Blog

Recently, I wrote an article for ICMI discussing how to use—and when not to use—interview-style assessments to screen for job candidate language ability. Over my career, I have worked with language teachers, administrators, and other professionals to develop their skills in capturing and evaluating language performance data. An interview-style approach, despite its limits, also has a lot of advantages. Selfishly, of its greatest benefits is that it is one of the most enjoyable to employ as a language-tester. It is a satisfying way to connect with the person that you are evaluating. 

Several years ago a video went viral. It featured a man and a woman talking on a sofa. The woman is complaining about pain and pressure she’s experiencing. The camera is zoomed in tight to heighten dramatic effect, which limits you to seeing no more than just one side of her lower face. The man is sympathetically nodding but there’s something mysterious and conflicted about his expression. As he stumbles toward a suggestion, the camera pans out and you’re able to see the woman’s full profile: protruding from her forehead is a nail. This is what the man has tried to communicate but she’ll have none of it. It’s not about the nail. 

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is a subset of English as a Second Language (ESL). ESP is about more than just vocabulary. It also focuses on methodology. This learner-centered approach focuses on developing competence in a specific discipline, such as business. 

One of our company values at Emmersion is to be a Truth Seeker. To be a Truth Seeker is to continuously look for new perspectives and gain new information about ourselves. We are comfortable with questions—even questions that seem tinged with criticism. We are passionate in mastering our craft, so we welcome a chance to reflect on, and then respond to, a critique. 

When I Google, “English is the language of business”, I get 4.2 million results. When I Google, the same for Chinese, I get half as many results. Clearly, there is much written on the importance of English in business, but what I find interesting is the lack of information about the fact that the world’s largest economy (the United States) does not have the lead (growth) it once had.