A Guide to English for Tech Professionals and Enthusiasts

If you work in the tech industry, chances are you’re learning English to advance your career. After all, it’s the most commonly used language in science, engineering and academics.

Knowing the latest industry jargon in English can help you communicate more easily at work. However, the language changes so rapidly that it can be tough to keep up.

There are some study techniques you can use to learn English for tech professionals. Keep reading to discover how to pick up vocabulary faster and communicate with colleagues more effectively.

Why learn English for tech professionals?

Learning how to communicate about technology in English can open doors. Whether you’re a professional or a student, you’re more likely to:

English will continue to be important for the tech industry. In the United States alone, they employ over 5 million workers and that number keeps growing.

Study techniques for learning English tech vocabulary

Aside from English classes, there are some strategies you can use to learn tech vocabulary. Here are our top five:

Focus on specific areas

The tech industry covers a wide range of jobs. There can be a lot of differences between roles in the same sub-sector. For example, video game companies need people who know how to code, debug software and run tests.

You can save time by only learning the tech vocabulary that’s relevant to you. Other words and phrases may be interesting but unnecessary.

To see what we mean, look at the different vocabulary sets below.

Learn cognates

Lots of technological words and phrases are universal. That means they’re the same or similar in most languages across the world. We call these types of words ‘cognates’.

Take the word ‘app’ for example. It’s the same even in countries like Germany, the Philippines and Somalia. Other places have similar words like ‘apuri’ in Japan and ‘aplikicia’ in Croatian.

You can instantly learn dozens of English tech words just by checking which ones are the same in Spanish. See for yourself – how many of these words do you already know?

1. Algorithm

2. Protocol

3. Simulation

4. Encryption

5. Configuration

6. Peripheral

7. Optimisation

8. Interface

9. Authentication

10. Compatible

Check your answers at the end of the article.

Switch to English for work

Perhaps some of your colleagues speak English to a conversational level and want to improve. You could ask if they’d like to practise. Then you could set aside some time during the work day to only talk to each other in the language.

Alternatively, you could choose some specific tasks to carry out in English. That way you can target specific vocabulary that you’d like to learn.

If you work alone, you can still find ways to practise English. Try changing the language settings on your device to get more exposure to the vocabulary. You might be surprised how often you have to ‘talk’ to your computer to do your job.

If you’re looking for a full conversation, don’t forget you can always use ChatGPT.

Join specialist groups

Many tech enthusiasts join groups to talk about their passion or get support from like-minded people. They usually use English as a common language.

You can try searching on social media sites for your area of interest. For example, Reddit has lots of communities based around jobs and hobbies. The subreddits also tend to have resources for new members like helpful links or answers to FAQs.

If you’re from an underrepresented group, you may be able to join a special community. These help members with the specific challenges they might face. One famous example is Women Who Code, which not only connects you with other people but helps you train and find jobs.

Practise with apps

No doubt you’ve heard of language learning apps. Did you know there are also plenty of platforms where you can develop your tech skills in English?

Here are some of our recommendations:

Final thoughts

Once you’ve got the ball rolling, you’ll find it’s easy to keep up with new technology words and phrases in English. They’ll quickly become a part of your daily life in your work, studies or hobbies.

Until then, getting a personal tutor can help you learn the specific language for your field. They can design classes around the vocabulary you’re likely to need or conversations you typically have at your job.

Oxford House offers personal tutors for different professions. Find the class to fit your needs.

Glossary for Language Learners

Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.

Advance (v): to move forward or make progress in something.

Open doors (id): to create opportunities.

Resource (n): tools or materials you can use to complete a task.

Network (v): to connect with people who can support you.

Sub-sector (n): a smaller part of an industry.

Universal (adj): something that affects everything or everyone.

Conversational level (phr): able to talk to people about most basic things.

Like-minded (adj): similar in personality or interests.

FAQs (n): a common acronym meaning ‘frequently asked questions’.

Underrepresented group (phr): a group of people that don’t have the same benefits as others.

Get the ball rolling (id): to start a process.

Key

v = verb

id = idiom

n = noun

adj = adjective

phr = phrase

Answers

1. Algoritmo

2. Protocolo

3. Simulación

4. Encriptación

5. Configuración

6. Periférico

7. Optimización

8. Interfaz

9. Autenticación

10. Compatible