business language courses-business language training london

Do we offer business language courses and what is a business language course anyway?

We offer language training in London training in French Spanish German Italian and English

Many language training companies in London say they can offer "business language courses".

But what is a business language course? Is it such a vague label as to be meaningless-we think so.

Some language training companies make a general claim of being experts in business language training. Some go further and provide specific examples of the business disciplines they are capable of teaching in a foreign language as evidence of language training for business.

Some language course providers, you might even think, are business schools and post graduate university departments rolled into one only they teach you a foreign language at the same time!

Other companies like to stress the types of language course where you might speak "Business German" or "Business French" or French on the telephone even German for business meetings.

We think there is a ready temptation simply to label a language course as a "business language course" in the hope of attracting custom by this label.

Everyone likes to believe in short cuts in their journey. We have built our reputation on achieving realistic goals and attaining results.

There are no short cuts just more efficient and sustainable means of travel in mastering a language.

Our courses are successful because they produce sustainable and realistic results that clients can discern for themselves.

What our clients need above all is to sustain intelligent dialogue. They need to have improve their listening skills in their chosen language and repeatedly to string sentences together.

We often hear from clients at the start of a course that "they know plenty of vocabulary but can't seem to use it".

Lecturing our clients with further "technical" "business" vocabulary would not achieve much unless the client can augment this further vocabulary into their general ability to communicate in the language.

What we can do is use relevant technical vocabulary bit by bit to enhance they overall fluency in the client´s related business discipline. This isn't so much teaching a client "business German" as improving the standard of a client's German to the level they need to perform in the language.

Therefore our courses are useful for clients who need a language for business purposes because the ability to communicate in a business context varies only peripherally to communicating in a "social" context.

This is because there is no such thing as Business German or Business French. Business Spanish or Business Italian is simply an indication of the degree of sophistication with which you might be required to use those languages.

Some course providers like to stress the ability to "conduct meetings" or "presentations" in the language as an indication of the content of a business German or business french course. This might even suggest that there is a classic scripting of a business meeting or business telephone call.

This is akin to offering an 18 old medical student a fast track option to become a surgeon before they have studied to become a doctor. This is perhaps superficially appealing to someone in a rush but essentially a nonsense.

We don´t specifically offer courses of business German in the same way that we don't provide courses in survival french or negotiating in German or Italian on the telephone.

What we must do is motivate you and keep you motivated to improve your use of your targeted language. Therefore you must first and foremost see yourself speaking the French language or German and not the mythical language of Business German or Business French. You must see yourself improving in your speed and variety of your vocabulary. This process must continue quickly enough for you to see real progress. This progress will keep you motivated.

Your targets in the language must also be realistic to keep you motivated. You must feel confident enough to perform in the language to the degree of sophistication you are capable.

Other business training in London and overseas

We concentrate upon training that works rather than providing a wide range of "options".

We aim to improve your capacity to communicate in your newly targeted language. This is enhancement in your language skills of course includes your ability to communicate with business associates, customers and colleagues.

What we don't attempt to do is teach you a business discipline in a foreign language.

Why is that? Our aim is to get the client to speak the language. Our training is not based upon lecture but upon dialogue-with the client speaking as much as possible.

Our language teachers are just that-professional and experienced language teachers. Their expertise is to keep you speaking your targeted language and improve your written skills. Some of our teachers may have knowledge or experience in certain "business" areas but this is purely incidental.

It is not a lecture or further education of a business discipline. This is not what our clients need.

Often clients come to us learn or improve their language skills before they embark on a course at an overseas business school or for further postgraduate study.

Therefore in many cases the notion of a specific "business language" course is potentially misleading to clients and counter productive as it raises unrealistic expectations.

Even if we could produce "professional" trainers with a close approximation of your business discipline-this not what most of our clients are looking for.

Most clients who come to us already have specialised academic and professional skills from years of academic and post-graduate study. They are later called to use these skills in a wider international arena.

We can and do work with they own materials and specialist technical dictionaries to assist in the technical vocabulary that might be most useful for them. What we need from the client is the types of situation within which they will likely require communicate in this language and work with them to understand and assist them in acquiring any particular specialized vocabulary.

The point is that most clients do not need lecturing on a foreign business discipline even we we could provide the degree of specialization that would be useful for them

If there is particular specialised vocabulary this is indeed a very subsidiary aspect of mastering the language.

Many language companies also look to offer a language trainers that will meet the clients own professional profile. Provide a lawyer to teach a lawyer, an accountant to teach an accountant.

Some clients seek to learn "business french" and look to to "learn" the finer points of balance sheet analysis in french but would not be capable of asking the receptionist which lift to take to the boardroom.

Therefore we don't promise you language trainers with generic business experience or even one with a first degree in law or accountancy. What we can offer you are language trainers who are capable of making you speak and comprehend your targeted language and motivate you to continue.

This competence in a language trainer is sometimes difficult to determine. Like any teacher simply looking at academic credentials and "professional" qualifications is only the starting point. When we first select our trainers they are required to to prove themselves to do this primary function.

The success of our language training for business is to concentrate upon the fundamental need to communicate in the language first and improve fluency . These general skills must be gained first before prematurely dealing with any particular business specialisation in the language.

A meeting with friends and colleagues in a convivial social setting is far removed from fielding unscripted questions from a hard nosed buyer of a product. Yet both could loosely be termed a meeting or speaking a language for business.

Therefore our language courses in London could be classified as business language courses if you are looking for sustainable and realistic language training for business. We don't specifically label these courses as business language courses or business language training because these titles could mislead a client. More important than the label is whether the language training we provide in London makes the difference to clients so that they can confidently use the language to do business. When clients can see that our language training in London makes a difference they will be motivated to continue and improve to broaden the types of situations where you can confidently perform in the language.