Itās always good to report a new event in the publishing world. Of particular interest to those teaching business English was the launch, on April 11th, of Business Spotlight International.
Edited by Ian McMaster, Business Spotlight has been well known in Germany for many years. Its informative, newsy items, magazine format and teaching tips have made it a favourite among both English teachers and students, and itās supported by an excellent website which offers up-to-the-minute comments, teaching tips, lesson plans and words of the day.
Only trouble is, itās all in German. Or at least the glossaries and rubrics are. This is great if ā as a teacher – you intend to work in Siemens MĆ¼nchen or Audi Akademie. Not so good if youāre working in Korea or Chile.
Now thatās all changed with the launch of the new magazine, which is digital only ā so no problems about late deliveries, your copy getting lost in the post or being sold out at your local newsagents ā just three reasons why digital news beats paper news hands down, in my view. Just as long as you can get it on an iPad. Excuse the plug, but if I were still teaching business English rather than advising schools on learning management systems Iād sign up to the international version like a shot.
Business Spotlight International comes out bimonthly (yes, you can download it on your tablet, too) and is aimed at those who need English for their work ā or teach people who do. Like the original, it contains a wealth of informative, entertaining articles. Topics in the new edition range from Burmese politics to independence for francophone Canada (just remember the War of 1812, guys), and from how to do business with Spain to planning a wedding in New York (quote…āfor a wedding in New York City, $250,000 wonāt get you very farā. How about for a divorce in NYC?)
Accompanied by a Workbook, monolingual glossaries and loads of teaching ideas and lesson plans, if you’re in business training – wherever – it’s well worth a close look. Ā And not a word of German in sight. You can download the first issue for freeĀ here!
Byron