Tips for learning a language for business
Monday, 12th October 2009
Learning a language for use in business situations is somewhat different to learning one for holidays or other informal use. Here are some tips on how to go about this.
1. Focus on general language initially
If you are starting from scratch it would be a good idea to focus on general language before you start learning business-specific language. If you already speak the language but don’t have the necessary business vocabulary, it might help if you do a specialist language course focusing on business language. Many language schools and training providers offer such courses, and some also offer courses for particular industries such as finance, hospitality, law and so on.
2. Familiarise yourself with formal business language
In order to do business in a foreign language it really helps if you are familiar with the formal business language used in meetings, and with the informal type of language used when socialising. A knowledge of the specialist vocabulary related to your area of expertise will also come in handy.
3. Read relevent journals and news reports
One way to acquire business-related vocabulary is to read journals and news reports related to your area of expertise in the language you’re learning. As well as learning new words, you’ll also get a different perspective and keep up with developments in your area in other countries.
4. Learn the necessary business etiquette
A good knowledge of the business etiquette of the country in which you’re doing business is very important as well, and perhaps more important that being able to handle complex negotiations in the foreign language. Business etiquette might include such things as the timing and length of meetings; how much notice you need to give to arrange meetings and whether they are best arranged over the phone, by email or via letters; what information you need to provide in advance; and what to wear and how to conduct yourself. In Germany, for example, business meetings tend to be formal and attempts to crack jokes and lighten the atmosphere, as is common in the UK, will not be appreciated. Cultural training programmes that address these issues specifically are readily available.
Multinational organisations that employ people from many different language backgrounds may have a common language such as English for meetings within the company and for other interactions. If this is the case, you probably won’t need to use the local language in meetings, but it will be useful to know it if you plan to socialise with your opposite numbers. It’s often in informal discussions and while socialising that some tricky details of negotiations are ironed out, and if you can do so in the local language, you’re more likely to be successful.
Tags: language course, language, course, tailor-made, germany, italian, german, learning, spanish, english
Posted by Simon Ager 2009-10 under Types of Courses,
Permalink
