English for Specific Purposes (ESP): A

Short Guide for Multinational

Companies
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is a subset of English as a Second Language

(ESL). ESP is about more than just vocabulary. It also focuses on methodology. This

learner-centered approach focuses on developing competence in a specific discipline,

such as business. 

ESP programs differ from general English language courses and contain one or more of

the following characteristics:

1. Designed to meet the specific needs of the learners

2. Related in content (themes and topics) to specific disciplines or occupations

3. Use authentic, work-specific documents and materials

4. Promote cultural awareness and seek to improve intercultural competency

5. Deliver language training for intermediate and advanced levels

6. Use different teaching situations or a different methodology

ESP Examples

Business English is a rapidly growing field within the area of English language teaching,

or, in other words, a subset of ESP. Business English can be further broken down into
the areas of business or profession such as: technical English, scientific English,

medical, tourism, etc. 

Common areas of business English needs include:

 English for presentations

 English for international support centers

 English for negotiations 

 English for writing reports

 English for writing business letters

 English for meetings, trade shows, or training

 English for entertaining clients

 English for tours of facilities 

Common ESPs for business include:

 English for tourism

 English for contact centers

 English for hospitality

 English for cruise ships

 English for medical services

 English for technical manuals

Broadly speaking, business English learners need to acquire:

 Confidence and fluency in speaking

 Skills for organizing and structuring information

  Enough language accuracy to be able to communicate ideas without ambiguity

and without stress for the listener

 Speed of reaction to the utterances of other people

 Knowledge of vocabulary most commonly used 

 Awareness of appropriate language and behavior for the cultures and situations

in which they will operate

Another example of ESP is missionary work. Missionaries are sent out all over the world

with limited knowledge of a language. They are taught the basic concepts and asked to

learn more through language study and immersion. When they return, they have strong

skills in conversational and spiritual language though they are usually weak in grammar,

reading, and writing.

Over the past five years, a specialty of business English has emerged—English for

economics.  Rapid development of the world of business, along with an explosion of

interest in globalization, global issues, and global education, have driven the need for

specialized English in business. We now live in a world in which the economic bases

have shifted. New economic powerhouses have emerged, and new markets have

opened. New markets require economic exchanges in financial goods and commodities.

Today’s economic business world is more closely joined and will continue to drive

demand for language skills and ESP.

Context and ESP

Obviously, the demand for ESP is due to the rapid growth of English as the language of

business. If 75% of an employee’s English conversations are around technical support

for a product, with a basic level of English skills and applied practice with the targeted

terminology, the individual can be successful in the workplace.

ESP is designed to reduce the time necessary for an ESL individual to become a

successful employee. Context becomes a big part of ESP. Unfortunately, due to the

complexity of English, there are many words that have multiple meanings. This is no

different in the business world. The chart below highlights a few examples.

Word Meaning in General English Meaning in Business English

A brief summary or record of what is

One sixtieth part of an hour, or
Minute said and decided at a meeting; made
60 seconds
note of in an official memo

A meeting in which the participants

Round Shaped like a circle or a ball
meet more or less as equals 

A person with the highest

authority in an organization, Money lent or invested on which interest is
Principal
especially in schools and paid, capital sum
colleges (principal)

Close a business and divide up the

Liquidate To pay or settle
proceeds to pay its debts

A flat case for carrying loose

A set of investments owned by a
Portfolio papers, documents, drawings,
person or a bank 
etc. 

Something composed; for

Compositio A business paying off debt or
example, a piece of music, a
n liquidating
poem, or a book

The action of getting rid of To deal with or sell a bankrupt

Disposal
something company

Turnover To face in another direction by The amount of business done by a

rolling company within a certain amount
of time or the rate at which workers
 leave a company

Exceptionally good or Not yet paid, completed, or

Outstanding
excellent resolved

Act of taking over another

An asset or object bought or
Acquisition company (ex. merger and
obtained
acquisition – M&A)

A preliminary version of writing—a

Draft A beer 
plan or sketch

A folder or box for holding papers

A tool used for shaping— in an organized way or a collection
File
usually with metal of data and programs stored in a
computer memory

Words of Caution for ESP

While the advantages of ESP are clear, there are some drawbacks. First, to specialize

in a language, you first need basic understanding and skills in the target language.

Specialization comes after.

Second, the limited time and approach tends to pull away from teaching fluency and

comprehension to vocabulary and listening. 

Most important is that although ESP courses and general business communication

courses make attempts to sensitize students to cultural idiosyncrasies, they often

generalize with a list of dos and don’ts.

“Studying problems of international business communication from the linguistic

perspective becomes extremely crucial in our age of fast communication when

businesspeople prefer to do their business by email, text, virtual meetings, rather than
face-to-face interaction. While some misunderstanding might be potentially overcome to

a certain extent by personal encounters, negotiations, and business meetings, long

distance correspondence usually does not leave any room for clarifying the intended

message and therefore has significant more potential for jeopardizing the whole

communication.  

Business communication practices can and should be discussed in terms of national

culture. Communicators need to become more fully aware of the culturally based

stylistic differences.” (Loukianenko, 2004) 

Employees without the cultural understanding (context) of a language are a liability to

possible large PR nightmares. Businesses and ESP programs are encouraged to

develop cultural understanding curriculum and training.

My Experience in Thailand

I had the opportunity to manage a satellite office for a previous employer, and the office

was in Thailand. I absolutely loved the experience. What a great culture and people! I

was assigned to manage an office with about eight Thai staff.

Our staff was assigned as software testers. As new code was written in the United

States, the Thai team would test the code for errors and bugs. This testing worked great

because of the time difference. However, I had to learn the hard way that culture might

be impeding our success.

I came into the office a bit late one morning and nothing was working. Apparently,

someone in the office had broken the software code. The systems were totally down. As

I worked through the problem, I could not understand why they crashed—but that wasn’t

the biggest issue. 

It took me nearly four hours to explain to the team that what they did was a good thing! I

had to explain they would not be fired and that what they had done to the system was

exactly what I expected and wanted them to do. 

Shortly after, a friend handed me the book, “Working with the Thais: A Guide to

Managing in Thailand.” Would have been nice to have already read it. 

In Thailand, they have a culture of “saving-face,” called gren ji. They avoid confrontation

and endeavor not to embarrass themselves or other people. So, as I confronted the

team (without understanding this cultural trend), I quickly became frustrated that nobody

would tell me what happened.

If language barriers aren’t enough, when you add cultural differences, simple day-to-day

challenges can turn into formattable mountains. Be sensitive to the cultural differences

and needs of your employees, your language learners, and your ESL staff, and you will

see it paid back in great dividends.

1 thought on “English for Specific

Purposes (ESP): A Short Guide for
Multinational Companies”
1. Arkady Zilberman says:

David,
You write that ESP programs differ from general English language courses and that
they use different teaching situations or a different methodology.
Every situation could be viewed from a few different angles. Your statement is correct;
however, let’s imagine what will happen if we will consider this situation from another
angle. ESP programs are a natural evolution of general English courses and use the
same methodology of subconscious training English skills instead of conventional
conscious learning. Self-training of English skills for intermediate and advanced levels
is accomplished with the help of intelligent mobile applications under the guidance of
language trainers. ESP programs based on subconscious training ensure a much
faster acquisition of fluency and cultural differences.
The intelligent application for acquisition of English skills should create an
environment for comprehensible Input and production of Output. For successful
language learning, we need two main components: comprehensible Input and
opportunity to produce Output. An intelligent English app nowadays is capable to
create comprehensible multimedia Input that allows all learners concurrently read an
authentic text, listen to the recording of the text made by the native speakers, and
speaking aloud simultaneously with the recording. Multimedia Comprehensible Input
uses support in the native language organized in a way that precludes cross-
translation and allows thinking in English from the start.
Usage of intelligent learning app in a class allows all learners to speak concurrently in
English irrespective of the number of students. Learners have the option of creating
their own lessons based on authentic materials in various professional fields and
using simultaneous reading, listening, and speaking to produce Output 24/7.