On Business English

Let’s face it, we, English Teachers, are full of random knowledge. We can discuss virtually everything with fluency and somewhat accuracy. I realized that on my many one-to-ones and group classes that involved business English.

And business English was at first a whole new world for me! I was never interested in it, in fact, I don’t really like it until now. All these terminologies, concepts, theory, it’s all boring and tiring for me. But somehow, I am fully able to discuss it in class, teach vocabulary, impersonate different roles and even show a tiny bit of excitement! Obviously, the first time I was confronted with it, I was overwhelmed! I didn’t know where or how to start.

Then, I discovered the glorious world of English for Specific Purposes books! I took them as my own at first, studying and learning the units with a great interest. My favourites are the Oxford English for Careers, the Cambridge Professional English in Use, and, for general knowledge, Market Leader from Pearson. The first two are very specific and straightforward, with defined units divided by topics, while the third follows the structure of a course book, tackling different areas of business.

I also started to pay more attention to the news, trying to understand the concept behind them. The Economist, for example, went from this dry magazine to a highly motivating reading. Of course, I don’t pretend to understand everything in it, and I really don’t. But at least I can decipher some of the articles and include them in my own array of knowledge.

So, in the end, teaching business English is not only a question of preparing classes, but also of getting into the topic, and adding this knowledge to my own life.