I recently gove an email interview about why students should buy Business English books and I thought I would share it with you.
Here goes, hope you find it useful:
Q
A course in Business English usually has a more narrow focus and costs considerably more than a General English course. I find that some Russian/Ukrainian business professionals who are fluent enough in English might think it's not worth taking such a course. What are the benefits of taking a course in Business English?
A
I would question that the difference in cost is so great but all choices about what book to buy should be based on need. For someone who wants to extend their English business vocabulary, a business book is essential. Furthermore, each aspect of business, e.g. accounting, marketing, finance, etc. has its own specific terms and models and as a native, I still find myself learning new things so there’s no doubt that it’s of benefit to a second language learner.
Q
In general, how is a Business English course different from a course for the HR personnel?
A
Simply in scope and depth; a business book usually covers issues such as company structures, leadership, communication and broad topics such as business ethics. An HR book focuses specifically on the HR function and its activities and goes into much more detail.
Q
There are many textbooks out there that one can use to teach a course in Business English, how is your Business English Phrasebook different?
A
As a teacher I have used books such as Market Leader and Intelligent Business and found them to be very boring to work with. Usually, topics are covered in a very general way which lacks connection and authenticity. It’s clear that many business books are written by teachers and academics who have had no real life business experience.
I have worked for 25 years as a self-employed business person and worked in many industry sectors and coached managers. All my material is based on things that actually happened and are indirectly auto-biographical. For example, in the discipline section of English for Human Resources, the audio starts with a phone call to HR from a manager saying, ‘I’m sending you someone to sack!’ It happened!
Regarding the business phrasebook, as with all materials I produce, I set out to make it entertaining and fun to work with as well as educational. There are dialogues that students can act out and plenty of useful phrases that people use in a natural business context. Answers are included so it works for self-study as well as teachers’ material. Because it is an ebook, it is easy to jump from question to answer and back again. There are also grammar explanations for common tense use in certain situations. In short, it’s realistic, interesting and easy to work with.
Q
Personally, I have never seen a textbook to train HR personnel until I came across your book. Is there a growing demand for this type of English language training or would you call yourself a pioneer? How does this book help an HR manager to excel in her job?
A
There is another book on the market published by Oxford Press a few ago and written by Pat Pledger. It would be inappropriate for me to criticise that book but mine is a much more modern text. It covers many current themes such as Talent Management, Psychometric Testing and HR and Employer Branding. I would like to think that I have a pioneering approach to writing English language materials because narrative is very important to me and I think story telling is the best learning medium.
Each of the ten chapters is set in an organisation covering various industry sectors in different countries. The scripts are highly authentic and do not have the artificial feel that many books have. Each chapter is structured to introduce key vocabulary as well as sample documents and typical HR processes. The book will help an HR person because not only does it provide relevant language but examples of best practice. As a former HR manager and consultant, I am able to provide this.
Q
I understand that you are working in Poland. Even though it is not exactly the "eastern bloc" there might be some similarities to the former Soviet Union countries considering the Slavic background. What are some lingustic and cultural challenges for people of Slavic decent working in HR departments at some prominent international companies?
A
Without a doubt Poland is affected by both its Slavic roots and recent socialist history. Linguistically, perhaps the hardest language area to master is the use of articles as these do not occur in the mother tongue and it is therefore something of an abstract concept and guesswork. The ‘rules’ relating to article use are many with many exceptions so they are not really possible to learn mechanically. In terms of a learning style, schools have traditionally instilled a learning by rote and grammar drill method. Thus, many students can do well in written grammar tests but are unable to apply their knowledge to free speech. Many find the flexibility and inconsistency of English frustrating compared to the more rigid and predictable German and Russian.
Culturally, many of the larger organisations are British, American, Swedish or German owned and use English as their Lingua Franca. In general, the Slavic mentality is more suspicious and negative so adopting ‘western’ ideas can still be difficult. There is a strong culture of formal contracting. I was once told by a school to cancel a lesson with the CEO of one of the country’s biggest banks because they were still waiting for the contract to be signed. I said I would do the lesson anyway, free if necessary, as I didn’t see the sense in risking upsetting the client and losing the contract. The school thought this was a very strange attitude - a difference in perspectives.
Therefore, the greatest challenge facing HR people here is how to reconcile the corporate demands to be more progressive with an essentially cautious workforce. The underpinning mindset is still essentially defensive believing win/lose is the likely outcome of a transaction.
And if you've never been to Warsaw, you might like to try it - it's much underrated.
