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Contents Dear Reader 5 Introduction to English at Work for Speakers of Swedish 7 Plain Writing 11 Ten Rules of Plain Writing 13 Crossword 1 17 Punctuation 18 Exercises 20 Email 25 Email 26 Crossword 2 31 Abbreviations, signs and symbols 32 Exercises 35 Telephone English 39 Telephoning 40 Crossword 3 44 The English alphabet 45 Exercises 48 Meetings 51 Meetings 52 Crossword 4 56 Exercises 60 Swenglish 65 Swenglish and translations 67 Crossword 5 70 To or -ing form? 71 Exercises 72 Good relationships 77 Good relationships 78 Crossword 6 82 Question tags 83 Exercises 84

Tricky Tenses 89 Using verb lists 89 Present simple and present continuous The future 97 Answers 101 Plain writing 101 Emails 103 Telephone English 105 Meetings 107 Swenglish 109 Good relationships 111 Tricky Tenses 113 Bibliography 117 Web resources 119 About the author 123

94

Meetings As corporations grow in size and complexity the number of meetings is bound to increase. International groups meet to discuss all sorts of issues - from strategy and sales forecasts to presentations and personal business plans - and most of these meetings are in English.

Whatever the nationalities of participants, unless they speak English well, meetings can be a nightmare1. Many people­find it especially irritating that it takes the presence2 of only one British or American speaker to require all the other participants to use English. In such meetings, people with only limited English skills can no longer hide behind their desks but are forced3 to speak in front of colleagues, knowing their mistakes will be heard by everyone. Many people find speaking in public bad enough when it’s in their own language, but in English it can be truly terrifying!

But lack of confidence is only one problem. Research shows that when native speakers of English listen to people with ­foreign accents (or even to someone they believe is not a native speaker) they take it for granted that they won’t be able to understand them so they stop trying. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that some Swedes choose not to say anything in meetings held in English, in case they make fools of themselves. This is terrible news for employers4, for any company which wants to be successful needs to be able to use the ideas and talents of all its employees5.

Another thing about international meetings is that people often have different expectations about what they’re for. For example, meetings in some countries which traditionally have a great respect for hierarchy (like China or India) are often 1 2 3 4 5

nightmare = mardröm presence = närvaro force = tvinga employer = arbetsgivare employee = anställd

events where you are informed about decisions6 taken elsewhere. Expressing opinions is believed to be the right of more senior people and when employees with different positions7 meet, managers speak and everyone else listens. This can lead to situations in some countries, including Japan, where junior employees will not say a word if their seniors don’t speak first, even if their own English is good and their bosses’ is bad!

Things are very different in Sweden, a culture where ­decision-making tends to be a team function and where meetings are regarded as opportunities8 for people from all levels of an organisation to express their opinions.

The amount of chat in meetings is also a topic which can divide nationalities. In the US, for example, people tend to get down to business after a few opening comments. After all, as they say there, time is money. However, in cultures where business is built on strong inter-personal relationships, as in Latin America, meetings may be regarded as a chance to network and to learn more about the sort of business that ­colleagues are engaged in.

When people finally do get down to work other differences can emerge9. The tone of debate, for example, can vary greatly­ depending on the backgrounds of the participants. Some ­nationalities, like the French, may accept heated10 arguments and raised voices as a normal part of communication, while the Swedes and British prefer a calmer style.

In short, it’s not just language which can cause us to misunderstand each other – culture also plays its part!

Meetings It is not possible to solve all the English-related problems which arise at meetings. However there are some simple things we can do to prevent them.

6 decision = beslut 7 position = (here) anställning 8 opportunities = möjligheter 9 emerge = komma fram 10 heated = (here) hetsig

Ways of minimizing language problems in international meetings • A few days before the meeting, material should be available11 to participants in the local language and/or English so they can prepare. (You can send the information as email attachments, paper copies, or post it on a team workplace.)

• As much of this material as possible should be pictorial (such as graphs, diagrams, and charts).

• A professional interpreter12 should be present if the meeting is important, to ensure there are no misunderstandings.

• In larger meetings, each language group can choose a spokesperson13 - the member of the group who speaks the best English. The meeting is halted at regular intervals to allow participants from the same language groups to check with each other that they have understood what has been said and to allow the spokesperson to ask any questions on their behalf.

• At the start of a meeting one person should be chosen to take minutes14 in plain English on his or her computer.

This person will show the group the minutes at intervals during the meeting, or at the end. (This way, any language questions can be raised immediately. This is especially valuable15 for some non-native speakers, including the Chinese and Japanese, who may find it easier to read English than listen to it.)

11 12 13 14 15

available = tillgänglig interpreter = tolk spokesperson = (here) representant minutes = protokoll valuable = värdefull

Ways a chairperson16 can minimize language differences People may be nervous at the thought of making mistakes in English in front of lots of strangers. It is the chairperson’s job to encourage them and to make international meetings productive and fair. Here are some suggestions.

• Tell people who have English as their first language to think about the way they speak and modify it if necessary. This is especially important if they usually speak quickly or quietly, or if they have a strong local accent or dialect. Remind them if they forget.

• Tell everyone that participants are not going to be judged17 on the quality of their English but on their ideas.

• Remind everyone of the importance of using plain English. Set a good example by using simple words and short sentences, and by speaking clearly.

• Encourage people to speak up18 if they do not understand a point. Explain it is fine for listeners to ask a speaker to explain something, several times if necessary, if they do not understand.

• Ensure that English native speakers do not dominate the meeting simply because it is in their mother tongue and they can express themselves more fluently than their colleagues.

• Give non-native speakers of English plenty of time to express themselves and make sure they are not interrupted before they have finished.

16 chairperson = ordförande. This is a difficult term to use in the plural.

“Chairpeople” just sounds wrong. An alternative is “chairs”, which sounds like talking furniture.

17 judge = bedöma 18 speak up = säga till

Extract from meeting Here is part of a meeting which contains some useful words and phrases. Underline the ones you find useful.

Chair: Is everyone present?

Bella: We’ve had apologies19 from Adam and Sarah but everyone else is here.

Chair: Well let’s make a start, shall we? John, could you take the minutes please? I’d like to remind everyone that this is an international meeting and that English is a second language for most of us. For that reason I’d like to ask our American and British participants to speak a little more slowly than normal, and use simple words as far as possible. If anyone doesn’t understand something, don’t be embarrassed20 to say so. We all need to understand what’s going on if we are to avoid21 misunderstandings.

So, what’s the first item22 on the agenda?

Bella: I’m going to start by giving a short presentation of the new project and then afterwards I’ll answer any questions.

John: Can I make a proposal23? Before the presentation I’d like us to look at the latest sales figures. I know it was supposed to be item two on the agenda, but it makes more sense to take it first.

Bella: I’ve got no objection24.

John: Great. I shouldn’t need more than five minutes. Well as you see from the diagram, after a slight fall in quarter two, sales stabilized at the current25 level.

Chair: I have to say, these figures are very impressive. I’m sure management will be pleased. Does anyone have any comments or questions for John?

Bella: Yes. I was wondering ...

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

apologies = ursäkter embarrassed = generad avoid = undvika item = (here) punkt proposal = förslag i ett möte objection = invändning current = (here) nuvarande

Crossword 4

Across: 3. This ring is ---; it’s worth a lot of money. 4. If you want to

send documents you can send them as --- to your emails. 5. (here) The way a person speaks. 6. To be reasonable and honest. 11. Your “mother ---“ is another word for your first language. 14. Do you have --- questions? 16. A group of senior managers leading the company. 17. In the --- issue of “The Times” you can read about our company. 18. Tom is leaving. Who is going to --- to a leaving present?

Down: 1. The person who invites the participants and leads the meeting. 2. People who attend a conference or meeting. 7. The special notes that are an official record of a meeting. 8. One of the subjects on the agenda to be covered in a meeting. 9. A message politely saying that someone cannot be present at a meeting. 10. When people consult each other on a subject. 12. The manager will be --- from 10 AM, so you can phone him then. 13. I don’t understand your email. Please write in --English. 15. I may forget the date - can you --- me?

Swedish clues on page 64, answers on page 107.

Some useful prepositions Prepositions are very difficult to use correctly. They are u 足 sually quite short (for example in, of, on, for, by, from) and most of them have several different functions. Many nouns, adjectives and verbs are used with particular prepositions. There are not many helpful rules about how to use them, so you usually have to learn each expression separately.

Prepositions of time This is one area where there are rules about when to use which preposition.

At: shorter periods of time at breakfast, at 3 PM, at Christmas

On: particular days on Monday, on Easter Sunday, on Christmas Eve

In: longer periods of time in January, in the summer, in 2011

Prepositions before nouns This is not a complete list but it contains expressions you might use at work. at a meeting at risk at the top/bottom (of a page or screen) behind schedule by mistake in a hurry in error in the corner

About the author Gwyneth Olofsson is a British intercultural ­ and language consultant­who has an MA in English and postgraduate qualifications in education. She acts as an examiner in English for the International Baccalaureate organi­ zation and is Infomaster for Volvo IT’s English language website. Gwyneth has written a regular column for the Volvo Group’s Global magazine since 1997 and her earlier publications are “Everyone­Makes Mistakes” (1998) Studentlitteratur. The book “When in Rome or Rio or Riyadh” (2004) Intercultural Press, was chosen as an “Outstanding Academic Title” by the American Library Association in 2006.