English Language For Business & Technology
(B2 and Above)
Course Summary
This course is intended for speakers of English at level B2 and above who want an opportunity to practice English with a native speaker, navigating the complexities and oddities of American English, while gaining flexibility with the language in a variety of situations.
American English is quirky, tricky and constantly changing. It can vary tremendously for different businesses, in formal academic settings, and in different media (verbal, email, SMS). It can even vary based on different regions of the country. Communication in the right style can tremendously enhance relationships, both professional and personal.
Taught in a small group setting that allows plenty of opportunity for participation and practice, this course will help intermediate to advanced speakers hone their skills and become more comfortable working with native speakers. The group will examine the differences between formal and informal language and practice converting between them.
Technology, with its highly specialized terminology and acronyms, will be discussed. Taught with nuance and humor by a native speaker from California’s Silicon Valley, this course will give participants more ease and flexibility with American English.
Price:
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5-day course: 400 €
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6-day course: 480 €
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7-day course: 560 €
Dates | Duration | Location | Confirmed | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
22/04 - 26/04/2024 | 5 days | Krk, Croatia | pre-confirmed | REGISTER HERE |
03/06 - 07/06/2024 | 5 days | Krk, Croatia | pre-confirmed | REGISTER HERE |
15/07 - 19/07/2024 | 5 days | Krk, Croatia | pre-confirmed | REGISTER HERE |
26/08 - 30/08/2024 | 5 days | Krk, Croatia | pre-confirmed | REGISTER HERE |
07/10 - 11/10/2024 | 5 days | Krk, Croatia | pre-confirmed | REGISTER HERE |
Course Detailed Description
This course is intended for speakers of English at level B2 and above who want an opportunity to practice English with a native speaker, navigating the complexities and oddities of American English, while gaining flexibility with the language in a variety of situations.
Language builds relationships and being too stiff in a personal setting or too casual in a formal setting can shift these relationships for better or worse. Understanding these nuances can increase success in business and personal relationships.
American English is quirky, tricky and constantly changing. It can vary tremendously for different businesses, in formal academic settings, and in different media (verbal, email, SMS). It can even vary based on different regions of the country. Communication in the right style can tremendously enhance relationships, both professional and personal.
Taught in a small group setting that allows plenty of opportunity for participation and practice, this course will help intermediate to advanced speakers hone their skills and become more comfortable working with native speakers. The group will examine the differences between formal and informal language and practice converting between them. Topics include the distinctions between speaking in meetings vs personal conversations, writing for resumes, business proposals and academic publications vs emails with colleagues or friends, as well as the wild world of SMS.
The course will examine common pitfalls and challenges. It will contrast denotations and connotations. It will explore synonyms, homonyms, homophones, homographs, contronyms, slang and unexpected pronunciations. The discussion will be tailored to the group and participants will be able to submit topics.
Technology, with its highly specialized terminology and acronyms, will be discussed. Taught with nuance and humor by a native speaker from California’s Silicon Valley, this course will give participants more ease and flexibility with American English.
COURSE SCHEDULE (Day by day):
*Please note that the course schedule provided on this website for the 6-day course is intended as an example only. The actual schedule may vary according to the needs and preferences of the group attending the course.
Upon registration for the course, attendees will be provided with a finalized schedule tailored to the specific course they have booked. This schedule will include details such as session times, topics covered, and any additional activities planned.
For any questions or concerns regarding the course schedule, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Day 1
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Introduction
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Course outline
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Ice-breaking activities
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Introduction of the participants, their goals for the class and their challenges,
school presentations -
Understanding levels of formality and when to use them
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Writing in formal academic and business situations
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Upgrading language with synonyms
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Variations in sentence structure
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Avoiding personal pronouns
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Dangling participles
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Complex sentences, but not run-on sentences
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Contractions
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Making language clean, strong and direct
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Using style guides
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Guided city tour
Day 2
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Business language
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Analyzing and matching the business culture
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Code-switching in business and social settings
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Common colloquial expressions
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The language of SMS
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Essential vocabulary for engineers and tech companies
Day 3
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Verbs, verbs, verbs
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Conditional verbs
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Phrasal verbs
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Modal verbs
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Advanced verb tenses
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Present perfect, present perfect continuous tenses
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Past simple, past perfect, past continuous tense
Day 4
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All the Strange Stuff
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Homographs, homophones, homonyms, contronyms
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Difficult pronunciation
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Slang
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Abbreviations: life in the fast lane
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Nouns used as verbs (especially in the tech world)
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The problems with pronouns
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Avoiding unintended double entendres
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Cultural sensitivity
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Differences in US and UK English
Day 5
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Taking it to the Next Level
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Topics submitted by the participants
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What do you still find challenging?
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Badly written or inappropriate writing: how would you make it better?
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Skill-building workshops
Day 6 (Additional practice workshops for 7-day courses)
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Final activities – Presentation of participant portfolios and projects
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Course evaluation
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Certificate awarding
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Excursion and other external cultural activities
Note: The program will be dynamic and interactive. The schedule may change based on the issues posed by the participants and the real resolution processes in which we engage. Excursion plans for any given course may also affect the agenda.
Course outcomes
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
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Enhance vocabulary and grammar in both conversation and writing.
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Recognize varying communication styles and be able to match those styles.
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Improve formal writing skills and expand vocabulary.
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Gain ability to operate comfortably in business and technology environments.
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Navigate the quirkiness of American English with a native speaker.
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Discern differences in US and UK English.
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Increase flexibility and ease with American English.