English for Trade: A Didactic View

Abstract

English has become the dominant language of international trade, enabling communication across diverse cultural, economic, and professional contexts. The effective use of English is therefore essential for activities such as negotiation, contract drafting, business correspondence, and professional interaction. This paper aims to examine English as a tool for international trade from a didactic perspective, with a particular focus on the teaching and learning of Business English within English for Specific Purposes (ESP) frameworks. The scope of the study covers key communicative skills required in trade-related contexts, including written clarity, persuasive language in negotiation, terminological accuracy, and intercultural pragmatics. The study adopts a descriptive and analytical approach, drawing on ESP principles and task-based learning theory to analyse common linguistic and pragmatic difficulties faced by non-native English learners in trade communication. The findings reveal that learners often struggle with limited specialised vocabulary, insufficient familiarity with trade genres such as emails, reports, and proposals, and a lack of exposure to authentic business interactions.

Based on these findings, the paper proposes pedagogical strategies that emphasise genre-based instruction, the use of authentic materials, and the development of communicative competence tailored to commercial contexts. The study concludes that targeted and context-sensitive instruction in Business English significantly enhances learners’ ability to participate effectively and confidently in international trade, with important implications for ESP curriculum design and classroom practice.