Archive for May, 2010
How to Put an End to Your Problems with Business English
How many English courses have you started in your life? How much money have you spent on CDs, books and countless other tools to learn English? But…can you talk to an English speaker without filling countless gaps with mumblings, like err…, ehhh…, ummm, etc.? Probably the answer is NO. But the truth is that English is essential for you, but not just any type of English. What you need is to learn business English, which is very different from the general one that we all know. And why is that? Because you work for a very important international company and everyday you face the problem of not understanding what a person is saying in a business meeting. Is there a solution?
What is business English? Business English is the “language” that every executive uses to close deals, to talk to investors, to make presentations, etc. So if you cannot understand business English, you will probably lose several opportunities to expand your business. Business English is characterized by the fact that the meaning of the words are highly different, in other words, it is the English that we all know, but used by businessmen; therefore, the phrases and particularly the words can only be understood by those who do business.
Even when you take as many English courses as you can, and you purchase every new CD to learn English, your problems with business English will not fade away because those are tools to learn regular English, so you will find yourself repeating the names of animals and colors, and not the words that you use on a daily basis in your office. What you need is to find the perfect place that understands your necessities and gives you a quick solution as you certainly do not have time to waste; we must remember that you are an executive, whose agenda is full of meetings, conference calls, and presentation, which are, of course, in English.
Believe it or not, there is a solution to help you to tackle this annoying problem. You should go to a school that offers ESL programs and focuses on teaching the type of English that each person needs. In your case, a very busy executive, you should go for an intensive program which involves travelling to the US for three weeks to learn business English. The ESL school will prepare your lessons for the three weeks considering all the business situations that you have to handle everyday in your company. Moreover, this will give you the opportunity to meet other businessmen while you are learning; as a consequence, you will have the possibility to learn the language and to do some business networking at the same time.
To conclude, there is no need for you to worry any longer about understanding what an investor or a partner is saying in a meeting or in a conference call. After taking the ESL program, you will be able to cope with business English easily; so…what are you waiting for?
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
Doing Business in English - Is it Mission Impossible?
How many times has a colleague of yours suggested taking a business English course? You, as an experienced executive, whose agenda has no place for any other extra activity, and who has been working for the same company for more than ten years, simply answer, “what for?” Never in your business life in that same company have you needed business English to do your job, so for you that is just a ridiculous suggestion. But imagine that one day, your company decides to invest in an English speaking country, just to expand the business and try new horizons, which of course will involve travelling to that country, having meetings and conference calls, making presentations and answering letters and e-mails, all of which involves using business English. I guess that now your colleague’s suggestion does not sound that ridiculous, right?
At first, you believe that you will be able to handle the situation. Bearing in mind your years of experience in the business and the fact that you understand English pretty well, how complicated can this be for you? So the day comes in which you and the rest of the company must travel to the other country to explain the company’s investment objectives and purposes. Before flying you buy a business English dictionary, just in case you may need it. The meeting starts and you discover that all the company’s staff speaks and understands English easily. Suddenly, you realize that business English is not as easy as you thought; even when you understand some parts of the conversation, it is not crystal clear at all. Not to mention the fact that it is impossible for you to give your opinion or explain the tasks that the sector you are responsible for performs. Apparently, even when you know the business well, trying to express the same ideas in another language is not a piece of cake at all.
So, after the meeting, your boss asks you why you were so quiet. Of course you will not talk about your language problems; therefore, you make up an excuse. And now you only wonder what you will do: is this the end of your career?
Fortunately, there is a quick and efficient solution for you. Travel abroad and attend classes at a school that has a special ESL program for executives like you, who need to learn business English to continue doing business. The first thing they should do is enquiry about your real needs, in other words, they prepare the lessons considering all the situations that you will have to handle, and they teach you in consequence. A great three-week program involves travelling to the US and meeting other executives, which will not only allow you to learn the language in real life situations, but also to share business experience with other colleagues.
To sum up, it is not impossible to do business in English; you only need a program that focuses on your needs as an executive. And the most important thing: enroll in the program even if you may not need business English for your current job, as you never know when things can change.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
Don’t worry, it’s just Business English!
After working for many years in a local company, you have the opportunity to apply for a very important job in an international company. All your experience and the knowledge of the business make you the perfect candidate for the position, but will that involve speaking or writing in English? Probably, you learnt that language when you were a young boy and now you can read a piece of news from an English paper or listen to an English song; however, have you ever used English in a business context? Do you imagine yourself trying to close a very important deal with an English speaking company or answering most of your e-mails in another language? Certainly, you will not waste the most important opportunity of your career just because of a language barrier, but surely you are wondering how you can learn business English quickly and efficiently.
Your first choice may be buying every CD and book that guarantees learning English in a couple of hours, without teachers or trainers, so you enter the first bookshop that you find and you purchase all of them; you know what people tend to say, “the more, the better”. Or maybe you are reluctant to believe that learning another language in 48 hours is possible; therefore, you approach the most important English language center in town to enroll in a course, but, to your amazement, the nice lady at the reception tells you that you can only expect to start speaking English after attending the course for at least twelve months; what the lady does not know is that you are a very important businessman who cannot wait twelve months to do business. Not to mention the fact that none of the magical solutions or the long-term courses focus on the vocabulary and grammar that you will need for your daily tasks at your new office. Probably, they do not teach you to handle conference calls or meetings with English investors or partners, or to make a business presentation for the whole company, let alone answer the countless letters and e-mails that you will receive full of phrases and words related to the business context.
At this point, you are certainly considering not applying for the job because even when you obtain the position, what are the chances of surviving without being able to speak business English? What you surely do not know is that there is a perfect solution for you. Find an ESL school abroad that focuses on your needs. So, if you are an executive that must learn English for his job, enroll, for example, in a three-week program, that involves travelling to an American city, and spending time with a teacher that will give you all the linguistic tools that you need for business meetings, conference calls, etc. You will also have the opportunity to meet other professionals with the same needs as yours.
So to put it in a nutshell, do not waste great business opportunities just because you’re not able to speak English. Study abroad and enroll in an ESL class. And remember that it is just business English. Basically it is what you, as an executive, know but in another language.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
Main Differences between Formal and Informal English
One of the greatest fears affecting non native speakers of English is not just being misunderstood but also being inappropriate when trying to express something. People often speak of language as being correct or incorrect. It would be more accurate to refer to particular language structures as being formal or informal, appropriate or inappropriate for a specific context.
In everyday conversation we do not have to follow the rules of grammar as carefully as we would in a formal address or a business letter. If we adhere too closely to formal rules of grammar in an informal situation, we may come across as being stuffy and unnatural. It is like wearing a tuxedo or a formal gown to an ordinary business meeting. Formal English follows rules of grammar very strictly. Sentences tend to be longer and more complex. It tends to be used in professional and business situations. It is also better organized and thought out.
Informal English on the other hand is generally used with friends and family. A number of grammar expressions have common forms which differ in their formal or informal use. These differences are noted both in written and spoken English. However, they are most notable in written English.
As seen in ESL lessons, participating effectively not only requires a solid grasp of English grammar, but also an understanding of key communication factors. If you want more helpful language hints as to the most appropriate forms of English or key points to take into consideration each time you are using English, read on.
Contracted Forms
Formal - Don’t use contracted forms, use the entire auxiliary verb: They have lived in New York for many years.
Informal - Use contracted forms: They’ve lived in New York for many years.
Relative Structures
Formal - Use relative structures: The woman thought that it was important to be on time.
Informal - Drop certain relative structures: The woman thought it was important to be on time.
The Use of ‘Whom’
Formal - Use ‘whom’ as an object: Whom have they chosen for the position?
Informal - Use ‘who’ as an object: Who have they chosen for the position?
Auxiliary Verb Usage
Formal - Always use the full form of an auxiliary: Have you finished your work?
Informal - Sometimes the auxiliary verb is dropped in informal speech. Note: This is often grammatically incorrect, but is certainly common in everyday usage: Finished your work?
Word Choice
Formal - Many words tend to be used in more formal situations. For example, certain verbs tend to be used in formal situations, but have other synonyms (often phrasal verbs) that are used in informal situations. Also, it uses more vocabulary derived from French and Latin (bigger words) It uses more synonyms and doesn’t repeat the same words as much. The police investigated the situation.
Informal synonym: We looked into the situation.
Passive structures
Formal - It uses more indirect language, making it less personal. The student was given a book.
Informal synonym: We gave the student a book.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
Useful Business Phrases for ESL Students
Are you desperate to expand into new markets or grow in the company where you are currently working? If that is the case I’m sure you would agree that English is not an option. It is a must. However, if English is your second language, simply attending classes at an ESL school and learning the right vocabulary to do business may not be enough. Using key phrases can give your English a more native sound. Here are popular phrases that can help you do business and sound like a pro.
To be a hitter - Someone powerful within the company. Someone successful.
Bill is incredible; he’s a really big hitter.
Core competencies - This is what you or your company does well.
We need to focus on our core competencies in order to maintain our position in the market.
Customer centric - Centered in the customer, customer driven.
We should be more customer centric from now on.
Cutting edge - The most recent version, often used with technology.
This is cutting edge technology we’re using.
E.T.A. - Short for “expected time of arrival”, in other words, how long it will take to get it finished.
What’s the E.T.A. on this report?
Going forward - In future.
Going forward, you should manage this project with a bit more focus.
High level - Similar to the big picture, an overall view rather than looking at details.
High level thinking is what we need right now.
Leading (market) - To be first, better than the competitors.
I want to develop a market leading proposition.
Low hanging fruit - This refers to things that can be done quickly and easily.
Let’s concentrate on the low hanging fruit first, before looking at the tougher problems.
Manage expectations - Make sure people expect realistic outcomes from a project.
It’s a good idea to manage expectations so that they don’t expect the impossible.
Out of the box - To be creative, original.
If you think out of the box you could generate some amazing ideas
Pro-active - To have initiative and drive. Get things done.
I think we need to be a bit pro-active here.
Quick win - Something that is fairly simple (in terms of time and/or cost) and beneficial.
Some quick wins would really be useful now.
Scalable - When something works for lots of people as well as just a few.
It might work for the local market, but is it scalable?
State of the art - The best, most modern solution.
This is a state of the art solution
To take something offline - Discuss the point further at another time.
That’s a delicate issue, so can you take it offline please?
To take ownership of something - To be responsible for something
You should really take ownership for this work.
To be a team player - Someone who works well with others.
Bill is a great guy; he’s a real team player.
To touch base with someone - To speak to someone about something.
I need to touch base with Fred on this one.
Win-win situation - A situation that is good for people on both sides.
Try and see if you can come up with a win-win situation.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
Essential Tips for Beginners at Business English – Get Your Priorities Straight!
For those who are just starting to study English as a foreign language, life can seem pretty tough. Especially if you are a beginner. As many say, beginnings are always scary Now, for beginners who need to study English in order to be able to work or function in a business environment in general, things seem even scarier. The added pressure students feel to achieve as much as they can in as little time possible is so great it ends up having the contrary effect. Frustration is never a good companion when learning. Well, here is some good news. It doesn’t have to be that way. It’s all a question of setting the right priorities. Want to know what they are? If you do you should definitely read on.
Priority 1
Identify exactly what vocabulary you should be learning first. What area of business will you be functioning in? What types of situations do you think you will be in? Keep in mind that although we can narrow things down to a selection of phrases needed for specific business related situations some general vocabulary is also important. After all, there are also social situations in the business world. Learning how to greet someone properly is just as important as knowing the specific words you will need to discuss business-related topics. Also, take into consideration there might be business lunches and dinners where the conversation might very generally be social.
Priority 2
Balance out fluency and accuracy activities so that your performance is both fluent and precise. Just studying grammar will make your English more precise, but it will also make your performance slower. If you’re too concerned with being accurate it might take you too long to think of and produce a sentence. On the other hand an excess in fluency-based activities may not be enough to correct mistakes or even learn new grammar. This can also be a problem since some grammar mistakes can affect what you’re trying to express. A good way to increase fluency is to use the language as much as you can outside the classroom.
Priority 3
Just relax. Keep in mind that English is not your native language and that you are allowed to make mistakes especially where pronunciation is concerned. Very often pronunciation can be a huge barrier to overcome. You shouldn’t set your expectations too high. It is not very likely you will be talking like a native speaker of English if you just started to study. Your main focus is to be understood as well as to understand. Everything else will come naturally with practice and exposure to the language. The use of audio tools that allow you to hear the language are very useful in helping you to learn proper English pronunciation easily. Audio tools (like the ones used in ESL classes) - such as CDs, cassettes, and downloads to your MP3 players are effective and convenient to use as you can listen to them in your car or while completing other tasks at the same time.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
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