In this lesson we’ll look at legal English vocabulary related to intellectual property, or IP. Intellectual property includes patents, as well as trademarks and trade secrets. IP may be licensed to others, but it still belongs to the rights holder. We’ll cover activities such as counterfeiting, as well as reverse engineering. And finally, we’ll look at designation of origin.
If you’re a fan of technology, you’ve likely come across the term Internet of Things, or IoT. It’s the connection of everyday devices to the Internet and has already started to change the way we interact with each other and the online world, and as Business Insider explains, it’s just getting started.
The Internet of Things has been labeled as “the next Industrial Revolution” because of the way it will change the way people live, work, entertain, and travel, as well as how governments and businesses interact with the world. In fact, the revolution has already started.
In this lesson we’ll look at Business English vocabulary related to the manufacturing process. This includes research and development, or R&D, as well as making prototypes. Next we’ll look at different approaches to manufacturing, including lean manufacturing, total quality management, or TQM, and Six Sigma. And most manufacturers follow a set of standards called ISO, especially ISO 9001 and ISO14001. Finally, we’ll look at a variety of manufacturing processes, such as machining, molding and extruding.
In this English Video lesson, we’ll look at business English vocabulary related to manufacturing. Companies manufacture goods in plants, or factories, where they put together raw materials or various parts and components into a final product. We’ll cover ideas such as fabrication, as well as the assembly line, where goods are assembled. Manufacturers rely on quality control, or QC, to ensure the quality of their finished goods.
A job interview is both an opportunity and a challenge. And facing an English interview with confidence requires certain skills and language. In today’s lesson, we’ll hear two interviewees demonstrate some of these skills and language. They’ll use chunks of natural language that we call “collocations” to talk about their abilities.
But what exactly is a “collocation?” Well it’s a combination of words that often go together. Rather than always learning individual words, you can learn these natural chunks of language. Think about the noun “career.” Do you say “follow” a career “at” something? No, we say “pursue a career in something.” That’s a collocation, and you should learn those words together as a natural combination.
As you listen to the two different interviews in this lesson, try to pick out some of these collocations and we’ll discuss them later in the debrief.
In the first interview, we’ll hear Dale interviewing Carla for an accounting job at an insurance company. Dale is asking Carla about her weaknesses and her career plans, two common tough interview questions. In the second interview, we’ll hear Sofia interviewing Joseph for a management job. She asks Joseph to talk about his interpersonal and leadership skills, and his attitude to personal development.
Listening Questions
1. What is Carla’s ultimate goal in the insurance industry?
2. What does Joseph say about his relationship with direct reports?
3. What two qualities does Joseph say help him in leadership roles?
