Beyond EME

Abstract

This linguistic ethnography investigates perspectives on effective English communication of nine English-medium graduates employed in a multicultural high-risk industry. Our collaboration as two nuclear professionals uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine workplace communication at a joint venture involving Emirati and Korean partners in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where English is seen as both a problem and a solution. The study draws on etic inputs from English-medium education (EME) discourses linking English to employability and lingua franca communication, a concern with miscommunication in organizational studies, and workplace sociolinguistics for conceptual tools highlighting transactional goals within workplace communication. This study uses ethnographic interviews to generate understanding of the safety basis of workplace communication in English in a multicultural high-risk industry. The study provides practical insights for language educators on effective communication in a high-stakes sector where safety is a topic of talk and safety informs the development of a professional variety of nuclear English and associated communication techniques. The study highlights safe communication practices as a feature of workplace communication in English, provides some guidance on relevant resources from aviation English, and emphasizes the need for further collaborations between academia and industry.