从EMI与ESP的发展看商务英语面临的挑战与机遇

Challenges and Solutions for Business English in Face of Current Advancements in EMI and ESP

在过去20年里,英语的广泛使用进一步强化了其作为国际交流共通语的地位,这明显地体现在高等教育领域里。对大学阶段非母语学习群体实施的全英语教学(EMI)快速发展,对以英语为第一外语的传统语言教育提出了挑战并对商务英语发展产生了影响。本文在对TEFL范畴内通用英语(EGP)、专门用途英语(ESP)、EMI分析的基础上,阐述了EMI和ESP环境中“English”的多功能概念及ESP与EMI环境对师生的不同要求,进而从几个主要方面揭示了ESP与EMI交叉互补的空间,据此论述了商务英语作为国际商务领域共通语有别于ESP及EMI的本质,并提出了二元目标与狭义与广义交叉的观点,明确了商务英语发展面临的主要问题并提出原则性建议。

Wider use of English in the past 20 years has further promoted English as a lingua franca in international communication,which is evidenced in higher education.English-medium instruction(EMI)oriented to university non-native speakers develops rapidly,advancing teaching English as foreign language teaching(TEFL)and business English’s future development.By analyzing EGP(English for general purposes),ESP(English for specific purposes),and EMI from a TEFL perspective,this paper explains the multi-functional concept of“English”in EMI and ESP environments and points out the requirements for teachers and students,revealing the cross-complementary space of ESP and EMI.Finally,by clarifying the characteristics of EMI and ESP,this paper refnes the essence of business English(BE)as a lingua franca in the international business domain,differentiating BE,ESP,and EMI.The paper alleges the dual objectives for BE to achieve and the necessity for BE to intersect with ESP,EMI and others.