Why take a business English course
3 important reasons learners choose business English lessons:
— Communication
Be confident with day-to-day workplace conversations and reports. Easily manage correspondence with superiors, colleagues, and clients. Deliver powerful presentations on topics in your area of expertise.
— Comprehension
Develop your English reading and listening skills to never again feel lost or uncomfortable during meetings. Understand your colleagues and customers to reach your professional goals.
— Specialization
Whether an accountant, programmer, marketer, or any other professional - you’re already an expert at your job. Take it to the next level by unlocking powerful English learning materials and teaching your craft to others.
What do you learn in Business English
English courses for business can help you learn about many workplace situations:
Interviews
Covers applying for jobs and conducting interviews. Learn to prepare materials such as resumes or test tasks, and ask or answer questions appropriately.
Negotiations
Covers meetings with colleagues, shareholders, and clients. Make proposals, discuss agreements, clarify details, and so on.
Correspondence
Covers different messages used in business - anything from work emails to announcements, reports, LinkedIn conversations, and so on.
Presentations
Covers writing and speaking skills you need to deliver great presentations for different professional audiences.
Contracts
Covers both reading and writing agreements in English. These can be highly specific documents or general templates for common arrangements.
Accounting
Covers using figures, reports, and statistics often used in finance. Analytics, tax figures, payroll, and so on.
Technology
Covers software and hardware-related topics at different levels. Includes troubleshooting problems or communication in project teams.
Sales and Marketing
Covers topics around advertising and selling products. Includes specific communication tactics, tools, social media, and so on.
Leadership
Covers business ownership and team management. Includes mediating meetings, delivering speeches, and so on.
Management
Covers different topics related to managing processes or the entire business. Includes working with teams, software, goal setting, and so on.
How to learn Business English
On Your Own:
You need to have at least a B1 level of English to communicate at the workplace. Start by growing your vocabulary from general topics to specific ideas in your industry. Learn about different subjects and practice speaking daily to prepare for every situation.
Find handy references to help learn and remember new words:
Business English requires a lot of writing. You’ll need it for emails and messages with your team, daily tasks, reports, sales, and all kinds of workplace communication. That’s why writing is among the most important skills you need to develop for your career success.
Find powerful English Business Writing resources here:
Practice business English and prepare for an interview with bite-sized lessons. Find common questions and topics in a fun interactive course. Discover tools and resources for writing better emails, handling office conversations, and more!
Get powerful language learning tools to improve faster:
With Help
Practice 1x1 with a certified tutor to improve your skills. Study at your own pace and be in control of your schedule. Get a personalized learning plan to help you achieve all your career goals. Use materials and resources that apply directly to your profession.
Find the best teacher for you and begin practicing:
Learn English in small friendly groups with an average of 3 fellow learners. Practice speaking and listening with people of the same level. Work together to prepare for real-world situations in life and business. Meet twice a week for lessons guided by a certified tutor.
Join a Business English class at your current level:
Join our free English conversation club and meet learners from all over the world. Make new friends and talk about all kinds of topics. While you may not directly work on business English skills, speaking practice will help you gain confidence and prepare you for real-world situations.
Discover interesting topics in our free English speaking club:
Test Your English Skills
Not sure where to start? Take our free online proficiency test and get immediate feedback. Learn about your strengths and weaknesses in reading, listening, and language use. Find out which English skills you need to improve to get to the next level.
Business English Resources
Why Learners Love Promova
Frequently asked questions
What is Business English?
It’s a broad term that refers to English for business contexts and office settings. While it might sound this way, this doesn’t just mean English for business and entrepreneurship. Put simply, it’s a form of English we use at the workplace or in official situations.
Business English requires clarity, neutrality, and direct communication. In addition, it includes specific phrases and behaviors that people expect in professional environments.
Are there requirements to study Business English?
To learn business English, you need to already be at or above the Intermediate (B1) proficiency level. Of course, you can learn some workplace language and topics earlier, at any level. However, you need strong grammar and vocabulary fundamentals to use English effectively in your career.
In addition, you can sign up for an international exam and receive an English certification at Upper-Intermediate or above. IELTS, TOEFL, and other exams are useful for advanced learners and can be a great addition to your professional resume.
How is Business English learning different from standard classes?
English in business contexts has slightly different expectations:
- Clarity. You need strong pronunciation skills and effective writing. This includes your ability to manage conversations between two and more people during meetings.
- Vocabulary. You need to understand business terminology. This includes terms specific to your own position in marketing, technology, accounting, and so on.
- Professionalism. You need to learn polite, neutral expressions and formal language. This includes knowing when to take charge in meetings, how to ask questions, and so on.
Even if you’re already fluent in English, you’ll need to learn clarity, specific vocabulary, and professional manners to be successful in business communication.
Where can I get Business English practice?
If you already work at an international company or live in an English-speaking country, the practice should be easy to come by. However, if you find it difficult to practice with your colleagues or don’t have native friends, try these 5 tips instead:
- Record your pronunciation. Get as close as possible to a neutral English accent. Promova also offers tools to help improve your pronunciation.
- Read professional literature. Journals, publications, guides - anything in your industry will help you build the right vocabulary and get better at your job at the same time.
- Listen to lectures. Find materials and speeches from industry experts in your area of expertise, listen to them, and make as many notes as you can.
- Sign up for meetups. If you’re advanced enough to do your own presentations - great! If not, simply meeting people and talking will be great practice.
Write posts and articles. Even if you don’t upload them, writing short posts or entire articles about different professional topics will make for great language practice.