Planning Your Next Trip to the US? Consider a Short Specialized English Course
Autor: EducationUSA Brasil | Publicado: 2011-04-26T14:44:00-03:00



Por Andreza Martins
Do you speak... Legal English? Medical English? Business English? English for Science and Engineering? Have you ever attended a meeting in English where you would swear they were speaking Greek because you only understood every other word? It might be time to consider taking a specialized English course—one that will help you further develop your professional skills and make you a more valuable asset to your company.
EducationUSA in Brazil is prepared to help guide you in ﬁnding a course that would best ﬁt your needs. EducationUSA is a global network of advising centers supported by the U.S. Department of State. Its mission is to promote U.S. higher education by offering accurate, comprehensive, impartial and timely information about education opportunities in the United States. Recently, Education USA, whose Rio is located on the campus of the Catholic University (PUC), has received a new inﬂux of customers who want to take advantage of the favorable exchange rate and upcoming holidays to invest in their professional development. Unlike traditional students who look for degree programs, these are focused, oareer—0riented adults looking to brush up or hone their English skills to suit very speciﬁc purposes. There are terms, vocabulary, and jargon that are unique to many pI'Of€SSiOI13.i ﬁelds zmci many U.S universities haxie developed specialized courses to help language learners get a headstart in mastering these professional “dialects.” Take For instance professional Law jargon - also known as “legalese” - that is practically a language of its own. Legal English courses can vary in duration from four to ten weeks and will typically include: review oFU.S. legal system and trial procedures, legal vocabulary and writing, oral advocacy, and guest lectures by legal scholars and practicing attorneys. Courses like this are available in many different states such as New York, Delaware, California, and Florida among others and cost around US$3,000.00 depending on duration and location.
English for Business Communication is a popular course. In as little as three to four weeks, students can gain valuable knowledge and develop the skills and the conﬁdence to communicate better with international clients anti partners. The focus here is on making presentations, negotiating, increasing business vocabulary and writing letters, proposals, reports and resumes. Topics usually include: U.S. Business Environment, marketing, ﬁnance, international trade, management, and human resources. The U.S. teaching style is very dynamic
and these programs may include expert guest speakers and corporate visits. At the University of Alabama, for example, participants typically visit Mercedes-Benz U.S. International headquarters located in Tuscaloosa County. All such courses include weekend cultural trips and activities, which make it fun to be a student again! There are many options regarding duration and location and costs will vary accordingly. Note that universities such as UC Irvine, UC Riverside and University of Alabama have developed special short courses for January and July to facilitate study during vacation periods.
A new type of English program was recently created to cater to those in ﬁelds related to Science and Engineering The University of California at Davis offers a unique program designed to make professionals more comfortable using English as :1 common language in the Sciences. ilhe program fosters interaction by mixing group and individual project work and visits. Students also visit laboratories ancl high~tech companies and are introduced to exciting hot topics in research and the latest applications. Participants ultimately improve their overall English language skills (i.e., listening, speaking, reading and writing) as well as the critical thinking and oral presentation skills they need to work as scientists, engineers and technical experts in a global marketplace. IF the speciﬁc kind of English training you need is not mentioned here you may try searching on www.intensiveenglishusaprg a web site that lists many such resources under English for Speciﬁc Purposes. You can also receive an individual consultation at the EducationUSA by contacting us by e-mail or phone to schedule an appointment. Other good news is that the U.S. Consulate has a visa facilitation program for student visa applicants to help ensure that they get their visas in time for their course of study.