Job Discussion Forums

[Quasibrit]

I have a new private student who's the financial director for his company. Among other things, he asked that we study some "finance English", clarifying that he is already studying "business English" in another course. Does anyone know what this entails? Materials? Ideas?

Thanks.

[kimo]

First, it would help if you had some background in business - finance or accounting specifically. But there is help on the web. Do a search of financial/accounting terms and you'll find some glossaries floating around. Try to get a grasp of financial statements such as the "balance sheet" and "income statements". You could supply him with simple examples and have him explain them to you in layman's terms. Get him to speak about his company's budgeting process. Also look for things such as ROI (Return on Investment), ROA (return on assests), etc, which are things he might need to know as a financial director.

The following link is a killer I think and has a lot of helpful definitions. I chosen the letter "R" for you:

http://www.ventureline.com/glossary_R.asp

http://www.thepauper.com/definitions/financial/default.asp

[Frater]

Try to get hold of a book called 'Financial English', written (I think) by MacKenzie and published by LTP. It's very good for Finance Directors. And you might learn something yourself.
By the way, you might find he knows it all, in which case, try gently and persistently to make him understand that his problems with English are not entirely caused by a lack of Financial English vocab. Then start Headway.

[FGT]

I suggest you first get him to explain his job to you. You can then listen for errors (which are probably within the general spectrum) and you can also learn where you might want to look for more pertinent material.
"The Economist" magazine may be a useful resource and I've heard/read somewhere that they produce teaching materials.

[Quasibrit]

Thanks, all, for the replies. And Kimo, that link is great....I'll definitely use all your suggestions!