TEACHING BUSINESS ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES

Abstract

Research and experience have long indicated that the acquisition of the mother tongue is different from the acquisition of a non-native language. Also, the efforts and the cognitive impact of language learning are different in childhood compared to adulthood, whereas young people and adults differ in the way they learn and should be taught a foreign language. Learning a new language at the level of a native speaker is a dream all students share, but it may well be impossible and also irrelevant in the context of the ever-changing landscape of a living language. Furthermore, it is common knowledge that the acquisition of a foreign language due to natural exposure or immersion offers better results than its acquisition in a formal learning environment. To complicate matters even further, studies show that acquiring a second language is usually much more difficult than acquiring a third language, for example. Despite all these though, the job of a language teacher, especially of adult students, needs to serve its purpose as well as possible. This article will look into some of the modern trends of teaching not just a foreign language (English), but a specialized one (Business English) to undergraduates in the context of a Romanian university. How can a teacher better accomplish this task? How useful can Business English prove to be to students taking it as a compulsory subject, not by choice? Are there methods to improve its acquisition, especially in the context of the current pandemic? The article will take a closer look at all these, with practical examples of good practices.

Keywords

• Business English, teaching, foreign language acquisition