Business English is in demand today, not only for careers in international companies. Free communication skills on business topics will be helpful to employees of banks, investment funds, and those engaged in consulting or working with foreign clients in large businesses. Experience confirms that it will not be superfluous for startups to conduct effective negotiations with investors.
Business advanced English differs from the usual spoken English primarily in its peculiar vocabulary, which largely depends on the area of business. For example, economic terms are essential for financial sector representatives, while advertising terms are helpful for marketers.
In addition, there are features of conducting business correspondence, documentation, and negotiations in English. Their observance is a rule of good taste when communicating internationally. A comprehensive business English study also includes:
- Writing a resume in English;
- Talking on the phone;
- Preparing presentations and vocabulary to describe the main economic and political processes.
You Need to Have a Certain Level of English
Often people are in a hurry to start learning business English without good preliminary preparation. But without a confident knowledge of the language, at least at the Intermediate level, it won’t be easy to understand and apply English business vocabulary. Intermediate is the threshold level at which a person can communicate on most everyday topics and almost wholly understand speech by ear at an average pace.
In addition, communication with foreign clients and partners is not limited to a dry list of transaction conditions and solving organizational issues. It is essential to be able to maintain an informal conversation. Therefore, before you plunge headlong into the world of business language, you need to bring your knowledge to a level where you can feel comfortable and at ease when communicating on free topics.
Courses and Certificates
Sometimes the application of business English in practice is only a dim prospect, and you want to improve your level of knowledge right now. You can enroll in courses and devote time to self-education, but there will be little progress without serious motivation. A good solution in such a situation is to set yourself a goal: to pass the exam and receive an international certificate.
Such a document will officially confirm the level of knowledge and significantly increase the value of its owner in the labor market. The most popular business English certificate is the three-level Business English Certificate. Upon successful completion of the test, the University of Cambridge issues an open-ended certificate of qualification in English in the field of international business.
Application of Text Material in Real Life
Usually, topics in business English textbooks are rather monotonous and do not have time to keep up with the rapidly changing modern world. They provide a good base and essential vocabulary, but the latest trends in the business world are best studied from new sources. For example, reading articles from the Financial Times, The Economist, and The Wall Street Journal will enrich your vocabulary with relevant terms and help you keep abreast of current events in the business world. Additional study and discussion of such articles in a group class with a tutor or a thematic conversation club will also help you move forward in learning business English.
The dialogue audio files that come with business English textbooks are also often behind the pace of the business and technology world. The situations in such dialogues may seem artificial, and the communication style may be overly adapted for English learners. But there are many solutions available online for this, from free business podcasts (like BusinessEnglishPod) to dedicated platforms that allow you to chat with native speakers via Skype and improve your listening and business speaking skills.
Hire a Tutor
The same foreign online tutor will be an excellent addition to standard group classes in your city. A variety of interlocutors will help you learn to hear different accents and manners of speech, which is especially important when negotiating by phone or video conferencing.
Summary
Regularity is essential when learning English – both business and “standard” – regularity is necessary. Even 15 minutes of daily active listening to a news block in English will expand vocabulary and make business speech more familiar to the ear. And perseverance and a sincere desire to improve your knowledge will help you achieve results, backed up by an international certificate of knowledge of business English.
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