Textbook for 'geers?

[con's fly is open]

An FT asked me to recommend a good textbook for her company class: oil and gas firm, mostly engineers. She wants to teach them not only oral English but written application/resume/interview skills. Some bits to help them speak 'geerish in English would be a good idea, too: their professional jargon is its own dialect.

What sayeth y'all?

[xiaoyu]

Just a guess, Con, but usually engineers at that level, even in China, have a background in English. If this is what you are looking at then it is just some basic business english that you need to bone them up on. I have primarily worked with people in GE Medical so not so sure bout how to do the engineering stuff, but there are books out there that deal with resume building for ESLers, etc. Will see if I can find the ISBNs of the books that I used.

xiaoyu

[Steiner]

Shouldn't it be "Textbook for 'neers?"

[Roger]

I have taught tertiary-level students for the past couple of years, and before that as well. My opinion in a nutshell: these students need to practise - and sometimes even learn - the very basics in writing!
For example, you can annoy yourself to death trying to tell them how to center a title and a text with MARGINS; OK, so you fold the paper so that it has two flaps on which the kids don't write. If you don't do that, you will always gather papers written or scrawled over from edge to edge!

How to write a date? "Today is 2004.6.9!" - right?

I have a wonderful textbook - "Tapestry: Writing". But my students are woefully underprepared for it. I use it sparingly - it gives precious advice on how to learn, among many things. But as for writing assignemnts, I find they need to learn simple things:
- a CURRICULUM VITAE!
- A simple essay!


You can also practise some freewriting or quickwriting. THen have them exchange their writing and correct each others mistakes.