ENGLISH FOR
OCCUPATIONAL
PURPOSES
PRE-DISCUSSION
1. What is English for Occupational Purposes?
2. What are EOP’s principles, characteristics and functions?
3. What are the specifics and generals of EOP?
4. What is the difference between EAP and EOP?
WHAT TO EXPECT?
1. Define the EOP or English for Occupational Purposes.
2. Discuss the different principles, characteristics and functions of EOP.
3. Site the importance of EOP as a branch of ESP.
LESSON OUTLINE
I. Definition of English for Occupational Purposes
English for Occupational Purposes is a branch of ESP (English for Specific
Purposes) and covers situations in which learners are studying English for work related
reasons. The courses are based on an analysis of their specific communicative needs in
their work. For example, a waiter dealing with foreign clients might need to:
Describe the content of dishes on the menu and the way they are cooked
Understand and respond appropriately to requests and orders
Ask about requirements etc.
EOP courses will therefore have often titles like: English for Nursing, English for
Shop floor Staff, and English for Accountants. Where communicative needs become
more complex, the courses may become more specific, not aiming to deal with the full
range of needs involved in the job, but just with one area. This is particularly true in
Business English, which may focus on e.g.: English for Sales Presentation, English for
Business Report, and Negotiation Skills in English Alternatively, the courses may focus
on the more general needs of a specific industry: English for Banking and Finance,
Legal English, English for Military Purposes, English for the Oil Industry.
II. English Occupational Function
The function of EOP is concern with enabling a learner function in English particular
job or profession. EOP design for someone who wants to ready for get work. Functional
analysis - the best approach to teaching occupational English. My recommended
starting point for teaching English for Specific Purposes is to consider the functions of
the specific language variety. This may be difficult to do until you really get to know your
learners and their duties, but there is quite a lot of literature now on how particular
varieties of English work. An appreciation of the function of occupational registers, will
make linguistic description of syntax, lexis and phonological features much easier,
because you will be able to bear in mind why particular constructions, collocations and
literary devices are being used. Teaching special English is much more interesting than
word-level vocabulary study; in any case, good for vocabulary practice materials, as
exemplified by books in the English Vocabulary in Use series go beyond the role of
simple reference dictionaries by marking out functional territory and supplying a
framework for language use.
III. English Occupational Purposes to the Implementation of ESP Course
Design in School
Qing (2014) states that the theoretical work on course design has provided the
foundation for evaluating workplace EOP program design effectiveness (p.27).
Therefore, what is the characteristics of EOP? One of the characteristics of EOP, like
ESP, is that it is learner-centered (Hutchinson and Waters 1987, 19), i.e., learner wants
and needs are taken into consideration in developing the curriculum (of English as a
subject) (see also Gatehouse 2001, 7). Thus, it is essential to ensure that an ESP
curriculum is not based on mere perceptions and intuitions, but on a proper EOP needs
analysis. Belcher (2004, 166) suggests that, because ESP pedagogy is driven by needs
analysis, unlike other more theory-based pedagogical approaches, its practitioners
should gather “empirical needs assessment-data”, to make sure that learning materials
meet the specific needs identified. Learners need to learn English in order to improve
their job performance that was the purpose of existence of EOP.
IV. Difference of EAP and EOP
To begin with, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) English for academic purposes
(EAP), commonly known as Academic English, entails training students, usually in a
higher education setting, to use language appropriately for study. It is one of the most
common forms of English for specific purposes (ESP). While English for Occupational
Purposes has been mentioned above, it is a branch of ESP (English for Specific
Purposes) and covers situations in which learners are studying English for work related
reasons. Moreover, Tan (2016) in his thesis explained that EAP is geared towards
learners who are studying to enter professions focused on academic language, whereas
EOP is tailored for those who are already employed, with an emphasis on the language
used in job performance.
An example to distinguish between English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and
English for Occupational Purposes is in the case of biology students who is still
pursuing their bachelor degree, the branch of ESP course they will enroll is EAP in
which they need to hone English skills to support their study. Meanwhile, some workers
who are employed already in biology field and they have achieved their bachelor
degree, but they still need to enhance their English skills to support their job
performance, then the branch of ESP they are going to enroll will be EOP.
V. The Principles of English for Occupational Purposes (EOP)
The key principles of English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) is stated by
Swales (1990, in Salmani-Nodoushan 2002, 8) and it is recited by Rautenbach et. al
(2018) mentions five “enduring” conceptions as the underlying, essential principles
of ESP:
1. Authenticity – the use of authentic materials to learn ESP (based on the real-life
field of specialization of learners in their chosen occupation)
2. Research base – the register analysis of corpus, in terms of texts utilized in the
learners’ chosen field of occupation and specialization
3. Language/text – register considered, in terms of lexicon and grammar, instead
of discourse analyzed for the purposes of communication
4. Learning needs – needs determined by means of needs analysis for the
learners’ field of specialization, or occupation
5. Learning methodology – this should be chosen, based on the fact that ESP is
learner-centered
As the term ‘’register’’ raised above, register can be defined as a variety of a
language used for a particular purpose in a particular situation. Generally speaking, a
register can be defined by its lexical and grammatical features. The forms of register
start from informal to formal which are intimate, casual, consultative, formal, and frozen.
VI. Characteristics of English for Occupational Purposes (EOP)
According to Kim (2008, 76) and recited by Rautenbach et.al. (2018), data from
interviews with employees of some Korean companies suggests that, in more recent
times, the following characteristics of ESP/EOP have emerged:
1. There is a clear purpose (e.g., business skills for presentations in English,
business letter writing, etc.)
2. It addresses needs in proficiency, as revealed by a need’s analysis, of workplace
needs
3. It tantamount to responding to, and satisfying, educational needs
4. The relevant vocabulary and expressions related to their workplace
5. It is more suited to immediate needs, and serves more practical purposes than
GE in the workplace.
Since there still emerges ambiguity why abovementioned ESP characteristics and
principle are the same. Qing (2014) stated that [t]he theoretical work on course design
has provided the foundation for evaluating workplace EOP program design
effectiveness.
VII. The specifics and generals of English for Occupational Purposes
A. Specifics of English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) English for Occupational
Purposes (EOP) is a branch of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and covers
situations in which learners are studying English for work-related reasons. The
courses are based on analysis of their specific communicative needs in their
work. Moreover, the specifics of EOP takes where communicative needs become
more complex, the courses may become more specific, not aiming to deal with
the full range of needs involved in the job, but just with one area. This is
particularly true in Business English, which may focus on English for
presentation, Negotiation skills in English, and English for Business reports. EOP
courses will therefore have often titles like English for nursing, English for shop
floor staff, and English for accountants.
B. Generals of English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) Alternatively, the courses
may focus on the more general needs of specific industry. Some of these course
examples are English for Military Purposes, English for banking and finance, and
English for the oil industry. This what makes it become general rather calling it as
specifics of English for Occupational Purposes
SUMMARY
English for Occupational Purposes is a branch of ESP (English for Specific
Purposes) and covers situations in which learners are studying English for work related
reasons. The courses are based on an analysis of their specific communicative needs in
their work. In this course, students learn the skills of effective oral and written
communication at the workplace. They learn to prepare, process and produce relevant
documents and conduct activities commonly practiced at the workplace.
Since the course is designed with the aim of equipping students to meet the
English language needs and demands at the workplace, it provides opportunities for
students to go through simulations of the work environment throughout the semester.
Among these activities are practicing relevant expressions used at the workplace;
preparing formal and informal documents; giving informative presentations; and
developing job seeking skills.
ASSESSMENT
1. Give example of courses under the English for Occupational Purposes (EOP)?
2. Site the difference of English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) and English for
Academic Purposes (EAP).
REFERENCES
Belcher, D. (2004). Trends in teaching English for specific purposes. Annual Review of
AppliedLinguistics 24: 165–186.
Gündüz, N. (1999). An Analysis of Students’ English Needs in the English Language
and
Literature Department of Selçuk University. Unpublished Master’s Thesis),
Ankara:
Bilkent University.
Kim, D. (2008). English for occupational purposes. London: Continuum.
Qing, Xie. (2014). Investigating the Effectiveness of English for Occupational Purposes
(EOP)Training: Corporate Programs in China. Hong Kong: Institute of Education.
Sezer, S. (2004). An investigation of the occupational English language needs of
Turkish
police officers. Unpublished Master’s Thesis. Bilkent University, Ankara.
Tan, S. W. (2016). English for Occupational Purposes: Elastomer English (Kent State
University).Retrieved from:
ttps://etd.ohiolink.edu/pg_10?0::NO:10:P10_ETD_SUBID:115274
