All in a day’s work ... or, ELF in a day’s work: meeting the changing needs of learners and users of English in Higher Education

English as a lingua franca (ELF) has been described as “… the fastest-growing and at the same time the least recognised function of English in the world.” (Mauranen 2009). As a shared language used between speakers who do not have the same lingua cultural backgrounds, English has been the global language of business for some time (Charles 2008) and is increasingly used in academia, not only as the lingua franca of research, but also for teaching and administrative work. As a field of research, ELF focuses on language use in context, notably showing how flexible users of ELF are in negotiating meaning and achieving understanding, despite differences in cultural and linguistic backgrounds (Firth 1996, 2008). Yet, using English as a lingua franca can present challenges, and the research findings have implications not only for users of English in a range of contexts, but also for teachers and learners of English.The focus of this article is on the effect of change with regard to English on curriculum development and syllabus design at the University of Zurich and Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) Language Center. Drawing on Richards (2001), curriculum development refers here to an overall process of educational planning and implementation, comprising needs analysis, situation analysis, setting of aims and learning outcomes, course design, delivery and assessment. These elements are seen as a “network of interacting systems.” (Richards 2001:41). Syllabus design, on the other hand, deals with the specific content covered in a given course.

A Language with a Purpose - the Original Lingua Franca

The original Lingua Franca was a language without a nation, without native speakers, and without literature. Despite these facts, which we may easily see as severe shortcomings in the linguistics department, it was, however, a language that served its purpose. From the Dark Ages and until the onset of modernity it served as the traders’ Esperanto. As such it was spoken from the Levant across the Mediterranean and to the Maghreb. Actually a quite convincing track record for a linguistically challenged language, I might add.

Portrait of a Contender: Ismael Arinas Pellón

“Language at Work – Bridging Theory and Practice” recently connected with Ismael Arinas Pellón, a foreign language lecturer at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain. Ismael had interesting insight to share with “Language at Work” readers about the role of foreign language usage from a personal and professional perspective.

Højskolen Østersøen stellt sich vor!

Højskolen Østersøen in Aabenraa ist eine Einrichtung nach dem dänischen Gesetz der freien Schulen, die seit 17 Jahren Heimvolkshochschulkurse mit dänisch für Deutsche und deutsch für Dänen anbietet.

Portrait of a Contender: Stacey Cozart

This summer, “Language at Work – Bridging Theory and Practice” magazine had the pleasure of speaking with Stacey Cozart, Head of the Language Services Unit within the Faculty of Arts at Aarhus University, in Aarhus, Denmark.The Language Services Unit at Aarhus University offers copy-editing services for staff and PhD students in English, translation services for administrative staff from Danish to English, and English language skills development, mainly in the form of courses in English for academic purposes.

The language policy of the language teacher

Language policy has to do with how far and how one is to act in relation to this complexity. Language policy does not only take place at the macro-level: in international organisations, transnational companies, states, etc., but also at the micro-level; in the interaction between people.

The Language Symptom

An editorial originally from "Weekendavisen"

Language as a branding tool

Branding normally concerns products or corporations. Coca-Cola is a strong product brand. Applecombines a strong product brand with a unique corporate brand. In the modern businessenvironment, however, the concept of branding now encompasses the branding of managementphilosophies and management activities as reflected in the branding of the popular managementphilosophy of Lean. Language, metaphors and special lexical choices play an important factor in thebranding of Lean management as unique and innovative.

Portrait of a Contender: Patrizia Anesa

This summer, Patrizia Anesa kindly took the time to speak with “Language at Work –Bridging Theory and Practice” about her professional experience at the University of Bergamo, Italy. Teaching at the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Education, Patrizia is also affiliated with CERLIS (Research Centre for the study of Specialized Languages).

Management Communication with impact!

“To be effective in business, you have to communicate well. To be a good manager, you have to communicate exceptionally well”. This was the opening of a newsletter sent to all people managers in Danfoss on October 13, 2010 from Chief Reputation Officer Ole Daugbjerg. Attached was a booklet titled `Management Communication Tool Kit´.