Learning business-specific English will be your direct passport to new markets

English is the language of business, so if you are thinking of starting a business, dedicating yourself to marketing or working in any other area of ​​business management, be sure to study the universal language. But, in addition, if you want to improve your language skills and be able to maintain fluent work conversations, you must master business English, which includes an extensive specific vocabulary that will give professionalism to your oral expression.

Why is learning English not the same as learning business English?

It is obvious that to learn business English you need to master this language in general, but if you want to develop in the international business world, knowing English will not be enough. To attend work meetings in which the participants come from different parts of the world, it is important that everyone knows the same communication code, and by this, we mean formalisms, set phrases, expressions, concepts, sector-specific vocabulary… Are you ready to make the leap to the international arena?

Keep reading this post and start your business English learning with the vocabulary list that we provide below.

Learn these 25 Business English words

So that you begin to familiarize yourself with specific business English, here is a list of the 25 most used words and expressions in the business environment. If you are preparing your next meeting, do not forget to include them.

1. Stakeholder – A person, group, or organization with a vested interest in the decision-making and activities of a business
2. Deadline – The time by which something must be finished
3. Return on Investment (ROI) – A financial ratio used to measure the profitability of an investment relative to its costs, expressed as a percentage
4. Key Performance Indicator (KPI) – Key performance indicator
5. Value proposition – A short statement that conveys why buyers should choose a company’s products or services
6. Competitive advantage – The advantage a company has over its competitors in the eyes of its consumers
7. Market segmentation – A marketing strategy that divides a broad consumer or business market into sub-groups of consumers based on shared characteristics
8. Target audience – A group of people defined based on their common characteristics such as demographics and behaviors
9. Branding – The process of creating a distinct identity for a business in the mind of the target audience and consumers
10. Corporate social responsibility – A self-regulating business model that aims to make a positive impact on society
11. Cash flow – The movement of money in and out of a company over a period of time
12. Break-even point – The point at which total cost and total revenue are equal
13. Cost-benefit analysis – A systematic process used by businesses to compare the projected or estimated costs and benefits associated with a project decision
14. Bottom line – Final result
15. Blue-sky thinking – A form of creative brainstorming that aims to find completely new ideas that are not limited by current thinking or beliefs
16. Think outside the box – Think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective
17. Close the deal – The act of formally concluding negotiations or bringing negotiating to an end by reaching an agreement
18. On the same page – Agreeing on something
19. Touch base – Get in touch
20. Win-win situation – A situation in which everyone wins
21. Go the extra mile – To make an extra effort or to do a particularly good job
22. Make ends meet – To have enough money to cover expenses
23. Bounce back – Quickly recover from a setback
24. Call it a day – Finish work for today
25. Get down to business – To start working

Have you ever wondered how English became the most spoken language in the world?

Currently, English is the most widely spoken foreign language in 19 of the 25 member states of the European Union, but do you know how this has happened?

Before English speakers became the majority, Latin was the king language for more than a millennium and, after the discovery of America, people from all over the world learned it in order to communicate. When Carlos I of Spain ascended the throne in 1500, a dynastic union was generated that led the country to be the first European power. Each of these territories had its own language, but, given the difficult management, Castilian became the diplomatic language, coming to be spoken throughout the Iberian Peninsula, Naples, Milan, Franche-Comté, the Netherlands, in the German States and even in Rome. Spanish also spread outside of what we know today as Europe, and it became the commercial language par excellence used in transactions at key points such as ports and borders. That is, if you wanted to be up to date on all the news that came from the New World or Asia, you should know Spanish.

However, everything changed with the fall of the Spanish empire and the Thirty Years’ War, after which an economic crisis broke out that made it impossible to maintain troops in each Spanish colony and the decrease in the arrival of precious metals from America and Asia. This led to the loss of territories and the political rise of France.

But this does not stop there, finally, after the period of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, English came to the top of the list of the most spoken languages ​​thanks to the Industrial Revolution, which began in Great Britain in the 18th century. Thus, around this country and the English language, new advances arose in the field of science and technology, which needed to be designated by new words and definitions of concepts never seen before.

In conclusion, English will be the language you must master if you want to succeed in business

In case there is still any doubt, see why you should propose to achieve a high level of English if you want to dedicate yourself to the business world.

We live in a globalized world: English has become the language of globalization and international business. It is widely used as a means of communication between people of different nationalities and cultures, making communication and collaboration easier.

Economic and Political Dominance: English-speaking countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom have had significant economic and political dominance globally. As a result, English has established itself as the preferred language in many commercial transactions and international relations.

Access to information and resources: Much of the information and resources in areas such as technology, science, finance, and business are in English, so proficiency in English allows access to a wide range of knowledge and career opportunities.

Do you want to discover more curiosities about the business world? Don’t stop reading the Educa.Pro blog!