Teaching Business English in the UAE to Undergraduate Learners: A Learner-Centred Approach

Author First name, Last name, Institution

Catherine Nickerson, Zayed University

Document Type

Book Chapter

Source of Publication

English Language Teaching: Theory, Research and Pedagogy

Publication Date

3-17-2022

Abstract

An important aspect of English language education at the tertiary level in the UAE is the need to prepare learners to meet the demands of what is likely to be a bilingual workplace. In most cases, this means equipping learners who have no prior experience of their chosen profession, with a specific set of language skills which will help them to communicate effectively in their future working life. For language instructors, this often poses something of a problem, as they need to identify what those skills are, while at the same time also engaging learners in a set of activities that will allow them to develop those skills. In this chapter, I will be focusing on business English as a prominent variety of professional English that is taught at many tertiary-level institutions across the country to undergraduate learners from a wide variety of national and linguistic backgrounds. I will review the research on written business English in particular and identify some of the skills that have been discussed in previous studies as characteristic of those that are demonstrated by successful communicators in business. In addition, I will outline some of the solutions that scholars have provided to help in developing these skills, and I will also suggest ways in which these solutions could be presented in class in a practical way which would be relevant for learners in the UAE with little or no working experience.

DOI Link

10.1007/978-981-16-8888-1_3

ISSN