I have written extensively about the benefits of learning Business English. To summarise, speaking Business English will help you by improving your communication skills in professional settings, especially when networking and giving presentations as well as negotiating contracts. It can boost your career by offering global opportunities to live and work elsewhere, enable international collaboration, enhance negotiation skills in business, and expand access to information and networks. Proficiency in Business English (a subset of English) has been instrumental in helping many people climb the corporate ladder. Moreover, if you are an entrepreneur, you need strong English skills to succeed internationally. It also helps when pitching to investors and negotiating deals.
The reason why English is so powerful is because it is spoken by an estimated 1.35 billion people all over the world. English is an official language in 75 countries. In places like England and Wales some 91 percent of people speak English. In New Zealand, it’s about 95 percent. Countries such as Sweden and Netherlands are rated very highly for their English proficiency.
English is a global language. It is also the “go to” language used by second-language speakers. Learning any type of English, or even another language, is also important for bridging gaps in the workplace and helping a person understand different cultures. English is mainly used in the media, education and business worlds, confirming what we, at Learn Business English (LBE) already know, that English is the “lingua franca” of the business world.
If you take even half of the estimated 1.35 billion people who speak English, the number of people who speak Business English is still substantial. It’s 675 million people.
Whether you are an entrepreneur or are in the corporate sector, understanding and speaking Business English will help you to better understand contracts and proposals and to be better able to negotiate, either your own contract, or a trade deal, for example. It can also help if a company wants to expand internationally or is involved in a merger or acquisition. It is by using Business English that you can break into new markets and build international relationships. Business English is always a challenge when businesses must communicate in countries where English is not the native language. When two parties in business must communicate, the language used (probably by default) is almost always Business English.
However, it’s not just in business that you can benefit from knowing Business English. On social media too, and the rise of artificial intelligence, Business English can help significantly. It has not only changed the way we use English but it has also changed how we communicate in business. Now, many people resort to instant messaging, rather than writing formal letters.
An example of why Business English would be useful is on LinkedIn, a platform for businesses and businesspeople. It also has business groups you can join; doing so can be very beneficial, allowing you to meet like-minded people online. Hence,
mastering Business English can help you create an impressive digital footprint. In social media there is also the rise of email, chatbots and artificial intelligence. Being competent in Business English also means you can key in the correct term, in areas such as marketing and finance, when using artificial intelligence to search for information.
It can also help if you are working from home and have online meetings, especially globally. The key language that is used is English, and if you know Business English that is even better, especially if you need industry specific terms.
Hence, knowing the jargon or industry-specific phrases is important and these terms can be learned by participating in an online course called Learn Business English (www.learnbusinessenglish.com), a course where you can pick specific modules or register for it, in its entirety. Online course and self-paced learning is on the rise. Learn Business English taps into this zeitgeist.
