JoLIE 16:2/2023
BOOK REVIEW
Maria-Crina Herțeg, English for Business Purposes, Editura Aeternitas, 2021, Pp. 1-251 ISBN 978-606-613-195-7
Reviewed by Gabriela Corina Șanta (Câmpean), 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia
The book English for Business Purposes authored by Maria-Crina Herțeg addresses to a large variety of learners who want to familiarise with business English, ranging from tertiary-level students in business and economics to professionals who want to improve their business vocabulary and their reading, speaking and writing skills. English for Business Purposes is a practical book which encourages learners’ autonomy, fosters their business English skills, and helps them learn to communicate in diverse business environments. It was designed on the basis of a needs analysis conducted with BA students enrolled in Finances and Accountancy programmes offered by the Faculty of Economics within by 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia. Therefore, it meets the needs of the students within the same university. This practical resource complements the existing manuals in the field of business and economics, published both nationally and internationally.
The book comprises fifteen units which approach different topics pertaining to business, as well as one unit which focuses on business correspondence. It also contains two sections with functional language used in speaking and writing tasks. The final section of the book is a Romanian-English glossary of business terms. Fourteen units of the book cover business-specific topics, such as: starting up a business, entrepreneurship, insurance, marketing, advertising, accounting, and human resources. The final chapter, titled Business correspondence, familiarises the students with the types of documents written in business, and it introduces the learners to the main types of letters drafted in business, the structure of a business letter, and greetings used in business correspondence. The book is structured in thematic units which introduce key vocabulary and essential business concepts. The author chooses to present the units successively, ranging from the incipient stages of a business, such as starting up a business, to taking out insurance policies and the financial aspects of a business.
The units have a similar structure, which comprises sections such as: Reading Comprehension, Check your Understanding, English in Use, Focus on Speaking, Focus on Writing. Some units include the section titled Translation for Professionals, which comprises texts displaying a high degree of complexity and difficulty. The section entitled English in Use displays a large variety of vocabulary tasks which aim to improve learners’ business vocabulary. The practical tasks proposed by the author mainly include fill-in, word formation, rephrasing, cloze, and multiple choice. All these practical activities are introduced in a user-friendly manner and they contribute to improving learners’ accuracy and fluency in business English.
The sections Focus on Speaking comprise both oral interactions and oral presentations, the speaking tasks are selected in accordance with the topic of the unit. The speaking activities seek to develop learners’ speaking skills through case studies and problem-solving tasks. Through these speaking activities, learners learn how to interact with peers in a business environment, they further learn how to draft an oral presentation and how to deliver it. The speaking activities involve making decisions in business-related environments, requesting and providing information and advice, negotiating, advertising, dealing with conflicting situations. The speaking activities encourage collaborative work, the students can resolve these activities by working in pairs or in groups.
The Focus on Writing section in each unit aims to improve learners’ writing skills. The author provides the learners with guiding lines on how to conceive and approach the writing activities as well as with functional language to be used in these tasks. The writing activities align with the topics of the units proposed by the authors.
The Speaking Corner section comprises functional vocabulary used in business presentations. Thus, students learn what language to use in order to express ideas, how to lead a discussion, what language to use in negotiations. This section also comprises a list of linkers used in an oral presentation. The section entitled Writing Corner comprises functional vocabulary used in writing tasks. It also comprises a detailed list with linkers which better organise the writing activities.
The final section of the book is titled Romanian - English Glossary of Business Terms. The terms are entered in an alphabetical order, some terms are presented in verbal and nominal collocations. The glossary is an extremely useful tool for Romanian learners who aim to acquire business vocabulary. This section is complemented with a list of abbreviations used in international trade, business and financial operations. The sources from which the author retrieves the texts for vocabulary and reading activities are British financial newspapers such as The Financial Times and The Economist.
Overall, among the strong points of this book there are the types of tasks and activities it proposes which make it suitable both for classroom and for individual use, the organisation of the book, its practical orientation, as well as the accuracy of Romanian – English glossary.
In short, the book represents a valuable resource for learners who aim to improve their business skills. It is in line with, and it reflects the author’s continuous preoccupation with various aspects pertaining to business English.
References:
Herțeg, M.-C. (2021). English for business purposes. Aeternitas.
How to cite this book review: Șanta (Câmpean), G. C. (2023). Review of English for Business Purposes, by Maria-Crina Herțeg. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education – JoLIE, 16(2), 173–174. https://doi.org/10.29302/jolie.2023.16.2.10
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