“The English language is essential to the Information Technology (IT) business.” Is this really true? After all, don’t Windows, MacOS, and Linux all offer the user a choice of language environments? Yes, but the key word here is user. As someone who uses a computer for business or personal reasons, you can choose your language. As an IT administrator you often don’t have that luxury. You must communicate in English.

If you go on the Internet to search for a discussion forum to help with your users’ problems or to discuss an upcoming software release, you’ll often find that English is the common language. If you attend international conferences, you’ll find presentation, papers, and proceedings are in English. Even the administrative interfaces for some software, particularly on servers, might be available only in English. Common IT acronyms are often pronounced as English words.

As an IT professional, others depend on you. Accurate and precise communication is essential. Maybe you need to know just what to ask the user who has a problem. Maybe you need to learn that new technique for software installation. Maybe you need to explain exactly why your company should spend $5000 on a new software product. How can you cope?

Developing core competency

• Use a dictionary. When you read a word you don’t know, look it up in an online or book of computer terms. Many IT terms are technical and precise in meaning, so context alone cannot always help you.
• Connect the spoken word to the written word. In presentations, notice how words and acronyms written on slides and handouts are pronounced so you will say them correctly in the future. For example, how would you pronounce the acronyms ROM and RAM. ROM rhymes with Tom. With some accents RAM might be pronounced the same way, but that isn’t correct. RAM rhymes with Sam. When you take notes, you can writing rhyming words or perhaps use the symbols from a dictionary.

Striving to excel

To become truly excellent with IT English you could take general English courses at a traditional ESL school or purchase a CD- or computer-based English course, but this might not be efficient enough for your busy schedule. Individual or small group instruction, targeted to the needs of IT professionals like you, is often a better choice. By focusing on skills like technical reading and writing, presentation skills, telephone communication, vocabulary and acronyms, you can gain confidence and win the praise of your superiors, peers, and customers. Isn’t that what you really want?

In the mean time, here are some references we’ll think you’ll find helpful

Tech Terms – an online dictionary of computer terms

Downing, Douglas A. and Michael A. Convington, Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms, 9th edition, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 2006, ISBN-13: 9780764134173

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