Introduction to English for Finance

Business English for Finance- Learning Accounting and Financial Terms and Vocabulary

We should start by asking what is English for finance? It is the learning of English specifically geared towards accounting, finance, auditing or whatever area of finance you need to learn.

The next question could be how is learning English for finance different from learning general English or business English? The main difference relates to vocabulary. Knowing the technical vocabulary related to your specific job or area of study is essential if top performance is to be achieved.

Business English classes tend to focus on meetings, negotiations and other business functions. A business English class might focus on your area of expertise irregularly (especially if you are learning in a group). English for finance, however, involves regular study (as in every class) of related financial and accounting themes.

Some students find that learning English for finance in every class is a bit difficult. For many students, the English class is a break from the working routine. Students want to relax during their class, have some fun and learn English. They don’t necessarily want to focus on finance during class when they are trying to relax and forget about work for a while! If this is the case, then they should have classes of general English and forget about technical financial English.

For the students who want to focus on financial English, they must decide how much time in class they want to dedicate to financial English. Some students are happy with 30 minutes out of a 90-minute class. Others (usually the boss!) not only want a full 100% of the class dedicated to financial English, but also insist that their subordinates spend 100% of their classes on financial English!

If you want to learn financial English, there are various methods your teacher can use. The financial times is great for reading about finance and for learning new vocabulary. New vocabulary learning can be reinforced by doing vocabulary exercises such as crosswords, definitions, etc. Your teacher will be able to supply these. Also ask your teacher for listening exercises related to finance or accounting. Video is fairly easy to find by recording from financial television stations. Grammar can be revised by adapting existing grammar exercises to a financial context. Finally and most importantly, speak to your teacher about your job, financial matters etc. Do role-plays with your teacher where your teacher puts you in a financial situation and asks you to speak (always prepare the vocabulary first).

Finally, where do you find a teacher of financial English? It’s quite difficult to find a financial English teacher. The teacher must have knowledge of finance, but is not an “expert”. A qualified, experienced teacher who has a diploma or degree in business, finance or accounting is a good profile. Or a qualified, experienced teacher who has worked in the financial/accounting world is acceptable also.