Application Analysis of Business English in International Business Negotiation

于海燕 潘蕾

【Abstract】In recent years， the process of economic integration has gradually accelerated. With the frequency of international business activities， business negotiations has gradually increased. As a main language of international business negotiations， business English is of great significance to the success of business negotiations. We should grasp the meaning of international business negotiations and business English， and make in-depth research on the application of business English in international business negotiations.

【Key words】Business Negotiations； Business English； Pragmatic Strategy

【作者簡介】于海燕（1977.1.19- ），女，山东人，大连财经学院国际商学院专职英语教师，硕士，副教授，研究方向：英语教学法、商务英语；潘蕾（1996.5.5- ），女，辽宁人，大连财经学院商务英语专业本科生。

With the gradual acceleration of the development of international trade， exchanges and cooperation among economic organizations and enterprises have become more frequent and international trade has been steadily increasing. In order to maximize the win-win benefits of both parties and grasp the business negotiation skills， we will analyze and discuss the business English negotiation strategies and techniques in this essay， hoping to realize the purposes of the negotiations better.

I. Meaning of Business English and International Business Negotiation

As an international language， business English has become an important means of international business negotiation. It is not only a problem of language use， but also involves many aspects， such as cultural background， international practice and communication skills. Making good use of business English can enhance mutual understanding， reduce barriers to communication and get satisfactory negotiation outcomes.

（1）Connotation of Business English. Business English refers to the exchange language used by both parties in business activities. It is a kind of social function variation that English has gradually applied to in business activities. It is highly targeted. Due to the continuous promotion of global economic integration， the concept of modern business English has a brand new meaning. The connotation and denotation of business English have greatly expanded and the content involved has become more and more comprehensive.

（2） International Business Negotiation Connotation. International business negotiations refer to the process in which different stakeholders negotiate various exchanging conditions for a certain labor or commodity transaction in the international business activities. The current concept of goods has gradually expanded， including technology， capital， information， services and other intangible products. The main purpose of business negotiations is to negotiate the views and demands of the two parties， to coordinate the relations between them and to achieve a better relationship of cooperation.

II. The Role of Business English in International Business Negotiation

In the international business negotiations， the role of business English can not be ignored. From the view of language， business English has the basic role of information exchange. From the view of business， it is mainly reflected in two aspects. First， business English has effectively raised the relevance of international business negotiations. As a specialized language among business activities， business English is different from ordinary life language. Its content mainly includes business theory knowledge and business communication skills. Its dialogues involve finance， management， marketing and economy. Business English is professional， practical and targeted. Second， the emergence of business English has greatly increased the harmony and flexibility of international business negotiation. Business negotiators use their characteristics to ease the atmosphere in the negotiating forum， create a relaxing and harmonious bargaining environment， reduce conflicts between the two parties and avoid the stalemate in business negotiation.

III. Application of Business English in International Business Negotiation

（1）Application of Conditional Sentences. Subjunctive conditionals. In the international business negotiations， the subjunctive conditionals are often used in requests， inquiries， oppositions， approvals and other more euphemistic situations， giving the other party a sense of understanding and respect. For example， in the negotiation of time schedule， negotiators must ask the views of the other party and rationally use subjunctive conditionals to facilitate the success of negotiations.

Real conditionals. In the course of business negotiations， negotiators must understand the fundamental interests of both parties， grasp their own basic interests and clearly know the purpose of the other party. They need to make necessary exchanges of interests during the negotiations， but cultural differences often cause misunderstandings in the process. A good use of English conditional sentences can well avoid this problem.

（2）Application of Pragmatic Strategy. Negotiators need to adopt the tactics of mild expression in international business negotiations， trying not to use a heavy tone， as well as straightforward words. When negotiators are going to reject the requests of the other party， they may tactfully say “Your conditions are reasonable but we think there is a slight difference with ours，” giving maximum tolerance and respect to the other party and making their own opinions more acceptable to others.

Humor is also an excellent bargaining tool in international business negotiations. Humorous language of negotiation can free both parties from an awkward and unfavorable predicament and make the serious atmosphere more harmonious and relaxing. Humorous language can let people enjoy the wisdom， so as to improve the chances of a successful negotiation.

The use of vague language in international business negotiations can maximize the flexibility of language expression so that there will be no overstatement in the negotiation process and it will leave more room for negotiators from each party. In the process of international business negotiations， it is inevitable that some difficult problems will be encountered. Vague language has some effect of covering up， so that it can avoid the positive conflicts between the two parties.

（3）Application of Polite Principle. In the process of interpersonal communication， politeness is the fundamental premise for the establishment of a friendly and harmonious relationship among people. In international business negotiations， negotiators need to make appropriate use of communicative etiquette and try their best to obtain the acceptance and approval of both parties so as to seek win-win results. Both negotiation parties should pay attention to the occasions， time and objects of negotiation， using appropriate language expressions to achieve the best effect of business negotiation. Reasonable and appropriate language for business negotiations needs to take full account of all aspects of social and political factors. Under different cultural backgrounds， a polite sentence may mean quite different in another occasion. Negotiators should understand the cultural background of the partners， so as to ensure the smooth progress of negotiations and achieve the objectives of the negotiations.

（4） Application of Language Environment. Language expression and comprehension need to be combined with linguistic and environmental factors in order to improve the negotiation language expression effect. Negotiators need to adopt different language expressions in different occasions， so that everything may go well with them. Business negotiations mean maximizing the interests of ones own by means of language expression and communication. Differences and conflicts are unavoidable. It is common for the atmosphere to be tense and sensitive. Therefore， in the special business negotiation environment， negotiators need to accurately grasp the flexibility of business English and use linguistic skills to create a comfortable and harmonious language environment， helping to increase the possibility of a successful negotiation result.

IV. Conclusion

As Chinas economic globalization progresses， its international trade activities are gradually unfolding and the requirements for international business negotiations are gradually increasing. The use of business English is particularly important in the process of international trade negotiations. Negotiators should fully understand the grammar and application skills of business English， and dig out the true meaning of business English. The correct decision will directly affect the development of business activities in the process of international business negotiations. Negotiators should fully grasp the function of business English， make flexible use of business English， create a good negotiation environment and achieve the best negotiation results.

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