Читать книгу Modern Business English for Industrial Engineers - Karlheinz Zuerl - Страница 5

In times of economic downturn¹, competition for jobs becomes tougher, and only those with the best skills, which includes language skills, and above all English, can survive. Although we hope to help you to improve your English, we know that reading on its own is not enough. It is also essential to improve your understanding of spoken English and your active use of the language.

The way companies and their employees talk has changed. Until the September 11, 2001 attacks on the financial centre of the US, the language of business was full of militaristic words. Strategy meetings were held in the “war room”, companies “invaded” new markets, and consultants had deployments and engagements like “warring”² soldiers. Employees got “killed” or “wounded” and the competition had to “be driven out”³ of the market. As a result of the war in Afghanistan, however, business language has acquired a whole new level of meaning. Even old standby expressions like “let’s wait till the dust settles” have become painful to hear. “Combat”⁴ no longer sounds cool or dynamic, just cold and brutal. [4]

How should one work with this book? Firstly, choose which areas of English you need most practice in; Speaking, listening, writing, reading, grammar or vocabulary? Then decide what you need to do in English. If you give presentations, who do you give them to? What are they about? If you negotiate, what about, with whom? If you make telephone calls, who to? What about? If you write letters, reports, etc, what about? If you show visitors around your place of work, who are the visitors? What are they interested in seeing? If you take part in meetings and discussions, what about? If you describe technical machinery or processes, what? If you explain figures, graphs, etc, what are they about? If you socialize with clients, where? If you do anything else, what? What areas do you feel weakest in and what are your priorities for study? How do you intend to continue with your studies after reading this book? After you have answered these questions for yourself, study the chapter you need.

Chapters are evaluated for you with (E) = easy, (M) = moderate or (C) = challenge. It will certainly help teachers and students to get more fun out of working with this book.

The author would like to thank Jean Fienemann, Robert Jacob, Kimmo Kosunen, Steven Lodge and Roy & Mary Pook for their help. Their professional advice and suggestions were invaluable, and I couldn’t have done it without them. Pictures were searched and prepared by Adrian Zuerl.

If you are interested in books or language training dealing with other business subjects, more information can be obtained from www.zuerl.com or by writing an email to contact@gtec.asia.

Schneckenlohe, Spring 2020

Karlheinz ZUERL

¹Flaute

²kriegsführend

³hinaustreiben

⁴Kampf