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Business English as a Second Language – Training Course Outline
Do you need to write documents in English when it is your second language? If so, then this course is for you.
When you write business correspondence or documents you can be at a disadvantage because you are writing in a foreign language. Even if you have been taught English well – or have lived in England for a long time – you may not have learned the subtleties and nuances of communicating well in a business environment. Your knowledge of punctuation and grammar rules, on the other hand, is probably better than many of your English colleagues!
This training course covers the most important rules when writing in English, but concentrates on the things that non-native writers struggle with. We also look at British versus American usage, and explore the way some usage has changed in the last few years. We will cover the kind of clichés that are common in business usage, and many of the standard phrases you may typically come across in day-to-day work.
This course will give you the skills to communicate with confidence in English and improve the perception your superiors and clients have of your abilities.
What you will learn on this training course
By the end of the course, you will know how to:
- Avoid common grammatical mistakes often made by non-native speakers
- Tell the difference between British and American vocabulary and spelling
- Avoid commonly-confused words or miss-spelt words
- Use with confidence many idiomatic phrases and constructions
What our customers say
“I found this training course very useful and it definitely helped to improve my knowledge.”
BA, Wunderman
“The course covers a lot of situations faced in a working environment.”
ML, Wunderman
“I am really happy that I had this training. I had the chance to revise many things and to learn some new ones.”
JT, Clear Swift
How we deliver the Business English as a Second Language course
It is available as a one-day tutor-led Virtual Classroom.
Course Contents
1. Grammar – why it matters
- Why bad writing can wreck your career!
- Some examples of bad grammar from native and non-native speakers
Pre-Course Questionnaire
When you book we send you a questionnaire which we ask you to return to us before you attend the course. This enables our Trainers to assess your needs in advance.
2. Choosing your words
- Commonly confused words, including a detailed table that explains the different versions of things like wear, we’re and where
- Things that make some people cross!
- Getting the most out of Word™ tools
3. Everyday versus formal usage
- Everyday usage changes very quickly – it can be hard to stay on top of slang
- Regional variations
- Formal usage can be easier to understand
4. Things you didn't know about spelling
- English spelling seems very irregular until you learn a few tricks to help
- Knowing where the word comes from
- Meaning of parts of words
- Some regular patterns and conventions
- Strategies to improve spelling
5. Grammar basics – the building blocks of a sentence
- Articles – when to use them and when to leave them out
- Nouns, concentrating on common irregular plurals
- Verbs, looking at phrasal verbs, for example the difference between set out, set in, set by and loads of others
- Prepositions
- Adjectives and adverbs – did you know we use adjectives in a specific order?
6. Avoiding common problems
- Even native speakers make these mistakes!
7. A detailed look at verbs
- English verbs have subtle changes in meaning to describe when things happen and if they are complete relative to other events. Our verb table includes lots of examples so you have a model for the most common situations you are likely to encounter.
8. Some hints on proofreading
- It’s important to check your documents before you send them out. We look at why it’s so hard to see mistakes in your own work and how you can overcome this.
