Around and beyond English for specific purposes

Abstract

When, starting from an educational background in translation, I became an English Language tutor to adults in corporate and professional settings, I happened to notice some distorted expectations among recipients of tuition about the outcomes of self-contained, non academic language courses.

The key question I have thus posed myself over time has thus always been: what are the actual possibilities of mediating along this polarity?

The above question eventually sparked a couple more which are the ones I am going to be addressing in my dissertation:

“What is language learner autonomy and can it be fostered in the context of Italian SMEs (small-medium enterprises)? “Can a flexible context-based approach to teaching help sketch an idea of ecology of second language development and use in such dynamic contexts”.

To try and answer the above questions, I shall be drawing guidance from some recent developments and insights in the study of learner autonomy against the backcloth of the CEFR and ELP. I will also offer some historical background on internationalizaton and the Italian SMEs scenary.