Hello, and what is 'Business English'?
Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 2:14 am
Hi folks!
I'm new to the group, but not new to Dave's ESL Cafe. I'd tell you how long ago it was that I first visited this site, but that would tell too much about my age (and Dave's too!).
It looks like 'Business English' is getting trendy in Japan, so I thought I'd better check in and see what everybody thinks it is and how it works. I go back and forth to Tokyo (spouse visa), and it's about as trendy a place as there is. Anybody with any comments on what's popular for students and employers in Japan would be greatly appreciated.
I have an M.A. in what my university called 'Literature and Writing Studies,' and my emphasis was rhetoric. I can answer questions about the cognitive side of writing and linguistics and the practice of teaching writing. I have been a newspaper reporter, a poet, a teacher of freshman English at a big public university, and a corporate communications writer. I've taught your basic Eikaiwa stuff in Japan and in the U.S.
I am all about audience. I hate it when people correct my grammar during a conversation at a bar. Prescriptive grammar is for writing, formal speeches/presentations, and for converations where people feel they need to impress each other (like business!). Identify your audience, know their expectations, tailor your communication accordingly, and say whatever you want in a bar for cryin' out loud!
I like to stir things up, not too the point where I make you angry, but to the point where you might feel a little more inclined to get involved. Fire back at me with whatever you want (but remember this is a moderated group -- thanks Lorikeet;-)
Oh, and I like to start paragraphs with the first person singular pronoun. Geez, Jim! I guess that's to be expected in an introduction.
The first thing I noticed about this discussion forum is the statistics. I've seen several topics with close to 500 views, but few with more than 2 replies. My first theory was that people might be very interested in what the business English experts are talking about but don't feel confident enough to answer. Then I noticed that some of Itasan's questions received 50 and even more than 100 replies, so there goes that theory. Maybe it's like American politics -- everybody listens to the news, even gripe and moan about it, but never go out and vote. But let me tell you this, even when I teach the subjects in which I am considered an expert, I always learn new and very interesting insights from people who are trying to make sense of it for the first time. That is what the university folks call academic dialog, but it doesn't have to be limited to lecture halls. Any time you try to make sense of a new concept and try to form questions that might lead to answers, you are creating a stimulating dialog, and it is a wonderful thing that benefits everyone involved.
Now, I truly and sincerely don't mean to stand on a pulpit and preach because I have too many faults of my own, but you can't just take and take and never give. If you find these forums useful, enough to spend your valuable time reading them, then give a little bit back. You don't have to reply to every post, but it would be nice if the posts that didn't seem to get an answer had at least 5 replies instead of 1 or 2. Even if you don't have an answer, maybe you could say something like "try looking here" or "try looking there." This discussion group could be much more beneficial for everyone, but it all depends on how much we put into it. Remember, you only get back what you put in.
OK, I'm done. If you've gotten this far, thanks for putting up with me.
How about a question -- what is business English? Is it simply a jargon used in the business world? Is there a common 'business English' in banking, genetic research, Internet technology, and say the hospitality industry? They are all businesses, aren't they? Do they all use the same business English? Please help me make sense of what the term 'business English' means.
Thanks a whole bunch. I am looking forward to a stimulating dialog with you all.
Jim
I'm new to the group, but not new to Dave's ESL Cafe. I'd tell you how long ago it was that I first visited this site, but that would tell too much about my age (and Dave's too!).
It looks like 'Business English' is getting trendy in Japan, so I thought I'd better check in and see what everybody thinks it is and how it works. I go back and forth to Tokyo (spouse visa), and it's about as trendy a place as there is. Anybody with any comments on what's popular for students and employers in Japan would be greatly appreciated.
I have an M.A. in what my university called 'Literature and Writing Studies,' and my emphasis was rhetoric. I can answer questions about the cognitive side of writing and linguistics and the practice of teaching writing. I have been a newspaper reporter, a poet, a teacher of freshman English at a big public university, and a corporate communications writer. I've taught your basic Eikaiwa stuff in Japan and in the U.S.
I am all about audience. I hate it when people correct my grammar during a conversation at a bar. Prescriptive grammar is for writing, formal speeches/presentations, and for converations where people feel they need to impress each other (like business!). Identify your audience, know their expectations, tailor your communication accordingly, and say whatever you want in a bar for cryin' out loud!
I like to stir things up, not too the point where I make you angry, but to the point where you might feel a little more inclined to get involved. Fire back at me with whatever you want (but remember this is a moderated group -- thanks Lorikeet;-)
Oh, and I like to start paragraphs with the first person singular pronoun. Geez, Jim! I guess that's to be expected in an introduction.
The first thing I noticed about this discussion forum is the statistics. I've seen several topics with close to 500 views, but few with more than 2 replies. My first theory was that people might be very interested in what the business English experts are talking about but don't feel confident enough to answer. Then I noticed that some of Itasan's questions received 50 and even more than 100 replies, so there goes that theory. Maybe it's like American politics -- everybody listens to the news, even gripe and moan about it, but never go out and vote. But let me tell you this, even when I teach the subjects in which I am considered an expert, I always learn new and very interesting insights from people who are trying to make sense of it for the first time. That is what the university folks call academic dialog, but it doesn't have to be limited to lecture halls. Any time you try to make sense of a new concept and try to form questions that might lead to answers, you are creating a stimulating dialog, and it is a wonderful thing that benefits everyone involved.
Now, I truly and sincerely don't mean to stand on a pulpit and preach because I have too many faults of my own, but you can't just take and take and never give. If you find these forums useful, enough to spend your valuable time reading them, then give a little bit back. You don't have to reply to every post, but it would be nice if the posts that didn't seem to get an answer had at least 5 replies instead of 1 or 2. Even if you don't have an answer, maybe you could say something like "try looking here" or "try looking there." This discussion group could be much more beneficial for everyone, but it all depends on how much we put into it. Remember, you only get back what you put in.
OK, I'm done. If you've gotten this far, thanks for putting up with me.
How about a question -- what is business English? Is it simply a jargon used in the business world? Is there a common 'business English' in banking, genetic research, Internet technology, and say the hospitality industry? They are all businesses, aren't they? Do they all use the same business English? Please help me make sense of what the term 'business English' means.
Thanks a whole bunch. I am looking forward to a stimulating dialog with you all.
Jim