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Nathan Kissoon
What is business english?
I keep hearing this term but the more I do the more confused I become. In the UK I pass on information to others at work in the office the same way I would do with my friends on the street, just with slang words omitted. What is there to distinguish business english and casual conversation?

clueless native
Aug 2, 2020 12:33 PM
Comments · 5
3
It's a way to sell courses.

"Business English doesn't exist"
August 2, 2020
I'm not sure what it is either, but my emails sent to other companies, higher ups of my employer and -when I was in university- letters to professors are written very differently compared to how I speak or text.

Usually I have a template of

Dear/Hello Mr./Ms. FirstName LastName,

xxxxx

xxxxxxxx

Sincerely/Thank you/Regards,
MyNameHere

(My default employer signature here)
August 2, 2020
Nathan

Your question is entirely reasonable.
Aside from the specific terminology used in your work/occupation/profession, the manner in which we communicate and the style of writing and speaking is dependent on the situation and the people we are addressing.
One major distinction between casual work-related conversation and critical time-sensitive communication is dependent on the speaker's ability to get to the point. After all, in business, time is money.
And, a qualified business language teacher, who has extensive business experience, can provide insight into how different nationalities do business, i.e., business culture.
BTW, almost every university offers Business English Courses online or in-situ.
If business English courses did not exist, then someone should inform Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard.

August 2, 2020
There's a link in my profile to posts with ... more links. I haven't looked at them in awhile, but I remember some dealt with using the phone (leaving messages, etc.).
August 2, 2020
Business English focuses more on the specific vocabulary used in English. There is more of a focus on the formality of the langauge used.


I am sure you pass on information to your friends at work more or less the same way you speak to them on the street, but I imagine you would speak more formally to someone you have not met before, or someone higher up the organisation.
August 2, 2020
Nathan Kissoon
Language Skills
English, Japanese
Learning Language
Japanese
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