Tony Dudley-Evans wrote «English for specific purposes (ESP) has for about 30 years been a separate branch of English Language Teaching. […] as materials-driven and as classroom-based activity concerned with practical outcomes […] its teaching materials are founded on the results of needs analysis». Moreover, as it was pointed out in a seminar at ESSE conference 2014, «ESP research and teaching programmes multiply and evolve the world over, there is increasing diversity amongst researchers regarding the objectives and finality of the discipline and ways and means of achieving them». If we consider these suggestions in order to analyse other languages for specific purposes, it is possible to argue that present teaching experience is characterized by some common aspects, as teachers’ insufficient extra-linguistic knowledge; lack of adequate teaching materials; learners’ different levels of linguistic competence and lack of motivation. Considering Business Languages, there is an additional aspect to take into account, a sort of “side effect”: market’s rapid changes imply a necessity, that to name new features and conditions, hence the question of word-formation and transparency arises. Moving from an analysis of language curricula at the University of Catania (Italy), paying specific attention to the courses of the Department of Business Economics, this paper will seek to explore different teaching methods, in order to point out the importance of integrating language and content, as stated by I. Fortanet-gomez and C. Räisänen. The study’s diachronic and synchronic evaluation of the applied approaches will lead to suggestions in the design of modules and potential path for future researches. Furthermore, this paper will examine Business English and Business French, in order to define the role played by the concept of lingua franca and its implications, in terms of both teaching methods and job opportunities. The main aim is to provide a potential answer to one question posed by this conference: “To what extent are companies aware of the need to invest in languages, intercultural and interpreting skills, and the management of linguistic diversity? How do they face the failure of coming to an agreement because of the communication gap?” In order to achieve this goal, our study moves from what F. Bargiela Chiappini and C. Nickerson wrote: “Managers who dismiss the negative consequences of insufficient language skills as a marginal issue may not realize that a company’s linguistic adaptation to its clients can make the difference between failure and success in establishing and maintaining a business relationship”.

Business English and Business French:a comparative analysis of teaching strategies and firms' needs

VERONICA BENZO;GIUSEPPINA DI GREGORIO
2016-01-01

Abstract

Tony Dudley-Evans wrote «English for specific purposes (ESP) has for about 30 years been a separate branch of English Language Teaching. […] as materials-driven and as classroom-based activity concerned with practical outcomes […] its teaching materials are founded on the results of needs analysis». Moreover, as it was pointed out in a seminar at ESSE conference 2014, «ESP research and teaching programmes multiply and evolve the world over, there is increasing diversity amongst researchers regarding the objectives and finality of the discipline and ways and means of achieving them». If we consider these suggestions in order to analyse other languages for specific purposes, it is possible to argue that present teaching experience is characterized by some common aspects, as teachers’ insufficient extra-linguistic knowledge; lack of adequate teaching materials; learners’ different levels of linguistic competence and lack of motivation. Considering Business Languages, there is an additional aspect to take into account, a sort of “side effect”: market’s rapid changes imply a necessity, that to name new features and conditions, hence the question of word-formation and transparency arises. Moving from an analysis of language curricula at the University of Catania (Italy), paying specific attention to the courses of the Department of Business Economics, this paper will seek to explore different teaching methods, in order to point out the importance of integrating language and content, as stated by I. Fortanet-gomez and C. Räisänen. The study’s diachronic and synchronic evaluation of the applied approaches will lead to suggestions in the design of modules and potential path for future researches. Furthermore, this paper will examine Business English and Business French, in order to define the role played by the concept of lingua franca and its implications, in terms of both teaching methods and job opportunities. The main aim is to provide a potential answer to one question posed by this conference: “To what extent are companies aware of the need to invest in languages, intercultural and interpreting skills, and the management of linguistic diversity? How do they face the failure of coming to an agreement because of the communication gap?” In order to achieve this goal, our study moves from what F. Bargiela Chiappini and C. Nickerson wrote: “Managers who dismiss the negative consequences of insufficient language skills as a marginal issue may not realize that a company’s linguistic adaptation to its clients can make the difference between failure and success in establishing and maintaining a business relationship”.
2016
Business English; Business French; lexis; teaching methods; lingua franca
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11769/638750
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact