LEARNING ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES IN THE SPHERE OF HOSPITALITY

ABSTRACT

The article outlined the system of learning English for specific purpose, especially in the sphere of hospitality. The article presents various methods of learning English as an indispensable language in hospitality industry.

Keywords: ESP, hospitality industry, language learning, learning styles.

The defining aspect of hospitality industry is the fact that it focuses on the ideas of luxury, pleasure, enjoyment and experiences, as opposed to catering for necessities and essentials. Therefore, people working in this field often have to communicate with customers from everywhere. There are about 7000 estimated distinct languages in the world today and hospitality enterprises cannot recruit each person who speak each language to serve customers. It is essential for hotel employees to know English for providing booking and reservation service alongside with the hotel operating systems.

Analyzing the languages most commonly used in the field, the top ones include Chinese, English, Spanish, German, French and Italian. The Chinese language is undoubtedly gaining its popularity, but the English language is still the main language for international business communication. Therefore, knowing the importance of learning English in hospitality industry is essential to survive in the field.

The teaching of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has been seen as a separate activity within English language teaching (ELT). ESP has always been with needs analysis and preparing learners to communicate effectively in the tasks prescribed by their field of study or work situation. Before embarking on studying professional English for hospitality industry students have to make sure they possess basic English skills for communication. General English can be seen as a mediating language between the technicalities of particular business and the language of the general public, which puts it in a position between English for General Purposes (EGP) and specialist English (Dzurgaeva, 2017).

Whatever the purpose is, modern English learning methodology will include taking courses, self-studying or studying at educational facilities. There are many ways to learn English of hospitality industry which can be divided into two main groups: self-studies and classroom studies.

As far as self-study is concerned, there are several of ways to learn English for this field but all of them require more time to do research, motivation from a student and perseverance. The most common way is to study via the Internet resources. On many forums and online platforms there are topics connected with the usage of English in hospitality industry, which encompasses professional terminology, or one can simply search for the key words such as “vocabulary of hospitality English” and there are nearly 10 billion results for you to check for (estimated by 2019). Platforms for learning professional English in the area of tourism are numerous and provide various online learning styles. The most popular are: aviationenglishblog.com, mfluentu.com, english4hotels.com, englishformyjob.com, learn.saylor.org, myenglishlanguage.com, and others.

Learning English from videos is another effective way because a student can actually learn vocabulary and listen to conversations used in many sectors in this industry. A student can watch videos to study either on Youtube for free or in courses provided by educational facilities. A number of schools, colleges, universities have been offering on-site courses alongside with visual materials so that students can get access to lessons anytime they want conveniently without having to go to teaching facilities.

As far as traditional classroom studies are concerned, the choices are versatile.  A university curriculum of this industry takes students 4 years to complete, while a college curriculum takes students 3 years and professional technical school takes usually less than 2 years. The curriculum of any educational facility preparing specialists for hospitality industry always comprises professional aspects of the language.

Another common problem is that even the students who mastered the course successfully are not always apt for professional communication as they lack experience. Therefore, the most effective but also time-consuming way is practical experience. Everyone can either learn that from experiencing services in hospitality industry where people do not speak a native language or take part in this industry as an employee. If the choice is made in favour of actual experience, it is done in the form of internship for a short or a long-term job. Therefore, a student can communicate with people from different countries almost on daily basis.

Students can both learn English in their course and practice English in their internship or additional educational program that the facilities provide. Thus, they acquire  basic understanding and implementation of learning techniques not in the classroom only. It is a fact that students need help from teachers to understand new concepts, clarify their doubts as they are not able to understand everything during self-studies (Ạnum Khan, 2018). Whatever the resource is, it should always be authentic (the main purpose of teaching skills is to enable students to deal with authentic information despite their level of English), up-to-date (the informational exchange is growing more intense), and relevant for the students’ specializations (Dzurgaeva, 2017).

To master a foreign language for hospitality industry most effectively students should work or do an internship. The industry has its own operating systems that cannot be experienced in the framework of classroom studies or distant learning. Moreover, working is also an opportunity for students to study, practice and verify what they have learned as hospitality industry prioritizes hiring experienced employees.

Although students can master all methods simultaneously, many of them still have trouble learning English for professional usage and hospitality industry in particular. There are various causes of ineffective ESP learning. Firstly, students must consider whether the time and effort they spend on learning is adequate. Secondly, they should assess if the method of studying they choose has worked. There will be methods of learning that are appropriate for some people but not for the others. Therefore, before starting, students need to clearly define their learning goal, ability to acquire and the means they have to achieve that learning goal. The final problem is many people do well at home and in class but lack practice. As the industry requires a lot of talking with customers and there are specific operating systems in English, on spot practice of the language becomes essential.

In conclusion, being able to use English is a vital part of working in hospitality industry. Because English is so widely used, everyone learns it as a second language. There is no correct way of learning the language for specific purposes as long as it suits the individual. Students can become better learners if they are taught various vocabulary-learning strategies and techniques. They should be able to choose the most effective strategy for themselves from several kinds of approaches. If the staff communicates efficiently in English, the guest will be more satisfied with the services, which is indispensable for hospitality industry.

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