Learning Business English Can Boost Your Career Prospects
Learning Business English Online Can Boost Your Career Prospects
A solid understanding of business English is a requirement for ambitious individuals hoping to climb the corporate ladder on an international scale.
Employers worldwide are recruiting employees that have a good command of the English language, both verbally and in writing. There are 56 countries globally in which English is the official language and a further 52 countries where English is the de facto or de jure language – meaning that English is common but not the primary language.
Due to its dominance in the world of international business, English is known as the “language of opportunity”.
It goes without saying that a good command of the English language is a survival strategy that can boost your career prospects in today’s competitive landscape. On the international stage, the ability to communicate in English opens up opportunities for talented professionals.
Students that have been taking general English classes may already be able to speak everyday English with a good deal of clarity. You may be able to understand films (British term for movies) or even read novels.
However, general English is not the same as business English. The corporate world has idioms and expressions that you won’t hear in everyday life. Click here for some examples.
If you are pursuing a professional or academic career in a specific industry, our online business English courses will help to improve your verbal and written skills and broaden your vocabulary.
The online business English courses we provide at E4P include business-related vocabulary and phrases used in professional settings, business writing, delivering presentations, negotiating, explaining graphs and charts, together with leading and taking part in meetings so that you can confidently put across your opinions.
In addition, business English includes teamwork, building relationships with your colleagues, interpersonal skills, business-travel and job interviews.
No matter what stage you are at in your career or the industry you intend to pursue, our experienced English teachers in Vienna will customise lessons to meet your specific needs.
Some Jobs Have a Specific Vocabulary
If you can already speak English, our online business English courses will help to broaden your vocabulary and take you to the next level. Classes are designed to help you communicate effectively in your place of work or targeted profession.
Most students choose to study typical business English terms that are common in their chosen profession. Whilst it is important to address general business English you will hear in almost every office around the world, lessons can be customised so you can focus on technical language.
Our English teachers in Vienna have years of experience working with students from a wide range of industries. Therefore, you can opt for a customised business English course that targets a specific profession such as law, finance, marketing, technology, pharmaceuticals, real estate, politics, logistics, tourism, etc.
Our online business English classes teach industry-specific vocabulary. You will learn:
- how to write formal and informal business correspondence,
- practical work-related tasks and expressions
- express ideas in business meetings and presentations
- feel more confident during interactive activities with your colleagues, bosses and clients.
If required, our professional English teachers in Vienna can address specialised writing such as financial reports, product development, press releases, marketing plans, or scientific papers etc.
In other words, we will teach you whatever business English you need to know to help you navigate your chosen career path successfully.
Business English is in Demand
Today’s interconnected business world encompasses various facets of technical language on a global scale. With worldwide cross-border trading and global geopolitics at the heart of corporate life, aspiring professionals needs to stay abreast of trends and technology.
It is estimated that around 1.75 million people worldwide speak English in the workplace. Many of these are from non-English speaking nations working for international companies or have English-speaking companies as clients.
English is universally regarded as the language of choice for connecting with people from other cultures. Professionals from non-English speaking countries learn English on the basis that some of the most lucrative companies on the planet speak English as their primary language.
Needless to say, there is a growing demand for business English in a variety of specialised professions. The online business English language training market is expected to grow by USD 26.20 billion during 2020-2024.
English skills are so important in corporate settings that companies will often pay for their employees to attend a business English course. Speaking English to a high level can help you get a promotion, successfully negotiate with international clients and understand important documents written in English; i.e. legal compliance.
As a consequence, the professional English teachers at E4P offer various personalised and customised training courses tailored to meet the workplace needs of specific individuals.
Why is English so Important for Your Career?
English is the “lingua franca” of international business. It’s also spoken by an estimated 1.13 billion – only 33% of whom are native English speakers. Therefore, English is useful for all kinds of communication worldwide.
Whilst business English is useful for the workplace, the ability to speak English at any level is useful for being able to share common experiences and references with your clients and colleagues.
English is also the dominant language of the internet. With 61.4% of websites on the internet written in English, there is more research material than any other language.
Moreover, English is typically used in the world of trade and commerce. Unless there is another shared language, meetings and negotiations with internal clients will mostly be in English.
Written communication such as email, memos, the content on your companies intranet, reports, legal contracts, financial compliance and more are also likely to be in English.
Your success in the corporate world could hinge on your command of English. You could have the brightest mind in the company and be nailed on for promotion, but if you are not able to communicate ideas, negotiate and express yourself in English, you could be overlooked.
Engaging in an online business English course shows you have a desire to succeed in the corporate world. A business English course demonstrates you are willing to go beyond the basics.
The Benefits of Online Business Courses in Vienna
Business English courses provide you with the essential language skills that will help you progress your career.
Whether you want to impress at an interview, participate in meetings, express your ideas or interact with your work colleagues, a business English course enables you to understand everything that is being said and speak fluently in any given situation.
If a career in an international corporate environment or academic setting is your goal, our online business English course will help to open doors and bring new career opportunities.
- Communicate coherently with your team members
Today’s corporate world relies heavily on teamwork and collaboration. The fast-paced advancements of technology mean that employees on the front line are invited to identify trends that offer potential business opportunities.
Being able to ‘brainstorm” effectively with your colleagues, share ideas and reach solutions generally requires you to have a strong command of business English.
If you are not able to understand corporate language or technical terms in your industry, you will lose track of the conversation. As a consequence, you will not participate, thus miss an opportunity to impress your teammates and your manager.
Moreover, you will probably leave the meeting clueless. Unless you are “singing off the same hymn sheet” as your colleagues, you could make mistakes – which will not impress your manager.
There may even come a time when you need to communicate a fuzzy idea that pops into your head into a comprehensible language that C-suite executives will understand.
Let’s face it, that’s not all that easy in your native language. So imagine how difficult it will be trying to express yourself in a language you cannot speak very well.
It’s also important to understand that most C-suite executives are not tech-savvy. You, therefore, have to speak their language. That essentially involves explaining how your idea will make profits for stakeholders.
The best way to learn business English to a high level is to practice conversations you can expect to have in a work environment.
Our online business English teachers can create lessons in which we role-play certain situations. If you have an upcoming presentation, meeting, interview, appraisal or negotiation, let your English teacher know beforehand and we can customise a lesson plan that gives you confidence speaking in fluent English.
- Delivering presentations and speeches
People generally only remember about twenty per cent of what they hear in a presentation. That percentage will be considerably less if your presentation doesn’t come across coherently.
When people don’t understand something, they are not engaged. They become bored quickly and become restless and frustrated. Moreover, you will notice the reaction of the room.
Imagine how you will feel if you are giving a presentation or speech and notice your audience is visibly agitated.
What’s more, you may actually think that the problem is because of your content and that will knock your confidence. The actual reason will probably be because you are not communicating the information very well.
Having a great idea means nothing if you cannot express that idea in a way that other people can understand.
- Sharpen your pronunciation
Some English words don’t sound like they look in a written format. For example, the “ph” in photograph takes on an ‘F’ sound. The same is true for physician, physiology, photon and many other terms you will hear in certain professions.
Likewise, we have silent letters. Knowledge, for example, has a silent ‘K’ and a silent ‘W’. “There is no “w” sound in “two” or “answer” either.
Can you imagine how ridiculous you will sound pronouncing the W in answer two?
You may get a laugh and some sympathy, but you won’t impress anyone.
Whilst pronunciation is important, I will acknowledge there are different pronunciations for the same word in English. For example, British English and American English often have different pronunciations and the Australians have another version.
People in the north of England pronounce words differently from people in southern England even.
For example, northerners have hard vowel sounds and say things like “bus” with a hard ‘huh’ sound as in rule. Southerners pronounce “bus” with an ‘a’ as in part.
Despite the differences in pronunciation, people will be able to understand you and you will be able to understand others – even when words are pronounced slightly differently.
Knowing the rules of pronunciation enables you to speak with a worldwide audience.
- Improves your work relationships
There is no room for shrinking violets in the workplace. If you want to climb to the higher rungs of the corporate ladder, you have to be able to communicate with people at all levels.
This can be quite difficult for introverts – especially if you are not confident about your verbal communication skills. Even the most intelligent and brilliant minds can fall short of promotions because they do not have good interpersonal skills.
A business English course with experienced professionals can help you develop your language skills to a high level of proficiency so that you feel comfortable speaking in a second language even if you are naturally introverted.
Building strong relationships in the workplace relies heavily on language. Whether you need interpersonal skills to develop relationships with your work colleagues or appropriate leadership qualities, mastering business English raises your stake in the corporate world.
Online Business English Courses in Vienna
Because English is the most dominant language in corporate, political and academic settings, business English is the language to learn if you want to open more doors to career opportunities on an international level.
Our online business English courses in Vienna are organised by native English teachers with years of experience in teaching students with professional aspirations across a multitude of industries.
Contact us today and take your next step towards your career goals.
