Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[EnglishLCI]

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.

Rachel Clarkson
Rachel Clarkson is an English teacher at LCI English ESL Programs and blogger at the ESL Blog.
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LCI offers the best ESL classes through experienced teachers and high quality programs in Denver, Colorado. Check out great ESL resources and articles at www.englishlci.com/blog