English for the Automobile Industry

What are the course objectives for the
English for the Automotive Industry Course?

As the Automobile Industry is a global business the need to understand and communicate in English is very important for those in the industry. From the days when the original ‘horseless carriage’ first came to market to today, the automobile industry has grown enormously and is now an industry that is one of the worlds’ largest economic sectors when based on revenue. The Automobile Industry is a major industry in many countries and being global means it is crucial to be able to do business with people from all over the world.

On the whole, the people who come here to study on our English for Automobile courses are looking to improve their ability to work in areas of design, production, sourcing, marketing, safety, procedure or related areas generally working on vehicles such as passenger cars, commercial vehicles, trucks or farm equipment. Included in these areas are the areas of safety, manufacturing, production runs, design, safety and other key points in the supply chain.

In order to be able to communicate with others in the automobile industry, it is necessary to have a grasp of the relevant vocabulary, processes and business function skills, and this is what our English for Automobile course will help our students to improve.

We have had students attend our English for Automobile Course who have worked on the design of new models, those who have worked on launching new models or car, some who have needed to understand the impact on the environment, those who work in the manufacturing process.

We tailor our Automobile Course specifically to work with each individual students’ needs for them to develop their communicative performance and ability in the Automobile industry in an international context be that either with international colleagues in their companies at home or abroad. Our courses also help them to use specialist professional terminology with the right register and style. Very often students have the vocabulary but are lacking in the confidence to use it, we find at the end of the course they are frequently excited to go back and start using the language that they have but with confidence, knowing that they can and will succeed in communicating their ideas.

English for the car industry: Communication Skills

As well as the specific language pertinent to their chosen field, our students will also broaden their communication skills in order for them to be able to function fully in the workplace. We do this by working on their specific needs and also by broadening their general business language skills.

On their course, they could focus on areas such as:

• Meetings and Teleconferencing – ie meetings with their teams at home or abroad
• Negotiations – to be able to come to an agreement using diplomatic language
• Making Presentations – presenting information to their colleagues in a clear way
• Dealing with Numerical Data – for working with budgets and charts
• Telephoning – to discuss information or answer queries with colleagues and customers
• Socialising and Networking – before or after the meeting or at conferences or dinners
• E-mail, Letter and Report Writing
• Cross-cultural awareness – more and more important in a global environment

Technical English for Automobiles: Lexical Content

Subject to needs analysis of the participant’s requirements, the course may include vocabulary extension in the following areas:

• Manufacturing
• Engineering and design
• Quality Control: Improving Service and Raising Productivity
• Sales and marketing
• Financial management
• Human Resources management
• Logistics
• Purchasing.

Special emphasis is placed on the relevant vocabulary, register and grammatical structures that are used in this field and the client is given the opportunity to practice using the language that he or she has acquired by means of seminars, group sessions and communicative practice activities.

English lessons for the Automotive industry: A Case Study

Read an interview with Josep, a key account manager who followed this course