Business Must

Improve Its
Language Skills

Lesson
19
CW04/BW04
© 2014 by Wall Street Institute KFT, Luxembourg Branch and Pearson Education Limited

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This material is the intellectual property of Wall Street Institute KFT, Luxembourg Branch and Pearson Education Limited.

Second edition 2014

Authors:
Mary Milne, Oliver Redman, Laura Mazurkiewicz, and Evelyn Pelayo

Wall Street Institute International: Publications Department

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ForToday 39 PR-1.2.2-D63 V2
 ForToday - Business Must Improve Its Language Skills - Waystage 2+

For ToDay CLass administratioN

Lesson Outline

1. Warm-Up
1.1 Find Someone Who 10 mins
1.2 Article and Post-Reading Activities (Optional 30 mins)
2. Communicative Activities
2.1 Opening Doors 20 mins
2.2 What’s Different? 20 mins
3. Wrap-Up
3.1 Pick and Match 10 mins

Materials Needed

Number/Type Number Included Copies Needed

1.1 Handout 1 x 1 1 per Student
1.2 Handout 3 x 1 1 per Student
2.1 Cue Card 2 x 1 1 per Student
2.2 Handout 2 x 1 1 per Student
3.1 Handout 1 x 1 1 per Student

Notes

In the classroom materials provided you will find the minimum number of Cue Cards and
Handouts for each activity. As part of your preparation, make sure that you have printed enough
copies of the material for the Students in your class.

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 ForToday - Business Must Improve Its Language Skills - Waystage 2+

For Today lesson Plan

• Greet and welcome Students.

1. Warm-Up

1.1 Find Someone Who 10 mins

Materials Needed

None

Objective

To allow Students to meet each other and relax and to introduce the theme of the lesson.

Context Creation

Ask the class,

Which language is used the most in business around the world? (English).

Then ask the class:

Which other languages do you think are important now or could become more important
in the future? (French, German, Spanish, Mandarin, Russian).

Instructions

Explain to your Students that they are going to do some research about languages by
interviewing each other. Distribute Handout 1.1 and invite the Students to read through the
statements and ask if there are words they don’t understand. Have the class move round the
room and start asking each other questions.

Students must try to find a name for every statement. At the end, have the class report back and
make some conclusions about the group.

Teaching Tips

If you have a big group, there may not be be time for the Students to ask everyone all the
questions, so tell them to move on once they have received a Yes answer and noted the name.

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 ForToday - Business Must Improve Its Language Skills - Waystage 2+

1.2 Article and Post-Reading Activities (Optional 30 mins)

Materials Needed

1.2 Handouts

Objective

To read the article and check comprehension.

Context Creation

Explain to the Students that they’re now going to read an article about the importance of
languages in the business world and what changes there may be in the future.

Instructions

Tell the class that they are now going to read the article, check their comprehension, and review
the new language. Give out copies of the article and the glossary Handouts and ask Students to
read through the article once (point out to Students that the underlined words in the article can be
found in the glossary). Go over any questions the class has about the article and new vocabulary
and then put the Students into pairs, or small groups, and distribute the post-reading questions
Handout. Once the groups have completed the questions, check the answers with the class.

Teaching Tips

To support the reading comprehension exercises, here are a few ideas and different approaches
to setting up and extending the activity:

Using the title: Before distributing the article, write the title on the board. In pairs or small
groups, have Students discuss and guess what the article could be about.

Glossary: Before distributing the article, go over the glossary items first. Clear up any doubts
about the definitions and then in pairs or small groups have Students guess what the article is
about based on the glossary items.

Gist: Give Students a two-minute time limit to read the article once. Then ask a couple of
general questions to check Students’ basic comprehension of the article. Allow Students more
time to read the article again and follow-up with the post-reading questions.

Points to discuss: Depending on the level of the class and the type of article you have, have
Students discuss the author’s view.

Write a summary: As a follow-up to the reading activity, have Students underline ten key words from
the article. Then in pairs or individually, have the Students paraphrase the article in 15 to 20 words.

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 ForToday - Business Must Improve Its Language Skills - Waystage 2+

Glossary

summit—a group of meetings with important political people

defender—someone who supports and protects a thing, person or idea
(to) compete—try to beat someone or something else
multinationals—companies that have offices and business in many countries
multilingualism—using many languages
lack—not having any, or enough, of something
alarming—something that makes you worry or feel afraid
sample—a small part of something that is studied to find results
(to) confirm—shows that something is true
(to) suggest—make you think something could be true
essential—so important that you cannot be without it
mother tongue—your first, native language

Answers

1. b 2. b 3. a 4. c 5. b 6. a

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 ForToday - Business Must Improve Its Language Skills - Waystage 2+

2. cOMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES

2.1 Opening Doors 10 mins

Materials Needed

2.1 Cue Card

Objective

To practice using new vocabulary from the article and discussing a new business direction.

Context Creation

Ask the class:

How often do you use English for your job?

What other languages do people speak in your company?

Encourage the Students to share their ideas and then ask the Students to imagine that their
company has made a new company rule that employees must speak English at all times.

Instructions

Tell the class that they are going to consider and discuss this issue of making employees only
speak English at work. Divide the class into pairs and distribute the Cue cards 2.1.

Student A is the COO of an export company that wants to apply an English only rule in the
workplace. Student B is the CEO and is not sure it is a good idea. The pair discusses the
advantages and disadvantages and decides what to do.

Give everyone time to read and prepare their role. After the role-play, invite the groups to report
back and explain what decisions they reached.

Teaching Tips

Monitor the pairs during the role-play and give any feedback and corrections at the end.

If you have an odd number of Students, create a group of three.

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 ForToday - Business Must Improve Its Language Skills - Waystage 2+

Extension

1. In new pairs, have Students discuss what they think about the English only rule. Can it work?
Are there more advantages or disadvantages? Would they like to have that rule in their job?
2. Have Students write down their ideas what to include in the English only rule. For example;
all emails and telephone calls in English. Meetings, Lunch and coffee breaks must be in Eng-
lish too etc.

2.2 What’s Different? 20 mins

Materials Needed

2.2 Cue Cards

Objective

To practice further the topic of languages and asking questions.

Context Creation

Tell the class that the export company from the previous activity would like to look at options of
providing second language training for their employees.

Ask the class the following questions :

What does the company have to do to organize this? (Find a language school)
What different types of courses do language schools offer? (Group, individual, business
focus, weekly, intensive, traditional learning, modern interactive methods)

Instructions

Tell the class that they’re going to find out some information about a course for learning
languages abroad.

Put the Students into pairs and distribute Cue Cards 2.2 then explain that they both have the
same text but six details are different. They need to ask each other questions to understand what
these differences are. For example:

What is the name of school?

Are flights included?

Allow 10-15 minutes for this, then bring the class back together and go through the differences.

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 ForToday - Business Must Improve Its Language Skills - Waystage 2+

Answer Key:

1. 2004 / 2008 4. six weeks / six months

2. Steve Jung / Derek Wong 5. basic level / high level
3. interpreter / assistant 6. $3,500 / $5,900

Teaching Tips

Before this activity you may prefer to elicit question words (what, when, who, how, why, how
much) and briefly review question forms in the present and past simple.

Extension

Have Students act out a role-play based on the Real Language School. Put the class into pairs,
Student A is an employee and Student B is the boss. The employee should ask the boss to pay
for a course at the Real Language School in a country of his/her choice.

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 ForToday - Business Must Improve Its Language Skills - Waystage 2+

3. Wrap-UP

3.1 Pick and Match 10 mins

Materials Needed

3.1 Handouts

Objective

To review new vocabulary from the article.

Context Creation

Ask the class if they remember what name the article gave Jacques Chirac in relation to the
French language (defender).

Instructions

Tell the class that they´re going to play a matching game. Put the Students into teams of two or
three and distribute Handout 3.1.

Explain that they must firstly choose the correct word to complete a phrase from column A, then
match a phrase from column B to complete the sentence. At the end, check the answers together,
awarding one point for the correct word and a second point for matching the phrase correctly

Answer Key

1. alarming (e) 5. summit (g)

2. compete (c) 6. lack (a)
3. Arabic (b) 7. essential (d)
4. mother tongue (h) 8. multilingualism (f)

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 1.2

Business Must Improve Its

Language Skills
By Paul Betts

When Jacques Chirac was the French President he once left a

summit in Brussels very angrily because the head of Europe’s main
business group, Baron Ernest-Antoine Sellière, who is also French,
spoke English at the meeting.
Mr Chirac speaks English fluently but he has always been a strong
defender of French. He even started a global French language 24-
hour television news network to compete against CNN. Most people
probably thought French didn’t have much chance against English
in the world. But, maybe Mr Chirac was right.
Sure, English is the most important language of business—used
every day even in some French multinationals—but it is not the only
one. A study shows that companies which only use their national
language and English are losing business opportunities. Leonard
Orban, the young Romanian responsible for multilingualism in
Europe, says the lack of language skills will be a problem especially
for small and medium-sized companies.
This is alarming when you think that these companies give two-
thirds of private jobs in Europe, which means about 75 million
jobs. Half of all European business are Small and medium-sized
companies. So, if they can improve in exporting even a little, it will
be very important for jobs across the European Union. The study,
done by the UK National Centre for Languages, shows that 11 per
cent of a sample of 2,000 businesses lost a contract because they
didn’t have enough language skills.
The report confirms, of course, how important English is for getting
access to export markets. But it also suggests that English cannot
really be called the world language. German, for example, lets you
sell more easily in 15 markets and French in at least eight markets,
including large areas of Africa, and Spanish opens the doors to Latin
America. Mandarin, Arabic and Russian are also quickly joining the
club of essential world languages.
The solution is obvious. A good way to stay ahead in a global market
is to be multilingual in business. That means having people fluent
in at least two languages plus their mother tongue. As a famous
advertising executive once said, “If I want to buy something from
you, I will speak my own language. If I want to sell you something,
I will speak yours.”

© The Financial Times Limited 2014. All Rights Reserved. Wall Street Institute
KFT, Luxembourg Branch is responsible for providing this adaptation of the
original article.

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 Business Must Improve Its Language Skills 1.2

Post-reading Questions

1. Why did Jacques Chirac leave the summit angrily?

a. Because he couldn’t understand English
b. Because another French person spoke English
c. Because he was late for another meeting

2. Which sentence is true?

a. CNN made a 24-hour television news network in French
b. Chirac started a 24-hour television news network in French
c. Chirac stopped CNN’s programmes in France

3. a new study shows that:

a. Companies which only know English as a second language lose some business
b. Companies which only use their mother tongue do not lose business
c. French companies are losing business

4. Small and medium sized companies:

a. Already have enough languages skills
b. Do not need to know other languages
c. Could have problems because they don’t have enough language skills

5. 75 million people:
a. Work in Europe
b. Work in private companies in Europe
c. Speak more than one language

6. according to the article, companies will have to:

a. Have employees who can speak at least three languages
b. Hire people with different mother tongues
c. Stay out of the global market

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 Business Must Improve Its Language Skills 1.2

Glossary

summit—a group of meetings with important political people

defender—someone who supports and protects a thing, person or idea

(to) compete—try to beat someone or something else

multinationals—companies that have offices and business in many countries

multilingualism—using many languages

lack—not having any, or enough, of something

alarming—something that makes you worry or feel afraid

sample—a small part of something that is studied to find results

(to) confirm—shows that something is true

(to) suggest—make you think something could be true

essential—so important that you cannot be without it

mother tongue—your first, native language

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Business Must Improve Its Language Skills 1.1

Speak to everyone in your class to find a name for every situation.

Find someone who: name

Uses English every day at work

Uses English and another language at work

Works for a company that does business with countries using French,
German, or Spanish

Works for a company that does business with countries using Russian,
Mandarin or Arabic

Works for a small or medium-sized company

Thinks their national language will be more important in the world in the
future

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 Business Must Improve Its Language Skills 2.1

James Lin, Coo of Pac Exports

You are the COO of a multinational company that exports electronic products all over the world.

To help communications, sales, and brand image, you want all employees to always communicate in
English at work. You want to have this ‘English only’ rule because;

• It will help improve everyone’s English in the office

• Will improve communication
• Clients will see the company as modern and international
• You can save time and money on English classes, training, printed manuals, materials and
computer programs

Discuss with the CEO to decide about what to do and explain why you think the ‘English only’ rule is
a great idea.

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Business Must Improve Its Language Skills 2.1

Gemma Suárez, CEo of Pac Exports

You are the CEO of a multinational company that exports electronic products all over the world.

Your COO has had an idea about having an ‘English only’ rule in the office. Listen to the COO’s ideas
and give reasons why you think it might be a problem.

You think it will be problem because:

• People will not be able to communicate well because of different skill levels
• People will not feel comfortable always communicating in English
• The clients will see the company as not being multinational
• With more languages in the workplace cultural differences and understanding can improve and
help the business
• Limits the sales team, it’s better to have more languages
Discuss these ideas with the COO and decide what to do.

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Business Must Improve Its Language Skills 2.2

Student a
Below is the description of a language school. Ask your partner questions to find out what
information is different.

LIVInG THE LanGuaGE

The Real Language School, which opened in 2004, is a special type of language school for business
people. The owner, Steve Jung, had the idea for the school after working as an interpreter for a
European businessman visiting China. He saw that the lack of direct communication was a big
problem in the meetings and decided to try a new solution.

The Real Language School is very different to other traditional schools. Instead of learning the
language in a classroom, reading and writing, students move to the country where this language
is spoken as the mother tongue and stay with a teacher for six weeks. The student and teacher live
together, eat every meal together and travel round the city together. Lessons can be in a shop, a
museum or even at a football match.

Every moment offers an opportunity to speak, listen and learn new words. At the end of the course
the students can speak the language at a basic level and know a lot of information about Chinese
culture, which is essential for anyone visiting China to do business.

Last year several European managers studied with the school, including eight managers from France,
three from Germany and one from Italy. The cost of the course is only $3,500 which includes the
course, the apartment, meals, plus a few day trips to local cities and factories (flights are not included).

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Business Must Improve Its Language Skills 2.2

Student B
Below is the description of a language school. Ask your partner questions to find out what
information is different.

LIVInG THE LanGuaGE

The Real Language School, which opened in 2008, is a special type of language school for business
people.The owner, Derek Wong, had the idea for the school after working as an assistant for
a European businessman visiting China. He saw that the lack of direct communication was a big
problem in the meetings and decided to try a new solution.

The Real Language School is very different to other traditional schools. Instead of learning the
language in a classroom, reading and writing, students move to the country where this language is
spoken as the mother tongue and stay with a teacher for six months. The student and teacher live
together, eat every meal together and travel round the city together. Lessons can be in a shop, a
museum or even at a football match.

Every moment offers an opportunity to speak, listen and learn new words. At the end of the course
the students can speak the language at a high level and know a lot of information about Chinese
culture, which is essential for anyone visiting China to do business.

Last year several European managers studied with the school, including eight managers from France,
three from Germany and one from Italy. The cost of the course is only $5,900 which includes the
course, the apartment, meals, plus a few day trips to local cities and factories (flights are not included).

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 Business Must Improve Its Language Skills 3.1

Choose a word from the box below to complete the phrase in section a. Then match the correct
ending to the sentence from section B.

summit essential alarming mother tongue

compete Arabic multilingualism lack

Section a

1. There is an _______________ number of customers...

2. It’s difficult to ________________ against multinationals...

3. If you don’t understand __________________...

4. My ________________ is German...

5. At today’s ________________ in London...

6. A ______________ of experience...

7. It’s ______________ that this order is perfect...

8. In parts of Africa, _______________ is very normal...

Section B

a) ...can stop you getting a job.

b) ...it’ll be hard to do business in the Middle East.

c) ...when you’re a small company.

d) ...because it’s from the big new client.

e) ...who haven’t paid yet this month.

f) ...People can often speak two or three languages.

g) ...political leaders discussed global problems.

h) ...and I speak English and some Spanish too.

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