留学写作经典案例详解之五

　　申诉信在英语中是“APPEAL LETTER”，原来是一个法律用词，是申请者对于不服现有的判决而向上一级裁判机构提出的驳斥现有判决的法律或商业陈述。美国签证中的申诉信，是签证申请者对于不合理、不公正的拒签加以阐述、驳斥，以书面形式递交给另外一位签证官的文件。与普通申诉信不同的是，你在美国签证中的申诉信的阅读者是同一领事馆签证处
的另外一位签证官，这位签证官是拒签你的签证官的同事，而不是上级；还有一点不同的是，美国签证主要是通过面试而不是文件来审查的，所以美国签证申诉信充其量只是对你的签证起到一个辅助作用，最后通过通不过还要看你的面试表现。所以，美国签证中申诉信的写作不但要符合标准英语商业信函的标准，更要考虑自己是否需要写申诉信，什么时候写，和怎样写才能起到好的效果。

　　从去年美国学生签证情况来看，一方面是申诉信的使用几乎到了泛滥的程度，很多学生一旦拒签就诉诸申诉信，好像申诉信具有化腐朽为神奇的力量，而忽视了美国签证主要看面试表现而不是文件的事实。正是由于有了申诉信，这些学生往往会忽视对自己的面试技能的培训和心理状况的调整，从而遗憾地浪费了本来就不多的签证面试机会。我认为这也反映了大部分中国学生在英语口头表达和交流能力方面普遍较弱这一事实。另外一个方面就是很多学生的申诉信，由于没有专业的咨询，或由于一些所谓“专业咨询”的误导，要么不符合英语商业写作的规范和风格，要么冗长，生硬，根本起不到“申诉”的效果。

　　关于申诉信的必要性和什么情况下需要申诉信，我要重申一下我们一向遵循的原则。能否顺利拿到美国签证，关键在于良好的面试表现，在于申请者对自己的了解，对自己在美国所要学的PROGRAM的了解和对自己将来目标的了解，也就是我们常说的三个W。只有这样，申请者才能在面试中拥有自信，对于签证官的各种问题游刃有余，才能拿到签证。所以申请者应该重点准备自己的面试，提高自己的面试技能，而不要盲目相信申诉信。只有在以下情况你才可能需要申诉信：1、至少拒签两次，一签，二签不需要申诉信；2、签证官的拒签有明显的不合理。如我们的一个客户去美国读LLM，而签证官却认为她没有工作经验，不符合LLM的要求。这种明显的错误就可以通过申诉信来驳斥，学校(而且还是美国法学名校)已经录取了说明专职工作经验并不是学LLM必需的；自己过去的兼职工作虽不是专职，却是学校认可的QUALITY EXPERIENCE，自己有能力，有资格去学LLM；3、自己的案例特别复杂，与大部分签证者不同，但一两分钟的时间又说不清楚。例如，我们就有一个客户，在央行做了10年的银行监管工作，又在商行做了5年的业务操作，当时去美国一名校学银行法，这种情况乍一看是十分弱的，通过的几率很小。像他这种精英就应该去公派出国培训，而不是脱产像其他年轻学生一样脱产去学习。但是这里面有一个情况是，该学校的PROGRAM IN BANKING LAW的招收对象正是他这种人。这种情况下，他就可以通过申诉信或者自述信来阐述该PROGRAM的特殊性和自己的“培训”动机(不是“学习”目的)。

　　在具体写作申诉信时，必须遵循以下原则：

　　1、一定要简洁，易懂，要符合英语书信写作的规范(BE BRIEF AND IDIOMATIC)

　　要知道，阅读你的申诉信的是世界上最没有耐心的人。签证官每天要面对很多申请者，问很多同样的问题，要忍受很多不同申请者的同样的回答，还要在一两分钟内作出对于申请者前途至关重要的决定。我们应该同情他们，一定要把申诉信写得简洁、规范、通俗易懂，让他们一眼就可以明了你的思路和逻辑。所以，你的申诉信最好不要超过一页，最好剔除专业性太强的内容，最好请英语写作高手来写，至少也应该让英语写作很出色的外国朋友或国外的中国朋友润色一下。

　　以下是一个学生写的申诉信中的一段：“I PLANED TO FOLLOW PROFESSOR XXX TO DESIGN DRUGS FOR CANCER IN THE FOLLOWING YEARS. CANCER IS THE EXCESSIVE GROWTH OF MORBID CELL, WHICH IS THE RESPONSE TO SOME CARCINOGEN AN NORMAL CELL SUBJECTED. PROFESSOR RIEDEL'S RESEARCH JUST FOCUSES ON THE RECEPTORS, THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN THE EVENTS IN AND OUT OF A CELL MENTIONED ABOVE. THROUGH THE RESEARCH IN THE RECEPTORS, WE WILL FIGURE OUT THE STRUCTURE AND DETAILED MECHANISM OF THE DRUG WHICH CAN COVER THE SENSITIVE AREAS OF THE RECEPTOR TO PREVENT THE NORMAL CELLS FROM BECOMING ILL. THE FRUIT OF THIS RESEARCH WILL BE A CREDIBLE GUIDE FOR SYNTHESIZING DRUGS, WORKING OUT NEW STANDARDS FOR MORE CONVENIENT MEDICAL SCREENING AND EXPLAINING THE MARVELOUS FUNCTION OF CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINES.”

　　不说其中的语言错误了，这些专业的东西签证官怎么能看得懂？这个学生给我讲了足足半个小时我才稍微懂了那么一点点！如果这么写，结果只有失败。

　　2、要中肯，切题(DIRECT AND TO THE POINT)

　　这就要求申请者对自己为什么被拒签要有一个明确的认识，这是你写申诉信的前提。如果不知道签证官为什么拒签你，那你要申诉什么啊？所有被拒签的申请者都最终被告知，有移民倾向。但是，之所以判定你有移民倾向，签证官一般有更详细的原因，但是什么原因，签证官一般不会告诉你，但却会在你的申请表中做标记，这就需要你仔细回顾自己面试中的各个细节，判定拒签的主要原因。这样在写作时，就可以列出签证官拒签的理由，然后通过逻辑和事实来逐一驳斥，证明签证官的拒签是错误的。

　　3、驳斥要坚定有力(BE FORCEFUL)

　　在用强有力的逻辑和事实证明自己的“清白”和签证官的错误之后，适当时候应该果断地指出签证官的不合理，不公正，不认真和不按照规定办事。这一点往往是大多数中国学生所不具有的，尤其是那些“前途渺茫，后路已断”，把所有宝都押到出国留学上的学生。例如去年有一个学生在第二次签证时，签证官竟然去咨询上一次拒签他的那位签证官，回来后明确告诉他自己不能推翻同事的决定，整个过程几乎没有问他什么问题就把他给拒了！这明显严重违反了美国使馆在自己的官方网站上标榜的规定，而这位学生却不敢当场驳斥他。要知道，美国签证系统中是没有正式的拒签申诉程序的，但是几乎每个申请人都可以再次或者多次提出申请，而提出新的申请也就等于是进行申诉，向签证官提交新的材料。所以，美国使馆规定，一个以前被拒签而现在又申请的人应该受到全新的对待，应该给予他们公平的机会，来证明他们的签证资格。美国是一个理性的国度，只要你的逻辑合理，就可以有理、有利、有节地指出签证官的不合理和不公正，使签证官不得不接受你的逻辑，改变以前的不合理决定。以下是一篇较成功的申诉信(有删减)，希望那些不幸被拒签者能体会一下申诉信的写作原则。

　　DEAR VISA OFFICERS:

　　AS ONE OF CHINA'S VERY FEW LEGAL PROFESSIONALS PRIVILEGED WITH THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO UNDERTAKE ADVANCED LEGAL STUDIES IN THE US, I WAS GREATLY SURPRISED BY YOUR REJECTION OF MY APPLICATION FOR A STUDENT VISA. THE REJECTION REPRESENTS A BLOW TO NOT ONLY MY HOPE FOR ENHANCED LEGAL EXPERTISE BUT ALSO AMERICA'S PROFESSED COMMITMENT TO SEEING THE RULE OF LAW PREVAIL IN CHINA.

　　ALREADY ON THE CUTTING-EDGE OF CHINA'S MARITIME LAW, I HAVE TO STUDY IN A WESTERN LAW SCHOOL IF I AM TO FURTHER IMPROVE MY EXPERTISE IN MY FIELD OF SPECIALTY.SHAVINGSBEEN TRAINED AS PART OF THE COUNTRY'S FIRST POSTGRADUATE PROGRAM IN MARITIME LAW, I HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR SEVERAL YEARS AS AN IN-HOUSE LEGAL COUNSEL WITH THE XXX ASSOCIATION, HANDLING OVER 100 CLAIMS EVERY YEAR IN RELATION TO SHIPPING CONTRACTS. MY LEGAL EDUCATION AND LEGAL PRACTICE ARE ALREADY THE BEST POSSIBLE IN CHINA.

　　BY ATTENDING AN AMERICAN LAW SCHOOL, I CAN ACQUIRE THE KIND OF PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND SOCIAL VALUES THAT CHINA NEEDS MOST AND AMERICA CAN TEACH THE BEST.……

　　THE REJECTION OF MY VISA APPLICATION PROBABLY MEANS THAT THE ONLY CHINESE WHO IS BOTH INTELLECTUALLY AND FINANCIALLY CAPABLE OF UNDERTAKING ADVANCED STUDIES IN MARITIME LAW IN YOUR COUNTRY IS REFUSED ENTRY. THIS, I THINK, RUNS COUNTER TO NOT ONLY MY PERSONAL INTEREST BUT ALSO THE INTEREST OF OUR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES. AFTER ALL, MORE, NOT FEWER, CHINESE STUDENTS HAD BETTER LEARN THE AMERICAN LEGAL CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES, IF OUR TWO PEOPLES ARE TO LIVE IN PEACE AND DO BUSINESS WITH EACH OTHER. IT IS NOT LIKELY THAT YOU WILL SEE ANOTHER CHINESE STUDENT LIKE ME ANYTIME SOON, ALTHOUGH YOUR OFFICE SEEMS SWARMED EVERYDAY WITH CHINESE STUDENTS SEEKING VISAS.

　　I STAND APART FROM OTHER CHINESE STUDENTS ALSO IN THAT I HAVE A CLEAR AND IMMEDIATE PURPOSE FOR MY STUDIES. MY FAMILY'S COMPANY, XXX，NEEDS ME TO TAKE CHARGE OF ITS LEGAL AFFAIRS AS IT EXPANDS.……GIVEN THE INTERNATIONAL NATURE OF ITS BUSINESS, THE COST OF MY LEGAL EDUCATION IN THE US IS NOT ONLY A PIECE OF CAKE BUT ALSO GREAT INVESTMENT.

　　NOW THAT MY FAMILY HAS MADE ITS FORTUNES AND IS POISED TO MAKE EVEN MORE IN CHINA, THERE IS NO REASON WHY I WOULD NOT RETURN TO CHINA AFTER I COMPLETE MY STUDIES IN THE US. ALTHOUGH AMERICA IS OBVIOUSLY RICHER THAN CHINA IN OVERALL TERMS, I DO NOT THINK MANY AMERICAN FAMILIES CAN MAKE MORE THAN 1 MILLION US DOLLARS A YEAR. NOR DO I THINK THAT I WILL STAND A BETTER CHANCE IN A FOREIGN LAND THAN AVERAGE AMERICANS ON THEIR HOME TURF. UNLESS I GO CRAZY, I WILL NOT EXCHANGE MY VIRTUALLY GUARANTEED FUTURE WITH MY FAMILY COMPANY IN MY HOME COUNTRY FOR THE UNCERTAIN LIFE OF AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT IN YOUR COUNTRY.

　　ADDING TO THE ALREADY COMPELLING REASONS ABOVE FOR MY RETURN TO CHINA IS MY WIFE, WHO WILL BE STAYING IN CHINA WHEN I LEAVE FOR THE US.……

　　MY PROPERTY, CAREER AND FAMILY TIES TO CHINA ARE SO STRONG THAT IT HAS NEVER OCCURRED TO ME THAT I WILL BE BUILDING UP MY CAREER AND REALIZING MY DREAMS ANYWHERE OTHER THAN IN CHINA. IF YOU CAREFULLY EXAMINE ALL THE FACTS ABOUT ME, I AM SURE THAT YOU WOULD NOT SUPPOSE THAT I MIGHT WANT TO STAY IN YOUR COUNTRY OVER THE LIMIT OF MY VISA. PLEASE KINDLY ACT ACCORDINGLY. THE RIGHT DECISION ON MY APPLICATION WOULD BE GOOD NOT ONLY TO ME PERSONALLY BUT ALSO TO THE PROCESS OF TRAINING A NEW GENERATION OF CHINESE PROFESSIONALS WHO CAN READILY UNDERSTAND THE ESSENCE OF THE AMERICAN POINT OF VIEW.