Transnational Technical Communication: English as a Business Lingua Franca in Engineering Workplaces
Abstract
Recent scholarship argues for increased attention to students’ linguistic diversity and intercultural communication competence. Our study examined the experiences of 10 working engineers who had graduated from an English-medium international branch campus in the Arabian Gulf. An analysis of their interviews reveals the complex role of English as a business lingua franca (BELF) in workplace communication. Interviewees’ reflections about their university experience indicate that they had not previously understood the full rhetorical and communicative nature of BELF. We provide implications for instructors who wish to provide methods that center intercultural professional communication and decenter English as a standardized, static language.
Department(s)
English
Document Type
Article
DOI
10.1177/23294906231154860
Keywords
Business English, Technical and Business Writing, Workplace Communication
Publication Date
12-1-2023
Recommended Citation
Seawright, Leslie E. and Hodges, Amy, "Transnational Technical Communication: English as a Business Lingua Franca in Engineering Workplaces" (2023). Faculty Scholarship. 522.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/articles00/522
Journal Title
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
