today I was asked how one should translate that line to English. I realized at once that I never wrote that line in English before, because I haven't seen such phrase used in any formal letters. And to me, saying "just so you know" sounds almost rude.

If I really have to translate that line, how should I express it in a more polite way?
(I am thinking about "Pleased to have you informed," but not sure if it really works.)

Best Answer

There are myriad ways to express a sentiment similar to the one you describe. Here are a few examples:

The above is purely for your information.

This is solely by way of information.

I write this simply to keep you informed of the situation.

. . . keep you apprised . . .

. . . keep you in the loop.

In my experience (mainly in the world of business), including this sort of phrase in a letter serves to clarify that the recipient is not expected to take specific action at this time. If you want a more general phrase to accompany an informative letter, you might also try:

I hope you find this useful.


By way of agreement with commenter jmoreno, I will add that the most similar practice I have observed in AmE (especially in the business world) is to introduce information that is included purely for information's sake. Often this will occur as early as the subject line of an email, which could begin with “FYI:” without appearing too informal.

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