Business English Vocabulary | Business English Pod

Business English Vocabulary Lessons

BEP — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 12:57:13 +0000

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.

BEP 422 – English for Logistics 3: Duty, Tariffs and Costs

BEP 421 – English for Logistics 2: Routing and Capacity

BEP 420 – English for Logistics 1: Transport Modes and Incoterms

Business English News 61 – Data Centers

Business English Games – Tariffs Monster Challenge

BEP 417 – English for Accounting: Discussing an Audit (2)

BEP 416 – English for Accounting: Discussing an Audit (1)

Business English News 60 – Tariffs: Rewiring Global Trade

Business English News 59 – DeepSeek

BEP 413 – Business English Idioms about Technology (2)

BEP 412 – Business English Idioms about Technology (1)

Business English News 58 – HR: Hiring Trends

BEN 57 – Robots: Back to the Future

BEP 409 – Quality Control 2: Customer Service

BEP 408 – Quality Control 1: Manufacturing

Business English News 56 – Deglobalization

BEP 405 – English Idioms about Animals (2)

BEP 404 – English Idioms about Animals (1)

Business English News 55 – 2024 Global Economic Outlook

Business English News 54 – Tech Takeovers

BEP 398 – English for Sales: Financial Services (2)

Business English News 53 – TikTok

Business English News 52 – ChatGPT

BEP 394 – English Idioms about Body Parts (2)

BEP 393 – English Idioms about Body Parts (1)

Business English News 51 – Energy Costs

BEP 390 – English Collocations: Online Marketing (2)

BEP 389 – English Collocations: Online Marketing (1)

Business English News 50 – Streaming TV Services

BEP 386 – English Idioms about Spending Money (2)

>>> The post Business English Vocabulary Lessons first appeared on Business English Pod :: Learn Business English Online.

BEP 422 – English for Logistics 3: Duty, Tariffs and Costs

BEP — Sun, 10 May 2026 16:53:03 +0000

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bizpod/BEP422-Logistics-3.mp3

Welcome back to Business English Pod for the third lesson in our series on English for logistics. In this lesson, we’ll focus on duties, tariffs, and other cost factors.

There was a time when logistics was a lot simpler than it is today, when economies were not nearly so interconnected. But in the second half of the 20th century, governments took down barriers to international trade. Soon companies were relying on complex supply chains stretching around the world, as they outsourced production and sold their goods abroad.

With so many moving parts to these modern supply chains, it can be challenging to control costs. You’re likely paying several different companies involved in moving and storing goods across oceans and continents and through the air. Each of those companies is trying to make a buck. And in many cases, you’re also moving things across borders, which means you need to consider duties and tariffs – the taxes governments charge on imported goods.

Talking about costs involves specific terminology used in logistics. But you’ll need to know about more than just tariffs, duties, and other taxes. You’ll also have to speak about regulations and compliance. And any conversation about costs will likely involve the vocabulary of risk, as you try to minimize the chances of something going wrong.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin a conversation between Cam and Anna. Cam is a production manager with a clothing company, while Anna works for a logistics firm. Cam is getting Anna’s support with moving their clothing lines from manufacturers in Eastern Europe to markets in the United States.

Listening Questions

1. What does Anna say are the biggest factors in discussing customs?
2. What point does Cam try to clarify by asking a more specific question?
3. What might be included in “landed costs” when discussing logistics?

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

Download: Podcast MP3>>> The post BEP 422 – English for Logistics 3: Duty, Tariffs and Costs first appeared on Business English Pod :: Learn Business English Online.

BEP 421 – English for Logistics 2: Routing and Capacity

BEP — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 16:47:58 +0000

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bizpod/BEP421-Logistics-2.mp3

Welcome back to Business English Pod for the second lesson in our series on English for logistics. In this lesson, we’re going to focus on routing and capacity.

Look at the labels of the items on your desk or in your home and you’ll appreciate just how critical international trade is. It’s easy to take it all for granted and forget that the entire system depends on a very complex supply chain. Until, of course, politics gets in the way, and suddenly the whole world is thinking about logistics!

Getting products and materials from point A to point B involves a lot of moving parts and a lot of important decisions. Manufacturers and retailers’ business models depend on optimizing logistics. And central to that work is figuring out routing, or the particular pathway of shipments, as well as storage and capacity.

Talking about routing requires special vocabulary related to transportation. You will also need to talk about how cargo is handled and how it is stored, or warehoused. And in discussing these matters, you’ll find it useful to keep a broad perspective and be able to reject options that aren’t quite right.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin a conversation between a production manager named Cam and a logistics manager named Anna. Cam’s company, Boston Vintage, manufactures clothing in Eastern Europe for distribution in several parts of the world. Boston Vintage is working with Anna’s company, Global Freight Express, to support their complex logistics needs.

Listening Questions

1. Why does Cam reject the regular “carrier loop” as an option for transporting their goods?
2. What are some of the terms used to discuss shipping containers and capacity?
3. What possible problems does Anna mention related to “warehousing?”

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

Download: Podcast MP3>>> The post BEP 421 – English for Logistics 2: Routing and Capacity first appeared on Business English Pod :: Learn Business English Online.

BEP 420 – English for Logistics 1: Transport Modes and Incoterms

BEP — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 16:53:49 +0000

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bizpod/BEP420-Logistics-1.mp3

Welcome back to Business English Pod for the first lesson in our new series on English for logistics. In this lesson, we’re going to focus on discussing modes of transport and shipping options.

In international business, products rarely stay in one place for long. They move between suppliers, warehouses, ports, and customers across different countries and time zones. To manage all this successfully, we need to learn the language of logistics.

Discussing logistics effectively starts with understanding and using key logistics vocabulary. This includes terms related to shipping schedules, transport arrangements, documentation, and responsibilities. If we’re comfortable with the language, we can discuss plans clearly and confidently in real business situations.

For starters, there are several basic logistics terms that everyone should know. From there, you can talk about different transport modes and incoterms, which define responsibilities of different players in the movement of goods. And as we plan and negotiate, it’s useful to be able to state your priorities.

In today’s dialog, we’ll join a conversation between Cam and Anna. Cam is a production manager with Boston Vintage, an American clothing company with manufacturing in eastern Europe. Anna is a logistics manager with Global Freight Express. Anna has been hired to help Boston Vintage with its complex logistics needs.

Listening Questions

1. What are the different “modes” of transport that Cam and Anna discuss?
2. In deciding on how to move products from Europe to the US, what is Cam’s priority consideration?
3. What abbreviations are used to talk about the responsibilities of buyers and sellers in shipping?

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

Download: Podcast MP3>>> The post BEP 420 – English for Logistics 1: Transport Modes and Incoterms first appeared on Business English Pod :: Learn Business English Online.

Business English News 61 – Data Centers

BEP — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 18:11:24 +0000

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bizpod/BEN61-Data-Centers.mp3

In this Business English News lesson on data centers, we look at business English vocabulary related to energy supply and tech.

AI seemed relatively uncontroversial when it was limited to simple functions in your toothbrush or car. But then, in 2022, ChatGPT made an enormous splash, signaling the commercialization of generative AI. Since then, there’s been a rapid proliferation of new tools. And the popularity of these tools has necessitated massive infrastructure to support all this computing power.

The energy demand is huge. In 2024, U.S. data centers used 183 terawatt-hours of electricity – more than 4% of all U.S. power usage. A single large AI data center can use as much electricity as 100,000 homes in a year. Bigger ones under construction may use twenty times more. This growing demand puts pressure on local power grids and can lead to increased energy costs.

They also need large amounts of water to keep their machines cool, which can strain local water supplies. Yet companies are not required to fully report their energy or water use.

As concerns grow about higher bills, water shortages, and climate change, companies promise cleaner energy and better technology. Still, experts warn that AI’s energy use may grow faster than these improvements.

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3>>> The post Business English News 61 – Data Centers first appeared on Business English Pod :: Learn Business English Online.

Business English Games – Tariffs Monster Challenge

BEP — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 18:46:46 +0000

Battle your way through the monster’s den as you face terrifying terms, creepy collocations, and devilish definitions – all based on financial English vocabulary from our BEN 60 lesson.

You can review all the financial English vocabulary featured in this game in this lesson:

BEN 60 – Tariffs

>>> The post Business English Games – Tariffs Monster Challenge first appeared on Business English Pod :: Learn Business English Online.