The Language of Business

So, you’ve studied English and can shop on New York’s Fifth Avenue and order a meal at London’s Savoy. Great! You are now ready to do business!   — Well Almost!

Each type of business, trade and profession has its own vocabulary and common jargon. It seems that these businesses and professions are trying to keep us from understanding them. That may be partly right since each group wants its members to be eligible for their position. However, each profession and business develops its vocabulary so that its processes and needs can be explained efficiently to the parties involved. This way whether you are sitting in India, Australia, Germany or Japan you can communicate your needs or describe events in a manner that is common to all.

Of course, there are many terms that are common across the board for all businesses and professions such as: ASAP, Actionable Items, Synergy and Traction, and many more. Others are more specific so that the vocabulary of FINTECH will significantly differ from that of AGRITECH. Recently I had a client who was a director of a large Israeli Commercial Real Estate company, whose leading shareholder was an English Speaker. This meant that meetings would invariably be taken in English and it was important for this client to be up to speed on the relevant vocabulary, as well as understanding the quarterly and yearly reports in the English language. The good thing about coaching is that it’s focused on the needs of the client and provides the client the skills to research their niche for themselves.