How is ESP different from English as a Second Language, or general English?

The major difference between ESP and ESL lies in the learners and their purposes for learning English. ESP students are adults who already have familiarity with English and are learning the language in order to communicate a set of professional skills and to perform particular job-related functions. An ESP program is therefore built on an assessment of purposes and needs and the functions for which English is required.

As a matter of fact, ESP is part of a shift from traditional concentration on teaching grammar and language structures to an emphasis on language in context. ESP covers subjects ranging from accounting or computer science to tourism and business management.

For students specializing in the English language and literature the field of professional activity covers all kinds of transnational communication ranging from teaching ESL to interpreting or translation in international tourism and business servicing. The ESP focus means that English is not taught as a subject divorced from the students' future jobs; instead, it is integrated into a subject matter area important to the learners.

Consequently, ESL and ESP diverge not only in the nature of the learner, but also in the goals of instruction. In fact, as a general rule, while in ESL all four language skills; listening, reading, speaking, and writing, are stressed equally, in ESP it is a needs analysis that determines which language skills are most needed by the students, and the syllabus is designed accordingly.

The third point where EFL and ESP differ is in the emphasis on the skills to be activated. Whereas in EFL/ESL all four language skills; listening, reading, speaking, and writing, are stressed equally, in ESP a needs assessment determines which language skills are most needed by the students, and the program is focused accordingly.

An ESP program might, for example, emphasize the development of reading skills in students who are preparing for graduate work as analysts and translators in international business; or it might promote the development of spoken skills in students who are studying English in order to become tourist guides.

The students' interest in their prospective subject-matter fields, in turn, enhances their ability to acquire English. The ESP class takes the meaningful context and shows students how the same information is expressed in English. The teacher can exploit the students' knowledge of the subject matter in helping them master English deeper and faster.

The graduate students approach the final period of their study of English through a field that is already known and relevant to them. This means that they are able to use what they learn in the ESP classroom right away in their work and studies. The ESP approach enhances the relevance of what the students are learning and enables them to use the English they know to learn even more English, since their interest in their field will motivate them to interact with speakers and texts. ESP assesses needs and integrates motivation, subject matter and content for the teaching of relevant skills.

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MODULE 2-4. ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA IN EVERYDAY INTERNATIONAL INTERACTION	\|	What is the role of the learner and what is the task s/he faces?

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