ptimal Business English

Multi-dimensional Business English Training System

10 reasons why speaking English is becoming easier..
(translated words at the end of the article)

Which do you want first? The good news or the bad news? Okay, here goes…
Bad news:
When new students come to me, they often say ‘I’m so depressed about my English. Every time I speak English
at work I get nervous and stressed! My English is so bad. I don’t have enough vocabulary. Remembering the Eng-
lish I learn is too hard.’
This is what I hear daily in my work. People who feel like this will not speak English well and the sad thing is, it’s
just not true!
Good news:
I observe customers who use the Optimal Business English method: they learn quickly, speak more confidently
and communicate more effectively everyday. They begin to enjoy learning and speaking English.
For learners of English in Germany, things can only get better! ‘Why?’, I hear you all ask disbelievingly.
Well, here are 10 reasons why English is becoming easier to learn…

1) 'The Queen’s English' is dead. Long live the Queen!

As a result of American, Australian and other influences, not many people use the recommended pronuncia-
tion of the BBC-circa-1950s-style. Queen Elizabeth II is a symbol of our nation (God bless her) but she doesn’t
use the same language structures or pronunciation as most of her people, or the rest of the world.
Simple, effective language results in much more successful communication these days.

2) 74% of all English communication is not spoken by English people.

This means that around 7.4 times out of 10, you’ll be speaking to someone who has the same challenges as
you! Realistically, people from Germany will speak English with French or Italian people, not with English, Austra-
lian or American people.
With understanding, respect and cooperation, communicating in English will be easier because you are often in
the same boat as your conversation partner.

3) In 10 years there will be more people who speak English as a second language in China than
native-speakers in Great Britain.

English for international business purposes is used by more people than there are in the U.S. and U.K. put to-
gether. This means more equality and understanding for someone who doesn’t speak English perfectly. When
I’m not in London and I meet someone who speaks English, I am grateful and often impressed rather than
judgmental. So stop feeling so bad about your ‘bad English’ – You speak better English than most English peo-
ple speak German.

4) Over 20,000 American schoolchildren now receive e-tutoring from non-native countries such as
India.

We are entering an era of English as a powerful tool for all nations and leaving the times where the British and
the Americans dominated because of their monopoly on the language. Hurrah! If you do a good job, that will be
more important than speaking English perfectly! Long Live Perfomance-Related-Reward.
In addition, if you are good at your job, you will have the chance to learn and speak English. My German was ter-
rible but I had success in Germany because I am a very good English trainer (this is not arrogance – it is almost
10 years of experience and 100% motivation to help people succeed – erfolgreich sein).

06157 930643 / contact@a-l-l.com /

http://tr.im/optimal /www.a-l-l.com 1
 2007 lecture series

ptimal Business English

Multi-dimensional Business English Training System
5) More international companies based in Germany have English as their official corporate language
than German.

The easiest way to learn English is listen to it and to use it. The good news is, you’ll have plenty of opportunity
because more and more companies in Europe are using English as their corporate language. Using English every-
day is becoming normal and is the quickest way to learn.

6) In 2003, Malaysia made basic English proficiency a requirement for all foreign employees coming
into the country.

If you can’t use English for work, some countries don’t feel the need to let you in! As a lingua franca, English is
second to none (at the moment). The importance of English communication in Germany means you have an ad-
vantage (Vorteil) over many who are not so familiar with English.

7) Around 50% to 80% of all content on the internet is in English.

German is next in line with 4.5%. However, these figures are changing as other languages are being used more
and more for website content.
Most of the world’s blogs are also written in English so if you want to connect with people, acquire knowledge
and keep informed, learning English is key. You can use the internet to do that – sites like www.learnoutloud.com
is excellent for interesting listening materials. And for vocabulary, try our site www.a-l-l.com (just subscribe – ab-
bonieren- and we’ll send you business English vocabulary MP3 files everyday).

8) Nearly all of the world's global news channels are in English.

Although I’m not a big fan of global news channels because of propaganda and misinformation, learning English
at least gives you the option to compare information and it’s different sources (BBC and CNN can also be a great
way to learn).

9) In Shanghai, English is spoken in 70% of the homes.

It is not unusual for a child to speak to their mother in Shanghainese and their siblings and friends in English.
Although other languages might well dominate in times to come, learning English could well be the gateway to
education (the media department at Fachhochschule Dieburg, Germany now runs many important courses in
English only).
I’m already training lots of people who want career opportunities which can only be obtained by people with
good English communication skills.

10)English is a mixed bag of sweeties. It is a hybrid Indo-European mixture of:

Celtic
Germanic
Norse (Vikings)
Norman
Latin
Greek
French

And, because of imperialism, Indian, Aborigine and African words have also found their way into the language
(Bungalow, Kangaroo,etc.). This is why the language is so difficult to reduce to a simple set of grammatical rules
(I apologise...I didn't construct the English language: I just teach it!).
Despite my apology on behalf of all native-speakers, I must confess that I'm really proud of the language, if
one can say such a thing. It is one of the most, diverse, beautifully expressive languages and if you learned a
new word every day for 50 years, there would still be many leftover.

This is actually good news: it is said that with 1,000 words you can converse in the English language. With 2,000 it
is possible to be quite eloquent. So, if you learned 50 words per month (12 or so words per week), in 2 years you
would have all the tools you need to speak English very well.In short, although there are some challenges, you
have all the tools to learn English and communicate well in your job.

If you don’t feel you have those tools and aren’t sure where to start contact Optimal Business English. You can
reach us on 06157 930643 or contact@a-l-l.com / www.a-l-l.com / http://tr.im/. We can tell you what level you
are, and how to get from where you are to where you want to be.
2
 2007 lecture series

ptimal Business English

Multi-dimensional Business English Training System
Article vocabulary translation

English German

recommended pronunciation empfohlen Aussprache

results in läuft hinaus

challenges Herausforderungen

easier eichter

purposes Zwecke

impressed beeindruckt

judgmental beurteilend

performance-related-reward von Leistung verbundene Belohnung

plenty reichlich

opportunity Gelegenheit,

proficiency Kenntnisse

requirement Voraussetzung / Bedarf

acquire knowledge Kenntnisse erwerben

misinformation Fehlinformationen

gateway Gateway

education Bildung

opportunities Gelegenheiten

obtained erhalten

rules Regeln

apologise entschuldigen

construct konstruieren

Despite trotz

Apology Entschuldigung/Apologie

Behalf im Namen der

Confess gestehen

diverse verschieden

expressive ausdrucksvoll

06157 930643 / contact@a-l-l.com /

www.optimalbusinessenglish.wordpress.com 3
 2007 lecture series

ptimal Business English

Multi-dimensional Business English Training System

Geld-zurück-Garantie

Mit der Optimal Business English-Garantie haben Sie

die Möglichkeit, einen Englischkurs ohne Risiko zu
buchen.

Die Garantie beinhaltet folgende Vereinbarung:

Zufriedenheitsgarantie: Sollten Sie mit der Optimal

Business Englisch Gruppenkurse komplett fertigen und
nicht zufrieden sein, dann können Sie ohne weitere Ver-
pflichtungen den Kurs beenden.

Der bereits berechnete Gruppenkurs wird komplett er-

stattet.

Unser Motto lautet: Nur wenn Sie zufrieden sind, sind

wir es auch!

06157 930643 / contact@a-l-l.com /

http://tr.im/optimal /www.a-l-l.com
4