Browsing by Subject "English for Occupational Purposes"
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Item Open Access An investigation of occupational English language needs of diplomats whose second language is English(2012) Albostan, YıldızThis study investigated the occupational English language needs of diplomats working in the embassies and consulate generals of different countries. Although diplomats start learning English before they start their careers in the Foreign Ministries, they may need special English trainings to get prepared for the occupational-specific language needs they face on the job. This study therefore was conducted to explore and determine the place and importance of English in diplomacy, particular English language skills required by diplomats to perform their duties as well as the job-related and daily-life activities conducted in English that are frequently used in the profession. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire administered to 24 active diplomats working in various foreign missions in Turkey, including one participant working in the Embassy of Uganda in Denmark. The questionnaire consisted of six sections. The first section included questions about participants' background information. The second section aimed to determine the amount of time spent using various languages in diplomacy and the third section sought information about participants' perceived general English proficiency levels. The fourth section was related to the frequency of use of particular English skills in diplomacy and the fifth section investigated how often diplomats perform in English the specific job-related tasks and daily-life activities. The final section of the questionnaire intended to explore diplomats' attitudes towards language trainings and specifically English language trainings. Data were also collected from interviews conducted with three diplomats, one of whom was a retired ambassador. The interview questions followed almost the same pattern as the survey. The results of the study revealed that English is a dominantly used foreign language in diplomacy and diplomats are highly confident in their general English proficiency while they reported that pronunciation, writing and grammar are slightly more problematic skills then reading, speaking, listening and vocabulary. This study also found out that all English skills are used very frequently in diplomacy while speaking and reading are more prioritized. It has been concluded from the results that English is used for a variety of purposes in diplomats' professional and social lives. The results also revealed that occupational English trainings are important for diplomats and these trainings should be in-service and continuous including business-related practices and activities.Item Open Access An investigation of occupational English language needs of Turkish police officers(2004) Sezer, SibelThis study investigated the occupational English language needs of police officers working in various departments of the Turkish National Police Organization (T.N.P.O.). Most police officers are graduates of the Police Academy, a four-year university equivalent program located in Ankara. To study at the Police Academy, students must first complete either a high school or one of the four Police Colleges. Although the intensive language training in the Police Colleges is often considered adequate for most officers' needs, those officers who come from other backgrounds are often left behind. Even in the case of the Police College graduates, all their English language training is based on the principles of General English, and does not necessarily prepare them for the occupational-specific language needs they face on the job. This study set out to explore therefore, exactly to what extent the officers' English language training is in fact adequate, and also to determine the particular language skills and genres required in various departments of the T.N.P.O. Data, in this study, were collected by means of a questionnaire administered to 25 police officers, and six interviews conducted with six police officers from various departments of the T.N.P.O. The departments were determined on the basis of their having been identified in the questionnaires as the departments requiring the maximum amount of English skills from their personnel. This study revealed that the officers feel that an occupational English course should be designed specifically for Turkish police officers. Such a course should directly focus on meeting police officers’ English language needs according to departments they work in, as each department is found to have different requirements