Business English Pod / Business English Vocabulary

Business English Vocabulary

Learn business English vocabulary related to specific areas such as finance, marketing, legal, project management, IT and technology, human resources (HR), and international trade.

Business English Vocabulary Lessons

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All business English Vocabulary lessons published by Business English Pod.

We now have over 150 audio and video English lessons covering key aspects of business English vocabulary. Vocabulary is presented in context using realistic conversations and visuals and each lesson has a downloadable PDF transcript and online quizzes for extra practice. In addition to our vocabulary lessons, we have a great selection of lessons on business English idioms and collocations.

Use these links to jump to business vocabulary for specific areas such as finance, marketing and legal:

Below is the complete list of business English vocabulary lessons ordered by published date, starting with the most recent lessons.

Business English News 56 – Deglobalization

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News /

BEN 56 - Deglobalization

In this Business English News lesson on the trend toward deglobalization, we look at business English vocabulary related to economics and global trade.

The past few years have been a very interesting time for the world economy. A pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of global supply chains. Geopolitical tensions around the world have intensified, stoking inflation. In response to these disruptive forces, we are seeing a new international dynamic emerge, as Shroders reports:

A decades-long process of globalization is coming to an end as the world becomes more protectionist, favoring opportunities closer to home. Multinational corporations are diversifying where they produce goods and relocating closer to home. This trend represents backtracking from the globalized model of extended supply chains that have defined international trade in the past few decades.

Many saw globalization as an unassailable model for economic development, one that brought universal benefits. And there are many who see deglobalization, as it’s being called, as either regressive or bad for business. But the cracks in the globalized economy are evident.

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

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BEP 405 – English Idioms about Animals (2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms /

BEP 405 LESSON - English Idioms about Animals (2)

Welcome back to Business English Pod the second part of our series on English idioms related to animals.

English can be a difficult language to learn. One reason, which you’ve likely discovered, is that there are so many different ways to say something. It’s not just a variety of individual words, but also the variety of idioms. Idioms can be tricky. You might hear someone say “it’s a dog eat dog world” and wonder: why are they talking about dogs?

In fact, a “dog eat dog world” is not about dogs at all. This is an idiom that describes a tough competitive environment. Just like the business world in which you’re trying to learn English so you can compete. English is full of expressions like this. And it turns out that we have dozens of idioms related to animals.

In this lesson, we’ll rejoin a conversation among three colleagues in a large corporation. Ruby, Dylan and Kyle have been discussing the Chief Investment Officer position in their company, as well as the world of investments. In their conversation they use many idioms related to animals. See if you can spot some of these as we go through the dialog, and we’ll explain them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. How does Dylan describe his investment advisor’s work habits?
2. What does Ruby say to communicate to her colleagues that she doesn’t have special information to share?
3. What does Dylan believe the company needs to do to prove they’re serious about IT transformation?

Premium Members: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | PhraseCast | Lesson Module

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BEP 404 – English Idioms about Animals (1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms /

BEP 404 LESSON - English Idioms about Animals (1)

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on English idioms related to animals.

Like all our lessons, this one is focused on language that you can use at work and in business. When you work like a dog, you can’t waste your time learning expressions you’ll never use. And when it comes to idioms, you should focus on the ones that are commonly used and widely understood. Like the one I just used: “to work like a dog.”

In fact, there’s a ton of idioms in English that mention animals, especially dogs. That’s probably because so many of us keep them as pets. But we’ve got idioms about cats, horses, snakes, fish, cows, bears and countless other animals. And learning these idioms can add to your language toolbox and make you sound more natural. Besides, a well-placed idiom can add a lot of impact to a sentence.

In this lesson, we’ll listen to a conversation between Dylan, Ruby, and Kyle – three colleagues in a large corporation. They’re talking about the Chief Investment Officer position in their company. They discuss the former person in the role, people who applied for the job, and the person who got it. In their conversation they use many idioms related to animals. See if you can spot some of these, and we’ll explain them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. How does Ruby describe Greg, the person in finance who applied for the Chief Investment Officer job?
2. How does Dylan describe Brett, the former Chief Investment Officer?
3. What expression does Ruby use to describe the current challenging market?

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Business English News 55 – 2024 Global Economic Outlook

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, Finance and Accounting /

BEN 55 LESSON - 2024 Global Economic Outlook

In this Business English News lesson on the economic outlook for 2024, we look at business English vocabulary related to the global economy and finance.

At the start of every year, economists love to make predictions. But in such a volatile world, predictions are tough to make accurately. For 2023, many economists forecasted rising inflation and a “hard landing” for the global economy. But that didn’t happen. So, what’s in store for 2024? Will the challenges of 2023 snowball into a recession? Not according to MSN.com:

Although growth is estimated to be even slower in 2024, the worst is perhaps over and headwinds are expected to ease, analysts say. For next year, the IMF expects global gross domestic product to expand by 2.9 per cent, while the World Bank forecasts 2.4 per cent growth. “Looking at 2024, we anticipate uncertainty to persist, with sub-trend growth projected across the world’s economies,” State Street Global Advisor said in its 2024 Outlook report.

All of this amounts to what many people are anticipating as a “soft landing” for the U.S. economy. The fight against inflation isn’t over, and consumers are still taking it on the chin. But turning the inflationary tide didn’t require high unemployment, as is often the case.

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

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Business English News 54 – Tech Takeovers

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, IT and Tech /

Business English News 54 - Tech Takeovers

In this Business English News lesson we look at business English vocabulary related to tech takeovers or mergers and acquisitions.

Takeovers are a huge part of the tech business, and they’re not always hostile. In fact, many young entrepreneurs build niche companies hoping to be acquired. And for the giants of tech, mergers and acquisitions are a critical growth strategy. With the personalities and egos involved, takeovers keep the news cycle buzzing, as the drama at Twitter has shown. According to the Guardian:

Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in 2022 promised the biggest shake-up since the company was founded. The former world’s richest man was keen to take on the project after becoming disillusioned by the site’s perceived biases and content moderation policy. But Twitter’s revolution became a bloodbath in the process, cutting staff by 80% to hone in on the new direction. Then they lost users and advertisers as a lean team struggled to manage disinformation, trolling and impersonation online.

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3