WHEN we talk or write, we communicate with someone in particular. We have specific purposes and specific audiences in mind as we speak or write. That is the core idea of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Although sometimes thought to be restricted to areas such as English for business or English for medical purposes, ESP should be at the center of all language teaching.

First, English is best taught and most easily learned when teachers and students define the goals for studying English. Needs analysis can specify the vocabulary and the language forms that are crucial to reach the target and that the learners lack.

New tools make the identification of needs more effective. Among these are corpus analysis, which can show the vocabulary that is used in business, for example, and how it differs from general English, and genre analysis, which can explain how written and spoken texts are organized in order to communicate with their audience.

Second, based on needs assessment, we can move to understanding and teaching language in context and through meaningful communication. ESP focuses on the context of use; who will the students be talking to; who will they be writing for, and what do they want to read? It asks questions like, what language in what register is needed for a medical consultation or a union-management negotiation? Learning context-specific language use many require teachers to work closely with professionals in the discipline in order to better understand the practices of the community, an exchange that can be fascinating and energizing.

Communicative language teaching improves, too. Whether learners need discrete skills such as reading for science and technology or speaking and listening for tourism, or the ability to use a full range of skills within a clear context such as university study or business, communicative teaching practices the language of the specific context as far as possible in the way that it is actually used in the field.

Further, if you, like many ELT professionals, are a career changer, ESP may offer you a chance to reconnect with your former career. If this sounds attractive to you, a masters course featuring ESP may be just the sort of professional development that would help you continue teaching at a higher and more rewarding level.