I. What is Business English?
Business English is a branch of general English. However, this is also a broad concept that no one can explain to you an exact answer.
Some people say that Business English is business and economic terms. Some say it is English skills and vocabulary used to communicate in situations in business and commercial environments.
With many different opinions, in general, you can understand, Business English is a specialized language commonly used in business.
The situations and industries in business are extremely wide, which can be mentioned as trading, insurance, finance, banking, etc.
In particular, Business English appears a lot in the office environment.
II. Features of Business English
Compared to general English, Business English is directly related to the topic of business and economics.
For example, when you buy a general English dictionary and a business English dictionary, you will notice the difference immediately.
The English dictionary includes words related to family, friends, nature, school, etc. Meanwhile, the business English dictionary is vocabulary about business, enterprise, investment, office, business, and so on.
Moreover, some common words can have special meanings when used in a commercial context.
II.1. Business English is clear and concise
Business English is very commonly used in business documents, so it requires clarity and conciseness.
If your way of speaking or writing lacks clarity, you both show a lack of professionalism and risk misunderstanding and loss in the process of business cooperation.
II.2. Short words, easy to understand
Compared to ordinary language or language used in literature, Business English emphasizes directness, brevity and ease of understanding.
In Business English, you should avoid using idioms, proverbs, phrasal verbs, metaphorical, artistic expressions, etc. Simply because these types of vocabulary are not necessary in Business English and only cost you time.
II.3. The grammatical structure of Business English is very simple
The grammatical structures used in Business English are always kept as simple as possible. Simple grammatical structure helps readers and listeners easily understand information and capture information, thereby saving both time and money. For example:
• Use 3 main tenses (past, present, future)
• Use short, direct sentences
Long sentences, pictograms, and complex grammar are more suitable for academic language than Business English.
III. Some of the most popular Business English documents and textbooks today
o Essential Business Grammar Builder
o Business Grammar Builder
o Market Leader (Elementary to Advanced)
o Check your vocabulary for business and administration
o Check your vocabulary for banking and finance
o Business vocabulary in use
o Total Business 1, 2, 3
o Business one: one
o English for Business Conversations,…
Although it is only a small branch of English in general, the field of Business English is extremely large.
In addition to the list of textbooks that we listed above, you can completely find other textbooks to enrich your knowledge, for work and study.
MA Tran Tan Phat
