Business English and General English serve distinct purposes and audiences:
- Purpose & Context:
- Business English: Tailored for the corporate environment, it emphasizes specialized language and scenarios relevant to industries, services, or specific business contexts. Its demand is fueled by English being the predominant language for international trade and commerce.
- General English: This is a broader form of English instruction, covering diverse aspects of the language without a concentrated focus on any single area of communication.
- Audience:
- Business English: Catered primarily to corporate clients and professionals aiming to enhance their industry-specific language skills.
- General English: Designed for a wider audience, ranging from students to adults, without industry-specific needs.
In essence, while General English provides foundational language skills, Business English hones in on the nuanced communication needs of the business realm.
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What's the difference between business English and general English?
Business English classes
Business English is a unique area of teaching that comes under the banner of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Business English courses are designed for employees of any type of company who need to communicate using English in the workplace. Business English classes can cover a range of areas including:
- writing emails
- giving presentations
- taking minutes
- taking notes
- preparing reports
- negotiating
- making sales.
A business English course often includes employees from all levels of a particular company, from salespeople and receptionists, to managers and executives. Classes are sometimes conducted on-site, either before, during, or after the normal working day, or in an off-site language center in the evenings or on weekends. Lessons usually involve groups of employees, although one-to-one lessons are also common.
What's the difference between business English and general English?
A large percentage of the language taught in business English classes is the same as in general English, however, it is often more formal in nature and can include specialized language that is specific to the field of business the students are involved with. Many of the scenarios used to practice the language taught will involve specific business situations such as phone conversations, working with emails, and dealing with presentations and meetings, etc. Often, business English is taught at an advanced level and the students will need to master the basics of general English first.
Typically, a business English class will involve a more serious approach to learning, so there is less reliance on games and light hearted activities than you usually find in a general English classroom. Your students are professionals after all and they are likely to be highly focused on their studies and keen to make rapid progress. As improvements in their skills are likely to have an immediate impact on their working life, you should expect your students to be very cooperative and easy to manage.
Business English resources
As the language required by business English students will often be closely related to their own individual job, much of the materials needed for lessons can be found within the company you are dealing with. Students can be asked to bring along specific material such as company reports, brochures, powerpoint presentations, and company emails for use in class. A quick online search will also reveal a wide choice of business English resources from a wide range of sources. Some of our favorites include:
This is a great resource for business English lessons as it contains thousands of videos covering every conceivable field in the world of business.
With over 1.5 million subscribers, the Tim Ferriss Show is widely regarded as one of the top business podcasts available.
This coursebook from Pearson/Longman is a useful resource as it is entirely focused on business English topics. It comes with some useful authentic materials and a number of case studies for you to utilize.
Another coursebook dedicated to business English that can add some interesting angles to your lessons. Used in conjunction with other authentic materials, coursebooks can be highly effective within business English settings.
