The simplexity of the digital age is making communication both convenient and difficult at the same time. That is, the more we enjoy the comforts brought by automation, the more we also become complacent about the fundamentals of communication. This simply means that the composition of the content or message, either in written or in …
Business English
In a world driven by quick and easy access to information, it is almost impossible not to know whom we should dedicate our letters or e-mails to. As this is the case, it’s almost always considered impolite to write fleeting or unspecific addressees because it may suggest that we didn’t exert enough time and effort …
“Jargon” is the word for specialized language that you encounter in a particular field or situation. One confusing thing about encountering jargon is that it may use language that has a meaning that is familiar to you in other contexts that makes no sense in the new context. To make matters worse, there is a …
There are certain words that have a general meaning that is widely understood. Then, within a very specific context, that word might have another meaning. This can be confusing, especially if you are not a native speaker of the language or if, for some reason, you simply have not encountered the word in that context …
Some English expressions seem to sound natural and unproblematic when expressed by a native speaker. But for some non-natives, these expressions could get a little awkward particularly when the individual meaning of words and how they relate to one another are dissected inappropriately. One of these expressions is “looking forward to seeing you” whereby, for …
The English language has a lot of stock phrases. Many of these, like “killing two birds with one stone,” are idiomatic. Others are just common phrases that have been repeated so many times that it’s hard to imagine their individual words standing alone. Some of the latter, like the phrase “open availability,” seem redundant but …
The electronic mailing system has become one of the most favored communication channels for business correspondence within the last decade. It somehow bodes well because huge chunks of data need not occupy any physical space anymore, let alone require high transaction fees. And, it meanwhile provides an avenue for attaching, tracking, reviewing, and keeping pieces …
Business English is famous for being confusing. And as anyone who reads this blog regularly knows, that’s especially true on job applications. Today, we’ll take a look at a particularly unclear part of some job applications: what to put when one asks for your discipline. What does “discipline” mean on a job application? On …
>Grammatical terms like suffix, prefix and infix (yes, it’s a thing) can quickly get confusing. When paired with the tendency of business English to use words in nonstandard ways, the situation is worse. Let’s take a look at a common question, how to fill in the “suffix” box on a job application form. What …