The importance of clear communication in English is incalculable and beyond price. Why? Because the business world communicates mostly in English.
It is a language that makes a salesperson from Mumbai able to communicate fluently in writing with a buyer from Beijing, an agent in London and suppliers in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Singapore. Not to mention potentially interested parties in Edinburgh, Tokyo, Istanbul, Warsaw and elsewhere who would be interested to receive a CV written clearly and well in English.
So it was surprising to read in Quartz that Chinese education provider New Oriental, which started as a firm to help Chinese students prepare for English-language tests to study abroad, appears to have changed its purpose. It will now focus on overseas Chinese language education markets.
At least three English language writers (George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde and Winston Churchill) have been credited with the phrase “Britain and the US are two nations separated by a common language”.
Matters have moved on and while this quote remains partly true, in fact the whole world is connected by variations of global English.
This is not a matter for national pride or arrogance; to use English clearly and well in business is the key aspect to successful global communication and trading.
At Business Writing Academy our aim is to help as many people as possible, of all ages and from all countries, to communicate better in English in the workplace and across world markets.
To learn more, and to join Business Writing Academy, click here.
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