Why English is still the language of global business

According to recent figures, around 750 million people are believed to speak English as a foreign language.

Despite it only being the third most widely spoken language (behind Chinese and Spanish, English has become the global language of business. According to recent figures, around 750 million people are believed to speak English as a foreign language.

With international travel now becoming more prevalent for the modern-day worker, improving your English skills could be crucial in establishing an international company. Here are three tips to take you to the next level.

Dive into Business Oriented Media

When learning a new language, they often say that you should try to surround yourself with as much of the country’s media as possible.

This way, even when you’re not formally practicing the language you’ll still be passively improving your skills. Since you want to focus on improving your English for your job, focus your efforts on business-orientated media such as newspapers or financial TV programmes.

These kinds of publications will showcase the kind of terminology that you’ll want to utilise in the field. You’ll also benefit from hearing the more formal tone of voice that will be suitable in the workplace.

Converse with Native Speakers

Of course, one of the best way to improve your language skills is to talk to native speakers. Even if you aren’t developing additional vocabulary or using new grammar structures, conversing with native speakers will play a huge role in improving your fluency and pronunciation.

It will also help build up your confidence as you get more used to speaking outside your mother tongue. Visiting the UK and attending a course with specific emphasis on business vocabulary is the ideal solution. Schools like the Tti School of English in Camden can even offer accommodation that is within walking distance from the classes.

Practice Makes Perfect

Finally, just like with anything in life, if you want to improve your skills you’ll need to commit to regular practice sessions. Now, learning a new language is difficult and you’ll inevitably make mistakes.

Not only can errors occasionally be embarrassing, but these sorts of situations can also demotivate you to put further efforts into your study. As well as being a useful tool in business, though, a new language can also be a great way to learn about a culture that’s different to your own.

Stick with it and you might be surprised at what you can achieve in a relatively short amount of time.

Praseeda Nair

Praseeda Nair

Praseeda was Editor for GrowthBusiness.co.uk from 2016 to 2018.

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