Hong Kong's first centre dedicated to researching the professional use of English and teaching better communication skills in the business world is now open.
Job seekers who lack confidence in using English, or companies looking to improve their negotiation skills with foreign clients, can now get help from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University-backed centre set up at the university.
The Research Centre for Professional Communication in English will focus on both academic research and professional practices, something that is already popular in many overseas universities.
Centre director Winnie Cheng said the aim of the centre was to enhance people's understanding of the intricacies of communicating professionally in English and better serve the needs of professional communities.
'Hong Kong is a multicultural city. Misunderstandings occur when people from different countries or regions communicate in the same language - English. A lot of things need to be studied during the communication process,' said Professor Cheng, who also teaches in the university's English department.
'What makes our centre special is that we collaborate with professionals,' she said.
About 30 projects are already listed for research at the centre. These include language assessment and evaluation in a professional context, intercultural communication competencies in professions such as the hotel industry, surveying and the media, and the literacy learning of low proficiency students in a Hong Kong secondary school.