ENGLISH IN BUSINESS WORLD

English is now known as the global language of trade and commerce – as it

has been in the past few decades. This has affected many aspects of the modern
world. The English language became known in most countries due to colonial
expansion, and since then it has become the standard language for all global and
official communications – even those with a variety of native languages. Now, this
expansion continues thanks to the internet and has become a medium through
which the majority of businesses do business.
Having an excellent knowledge of English has become a vital aspect for any
employee’s career if they want to be successful. This is especially true for any
international students who are seeking better career prospects in an English-
speaking country. As a result, English is definitely the preferred language in the
business world since business communication has gone global and the majority of
business partners do not speak the same native language. With its ability to cross
international borders, being proficient in the language is a vital part of success in
a highly competitive corporate world. Many organizations around the world rely
on English as a means of communication, whether it is through emailing or
corporate documentation or popular business resources in print and/or electronic
formats.
However, English in the business world can be discussed as Business English
(BE) which is a part of ESP (English for Special Purposes), a sphere of ELT (English
Language Teaching) and in turn a part of applied linguistics. Pickett (1986)
declares that business and trade are much closer to the language spoken by the
common people – the public – because Business English (BE) is the interface
between the public and the producer; this is the result of the proximity that exists
between the company and its reference market. It goes without saying that intra-
company language is more specialized, depending on the type of business
involved, especially in terms of vocabulary but also in textual elements. He further
compares Business English (BE) to doctor-patient interaction: when doctors talk
to each other they use a technical language but they are clearly able to interact
with patients by means of a more understandable, mediated code.
Ellis and Johnson (1994) affirm that Business English differs from other
varieties of ESP in that it is often a mix of specific content (relating to a particular
job area or industry), and general content (relating to general ability to
communicate more effectively, especially in the business situations). So, English in
the business world is characterized by both specific professional content and by
the more general content related to effective business communication, though
the two coexist together.
Pickett (1989) argues that Business English (BE) is a technical language
defined by the activity, occupation, subject and situation. He calls it an ‘ergolect’,
though most linguists use the term ‘register’. The new term, he says, refers to the
English language used in business (a work language). In addition, he states that
“an ergolect operates at the level of lexis and the level of transaction, hardly at all
at the level of grammar”.
Business English is therefore, English used for business purposes in
international and inter-cultural contexts as a common means of communication
by the people who do not share a first language. Thus, it is a branch of ESP which
specifically refers to the teaching of English to non-native speakers of English who
need to learn to use the language, not for general purposes, but for a specific
purpose of achieving business-oriented goals. As a result of this, it differs in the
approach of reinforcing communication skills related to business for native
speakers.

Characteristics of Business English/English in the business world

Sense of purpose
The most important characteristic of exchanges in the context of business
meetings, telephone calls, and discussions is a sense of purpose. Language is used
to achieve an end, and its successful use is seen in terms of a successful outcome
to the business transaction or event. Users of Business English need to speak
English primarily so that they can achieve more in their jobs. Business is
competitive: competition exists between companies and also within companies,
between employees striving to better their careers. It follows that performance
objectives take priority over educational objectives or language learning for its
own sake. For example, an Ibo speaking telecommunications project manager in
Oyo State needs to know English to communicate with his technical teams on the
site, who are all Yorubas. A Yoruba pharmaceutical product manager needs to
give clear presentations of recent product development to subsidiaries in the
North and the Far East. In each of these examples, the use of language has an
implied element of risk: mistakes and misunderstandings could cost the company
dearly.
Much of the language needed by businesspeople (apart from social
language) will be transactional: getting what you want and persuading others to
agree with the course of action you propose. The language will frequently be
objective rather than subjective and personal. For example, in discussions and
meetings, it will be more appropriate to evaluate facts from an objective
standpoint (‘This is a positive point’, ‘On the other hand the disadvantage is ...’)
rather than expressing personal feelings and opinions.

Social aspects
International business people have a need to make contact with others whom
they have never met before, or know only slightly. Meetings are often short
because businesspeople are always pressed for time. There is a need for an
internationally accepted way of doing things so that people from different
cultures, and with different mother tongues, can quickly feel more comfortable
with one another. Social contacts are often highly ritualized. Formulaic language is
used (in greetings and introductions, for example) in the context of a routine
pattern of exchanges. A certain style is generally adopted which is polite but also
short and direct (taking into consideration the need to be economical with time).
Although some situations may require more than this (for example, keeping a
conversation going over lunch), the style and content of social interactions will be
typified by a desire to build a good relationship while avoiding over-familiarity.

Clear communication
Information has to be conveyed with minimum risk of misunderstanding, and the
time for processing (both by the speaker and by the listener) needs to be short.
Therefore, there is a preference for clear, logical, thought emphasized by the
kinds of words that indicate the logical process (for example, ‘as a result’, ‘for this
reason’, ‘in order to’). There is often a need to be concise—particularly when
communicating by fax or telephone—and certain familiar concepts may be
expressed in word clusters to avoid circumlocution (for example, ‘cash with
order’, ‘just in time delivery’). Certain terms have evolved to save time in referring
to concepts which people in business are familiar with (for example, ‘primary
industry’, ‘parent company’).

Use of words and basic grammar structure

When you speak to people, you do not usually think carefully of the words that
you are going to say to them, you just say the words as ideas come into your
head. However, when you write to someone, you will probably agree that you
usually spend more time thinking about the words that you are going to write on
the paper. This is because you want to make sure that the person who is reading
your written communication will understand it. When you are speaking to
someone, you can have instant feedback from that person which tells you if he or
she has understood your message. If a writer does not make his message clear the
first time, the person reading the message cannot ask the writer immediately
what he or she means.
 It is very important to choose exactly the right words for every written
message you send. Even for English-speaking people, the same message can be
interpreted differently by different readers. This tells you that you can never be
absolutely certain that your message is going to be interpreted the way you want
it to be. But the good news is that you can very much increase your chances of
your written message being understood by using the right words and writing
techniques.

Avoidance of idioms, slangs, etc

You will be glad to know that some forms of English have no place in business
communication. Perhaps you spent much time and effort at school trying to
improve your English by learning and using idioms, cliches, jargon, buzz-words,
and slang, thinking that by learning such forms of English you would sound much
more like an English speaker. In general speech, yes, the above forms of English
would indeed make you sound very much like an English speaker, providing your
grammar and pronunciation were good! But these forms of speech are to be
avoided in any business communication, and good communicators in business
English are always very careful to leave them out. In fact, for the business person
whose first language is not English, learning the techniques needed for good
speaking and writing is comparatively easy, because the most important rule for
the best business communication in English is that your messages should be short
and simple, made up of common words familiar to all.

Simple English, Common Words

The first rule about written messages in English is, you will be pleased to know,
that it is better to use short, simple, common words instead of long, unfamiliar
ones. If you want your business communications to be clearly understood by the
people who read them, then write them clearly. This means using words which
are familiar to everybody, and this applies to ALL forms of business
communications. Here are some long, unfamiliar words which are completely
unnecessary in written (and spoken!) business messages and another simple,
short word which has the same meaning: eradicate — get rid of, nullify — cancel,
operose — difficult, supposition — idea, misreckoning — mistake, missive —
letter, melioration — improvement, arrears — debt, placate — please,
adumbration — similarity, ingress — entrance.
Good communicators use simple English in their written messages. Simple,
clear English which is easily understood is what is needed in all business
messages. Long, difficult words show disrespect for the reader, and should be
avoided.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Vocabulary and grammar are two of your most basic and most important tools. It
is absolutely essential that your grammar in English is perfect if you want to
communicate in English effectively. You should understand how each tense is
structured, and how and when it should be used. You need to know how to (1)
make affirmative statements, (2) make negative statements, (3) ask questions,
and negative questions, and (4) form the question-tag question, both positive and
negative, with all tenses. Mastering English tenses, and knowing when to use
them, is important in the development of your communication skills as good
grammar is one of your most important tools in business and management.

Vocabulary
Vocabulary, like grammar, is an extremely important tool. A large vocabulary will
help you to find the exact word you want to express your ideas. Think back to the
example of the carpenter in the last chapter. The more tools he has. the easier it
is for him to make exactly what he wants. So it is with words — the more words
you have, the easier it will be for you to express exactly what you want.
 The importance of English in the business world cannot be
overemphasized. English is the most widespread spoken and written language in
the world. An estimated 1500 million people speak the language worldwide, out
of which only 375 million are native speakers. Over 1 billion people speak it as a
foreign language. So, if you don’t know it well, you won’t be able to effectively
communicate with many other people.
English tops the internet in number of users and is also a top language in
tech. And you have to be tech-savvy to do well in the workplace—whether this
means being able to put together Excel sheets, do a conference call, research and
fact-check data or use social media successfully.
English is the “lingua franca” (meaning “common language”) of not only
international business, but also of all kinds of communication worldwide. This
means it is useful for understanding and being able to share common experiences
and references with your colleagues. So naturally, the ever-increasing popularity
of the English language means you must know the language well to succeed at
your career and climb the corporate ladder.
With English being a global language for doing business, it should come as
no surprise that in some industries like the airline and shipping industries, English
is the official standard language. Because of this, proficiency in English is required
for key jobs like air traffic control or ship captain. Also, English became a major
language for finance and the stock markets around the world. Therefore, anyone
who wishes to do business globally must be proficient in speaking and writing
English (for emails, presentations, marketing, business contracts etc.).

REFERENCES
Pickett D. 1986. Business English: falling between two styles. COMLON 26: 16-21.
Pickett D. 1989. The sleeping giant: investigations in Business English. Language
International 1/1: 5-11.
Ellis M. and C. Johnson 1994. Teaching Business English. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Pierini F. 2014. Definition and main features of Business English with a special
regard to differences with the language of economics.pdf. Accessed on
11/09/21.