Reading — A Common Language

Unit 1 · Meetings · B1

Business English Speakers Can Still Be Divided by a Common Language

Why being fluent isn’t the same as being understood — and why cultural awareness matters in international meetings.

Business is the most popular field of study for international students in the United States. In fact, business represents about 21% of all foreign students at American universities. Many of these students will use English at work for the rest of their careers — even when they are talking to colleagues who are also non-native speakers.

Professor Thomas Cosse, who teaches international business, says that more schools around the world now require students to study English, and more subjects are taught in English. But knowing English is not enough.

“Write reports in such a way that it can be understood by someone who is an English speaker but not a native English speaker.”
Professor Thomas Cosse

This means avoiding jargon — technical words that are common in one country or industry but confusing to everyone else.

Kay Westerfield, an expert in international communication, says language skills alone are not enough either.

“If you just have the language awareness or the skills without culture, you can easily be a fluent fool.”
Kay Westerfield

In other words, you can speak perfect English and still misunderstand — or be misunderstood — in a meeting, simply because you don’t understand the cultural context.

For many students, English is not just a school subject. One student from West Africa told Westerfield that, for him, “English is a lifeline” — it opens doors to better jobs and opportunities that would otherwise be closed.

Today, English proficiency is also a business decision. Companies that consider moving operations to another country now look at English skills in the local workforce, alongside cost, when they choose where to invest.

The takeaway: being fluent is only half the job. Understanding the people in the room — their culture, their expectations, their way of disagreeing or agreeing — is just as important as the words you use.

📖 Key vocabulary

field — an area of work or study.
non-native — not speaking the language from birth.
require — to make something necessary.
jargon — special or technical words that outsiders find hard to understand.
confusing — hard to understand.
awareness — knowing and noticing something.
fluent fool — someone who speaks a language well but misses the culture.

Source: VOA Special English / VOA Learning English report, “Business English Speakers Can Still Be Divided by a Common Language” (public domain, adapted for B1 level).