The importance of Business English.
In the 21st century we live in a truly global society, where communication with almost every part of the world is possible. The spread of English as the language of international business has made it more important than ever for people working with colleagues, clients and partners from other countries to understand each other, so that they can form effective and productive working relationships.
In order to meet the demands of modern employers, everyone from university graduates to senior managers must be able use English for work. Effective internal and external communication is essential to the success of any business, but professionals who need to communicate with each other as non-native English speakers can greatly benefit from learning Business English.
The expanding circle refers to those countries where English has no official role, but is nonetheless important for certain functions, e.g. international business and tourism. By the twenty-first century, the number of non-native English speakers has come to significantly outnumber the number of native speakers by a factor of three, according to the British Council.[2] Darius Degher, a professor at Malmö University in Sweden, uses the term decentered English to describe this shift, along with attendant changes in what is considered to be important to English users and learners.
Research on English as a lingua franca in the sense of "English in the Expanding Circle" is comparatively recent. Linguists who have been active in this field are Jennifer Jenkins, Barbara Seidlhofer, Christiane Meierkord and Joachim Grzega.