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Technical English and conversational English are two very different things. Conversational English is full of slang words and phrases that might not even be in the English dictionary just yet. Technical English is more commonly used in academia and business where slang words and street language is inappropriate.
Technical English is essentially the ‘official’ way of speaking and writing in English. Non-native English speakers often struggle to distinguish technical English from street English. Below are some suggestions of ways you can improve your technical English;
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Pronunciation
Regardless of the words you use, your English will be of a higher level with the correct pronunciation. An example of this would be making sure that the ‘t’s are pronounced in words that sometimes are left silent.
Take the word ‘water’, some English speaking areas completely miss out the letter ‘t’ when they way it, making it sound like ‘wa’er’. This gives who you are speaking to the impression that you are unable to articulate yourself in a professional manner.
Practice your pronunciation in activities like this. Pay close attention to how you sound, if your English is clear and if you are pronouncing all of the letters that need to be heard.
Grammar
Grammar is very important in technical English. If your grammar is incorrect the quality of your written work decreases dramatically. Knowing where to put full stops and commas is easier said than done to a non-native English speaker, practice makes perfect.
Be Precise
Have you heard of the phrase ‘waffling on’? Technical English is very to the point, it is precise, direct, and clear. To ‘waffle on’ means adding words that are unnecessary and take away from the final message you are trying to say. So no waffling!
American English and English English
Yes, Americans and English people can understand each other perfectly well, after all they both speak the same language but there are a few differences. Americans and English people spell certain words differently, take the word mom, the English spell it mum. Color and Colour are also examples of the differences in spelling the two English languages have, the point here is to use the correct version of English depending on the audience.
Connecting Words
Connectors are words like ‘and, but and so’, knowing how to use these words is very important for achieving a high level of technical English. Overusing the word ‘and’ can make your English sound unprofessional, so having a wide range of connecting words in your vocabulary will make you sound more articulate.
Read Out Loud
When writing an important email or letter, reading it out loud before sending it will make any mistakes more obvious. Doing this will also help you hear the flow of the writing, if there are not enough pauses or you have used the word ‘and’ too much, you will notice it straight away.