In Madrid, Business English is a marketing gimmick!

MyProfe · Post by **MyProfe** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 12:39 pm

I begin every one of my classes with a 150 word dictation followed by comprehension questions, discussion and other related oral work. I wrote my latest dictation on Business English and we've had some very interesting discussions.

Business English: I have yet to meet a person who speaks Business English. Maybe that’s because BE, as a form of English, doesn’t exist. The same level of English necessary to function in a business environment is found in common everyday situations like making a reservation, sending an email or renting a car. If it’s business skills you need, take a course given by experts in that field. If you need to improve your level of English to be able to function in your business, find a good English teacher. The business gurus are not wasting their time teaching English. The term Business English is a marketing gimmick designed to target those professional people who have been promoted to, or have the opportunity to move into, a job position requiring fluency in English. Since these people see a real, tangible and immediate reward for their efforts they are willing to pay more.

Showem · Post by **Showem** » Mon Aug 09, 2004 9:14 pm

Hmm, interesting comment. I'd tend to disagree though.

Sure, if it's a specific business skill you need like "Negotiations", take a course by expert negotiators. But I find most of the people I teach who truly do need business English (as compared to the ones who just need English and are taking it via work) need specific things that aren't covered in a regular English class.

Regular English classes have very little on the things that happen in a company, ie telephoning, presenting facts and figures, arguing your point, interrupting politely, specific field-related vocabulary, etc etc etc. Sure, both may teach comparatives and superlatives, but the reason people are in the business classes is so that they can practice with business related examples, not simply compare ice cream vs. apple pie.
Regular English classes spend little time on cultural differences and how they may affect your relationships with the people.

I think that most regular English classes have a focus of speaking the language or fitting in to a specific English-speaking culture. I think that business English classes have more a focus of getting information across and working well with different cultures.

MyProfe · Post by **MyProfe** » Mon Aug 09, 2004 9:28 pm

Showem wrote:English classes have a focus of speaking the language... Business English classes have more a focus of getting information across.

I've never heard the expression "to have a focus of". Sounds really strange to me. I'm a native American, Boston area, and you?

Gordon
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Showem · Post by **Showem** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 7:45 pm

I'm Canadian, from the English-speaking part. You wouldn't say "The focus of this course is...."? Interesting. But we are digressing. Any further comments, based on what I've said?

MyProfe · Post by **MyProfe** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 8:00 pm

Showem wrote: You wouldn't say "The focus of this course is...."?

Yes, I would say that but I wouldn't say this course has a focus of ...
As for your comments, I don't really know what a regular English class is. Of course you are right when you say that Business people need to work on specific skills. I just have this thing about Business English here in Spain because it's often just a way of attracting professional people to your language academy.

Gordon
www.myprofe.com

Showem · Post by **Showem** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 10:23 pm

Well, I don't recommend lying about what your school offers, but you have to play to the market, don't you? If all your potential customers are telling you "We want business English!" it's foolish to say "There is no such thing!" Better to say, "Yes, we can provide that for you." and then teach them what they need to know, business English, general English or skills.

I would admit that a good amount of my customers say they want Business English when all they really want is a chance to practice the English they already know, with hardly any business focus. But hey, if they want to call it Business English, or rather, it looks better on their company's budget listed as such, I'll call it BE too.

AssMaster · Post by **AssMaster** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 11:09 pm

Showem wrote:I'm Canadian, from the English-speaking part. You wouldn't say "The focus of this course is...."? Interesting. But we are digressing. Any further comments, based on what I've said?

Utilising the word "focus" as a verb... the preposition you seek is "on," as in "the study will focus on..."