U.38. English for science and technology, business and economics.

1. INTRODUCTION

• Language is the cornerstone of communication. Double edged sword: it can act as a significant barrier (travelling abroad, etc.)

• Addressing these issues? → translation and interpretation or artificial or auxiliary languages (Esperanto). English as a lingua franca.

• LOMLOE → goal? To prepare students to interact in an interconnected world. CLIL. Specialisation in disciplines (science, business, economics…)

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Increase the number and availability of translating and interpreting services.

• Translation covers: translation proper, the written medium and interpretation, the oral medium.

• Exact equivalence is impossible to achieve; each language is a whole world.

  • Solution costly and messy. Environmental damage.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.2. Develop an artificial language that everyone can understand.

• The conditions: easy to learn, relatable to mother tongues.

• Esperanto, failed.

1.3. Develop an existing language that everyone can understand.

• For centuries, Latin, then French (18th century), then English with the industrial revolution.

• Factors contributing to the establishment of EaaLF (English as a Lingua Franca):

  • Demographic factors (growth of native English speakers)

  • Political and military (Imperialism, British Empire in India, Pakistan, Hong Kong…)

  • Economic factors (US as the economic power of the 20th C.)

  • Simple grammar, morphosyntactic and syntactical considerations.

2. ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA: REASONS

2.1. Number of speakers→ 400 million ENG as 1st lang, 600 as 2nd lang, +1000 million as a foreign language. Behind Mandarin.

2.2. Political field → NATO, UN, EU, UNESCO, FAO, etc.

2.3. Economic sphere → 50% business is done in English

2.4. Cultural and informative fields → Presence of ENG in the internet, news channels such as BBC, CNN.

2.5. Scientific and tech fields → 2/3 of research is carried out in ENG.

2.6. Linguistic field → number of ENG borrowings in foreign languages is increasing.

3. ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES (ESP)

Introduction

• English for: technological, commercial, scientific purposes is called ESP

• English teaching or learning in general is called General English (GE)

• As teachers, we will need to design a syllabus to adapt to student’s needs and specific fields of expertise.

3. ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES (ESP)

3.1. Kinds of specific purposes

3.1.1. English for Academic Purposes → A student who follows a course at an English university (e.g.), will need the tools for elaborating reports, research papers, attending seminars, etc.

3.1.2. English for Occupational Purposes → ATC, specific English knowledge

3.1.3. English for Science and Technology → Medicine, telecommunications

3. ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES (ESP)

3.2. Identifying students’ needs and setting objectives. 3.2.1. Learner’s level of competence

• Krashen’s input hypothesis:

  • Acquisition occurs when learners understand input that is slightly beyond their current level (i + 1).

  • Teachers provide this informally by using intuition and scaffolding during classroom interaction.

  • A teacher may assess a learner's current level through placement tests or diagnostic tasks to ensure materials remain comprehensible yet challenging."

3. ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES (ESP)

3.2. Identifying students’ needs and setting objectives. 3.2.2. Setting the objectives.

• Once needs determined → set goals.

• The teacher asks himself what is it that student should be able to do after the course that he could not do at the beginning.

3. ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES (ESP)

3.2. Identifying students’ needs and setting objectives. 3.2.3. Competences for ESP in the Spanish Curriculum.

(CPIMMP)

• Comprehension → understanding of specialised materials like manuals, reports, lectures, interpreting graphs, etc.

• Production → communicate effectively by delivering presentations, writing reports, etc.

• Interaction → engagement in meetings, negotiations, professional discussions… students learn to adapt language to different settings.

• Mediation → involves summarising, paraphrasing, and explaining complex ideas

• Multiculturalism → gain awareness of cultural diversity in professional communication

• Pluriliguialism→ leverage their repertoire to use technical vocabulary effectively, connecting ENG to other languages.

4. ENGLISH FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (EST)

What must we mention before starting?

• Differs from other varieties of English

• The language of computer sciences differs from the one of chemistry.

4. ENGLISH FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (EST)

4.1. Characteristics. 4.1.1. Rhetorical functions

4.1.1.1. Description: function and process descriptions

4.1.1.2. Definitions: a wide range, from whole books to one-word definitions.

4.1.1.3. Classification

4.1.1.4. Instructions: direct (use of the imperative) vs indirect (use of the passive voice)

4. ENGLISH FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (EST)

4.1. Characteristics. 4.1.2. Grammatical functions

4.1.2.1. Passive constructions

4.1.2.2. Constructions with stative verbs

4.1.2.3. Modals

4.1.2.4. Use of simple past

4. ENGLISH FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (EST)

4.1. Characteristics. 4.1.3. Specific vocabulary

4.1.3.1. Technical vocabulary → creation of new terms (biomimicry, biopsia)

4.1.3.2. Sub-technical vocabulary → terms in general English with entirely different meanings in technical English.

4.1.3.3. Noun compounds → students’ trouble translating

4. ENGLISH FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (EST)

4.2. How to teach a science and technology course.

4.2.1. The teacher (must balance linguistic and scientific competence)
4.2.2. The materials (contextually relevant)

• 4.2.2.1. Textbooks → not over-reliance, complementary with other materials

• 4.2.2.2. Listening material→ pre-listening activities, guided activities, post-listening discussion

• 4.2.2.3. Reading material → reflect authentic conversations, note-taking, rewriting exercises, comparative activities

5. COMMERCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ENGLISH (CAD)

5.1. Course design. 5.1.1. For present employees

• Focus on correcting structures and pronunciation, and addressing their specific needs as learners

• Aspects to emphasise include: oral communication, social formulas, and digital communication.

• For administrative English highlight: writing formal letters, drafting reports, oral skills for interpersonal interactions

5. COMMERCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ENGLISH (CAD)

5.1. Course design. 5.1.2. For future employees

• Key considerations:

  • Avoid over-reliance on textbooks

  • Offer workshops on resume writing, job interview prep and workplace communication

  • Introduce simulations

5. COMMERCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ENGLISH (CAD)

5.2. Materials. 5.2.1. Listening materials.

• Telephone conversations

• Meetings and presentations

• Podcasts and interviews

All should reflect realistic scenarios.

5. COMMERCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ENGLISH (CAD)

5.2. Materials. 5.2.2. Specialised vocabulary

• Active vocabulary practice

• Collocations and idiomatic expressions

• Self-directed language

5. COMMERCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ENGLISH (CAD)

5.2. Materials. 5.2.3. Written communication

• Professional emails

• Report writing

• Cross-cultural differencies

5. COMMERCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ENGLISH (CAD)

5.3. Digital skills in business English (new section)

• Writing for professional platforms like Linkedin

• Navigating conference tools (Google Meet, Zoom)

• Understanding and responding to social media in a corporate context.