Abstract:

University Language Centers (LC) in non English speaking countries are faced with two main challenges: to increase the English language proficiency of their students and at the same time to equip them with the vocabulary and structures from the profession they specialize in. Is this feasible with low proficiency students? What can be done to reach a compromise between the need for professional orientation of the English courses and students’ low proficiency? The aim of this paper is to describe an approach that would address this need. It gives an overview of the general setting in which a LC within a University operates and it also presents the ways of curricula modification and its effect on student satisfaction from the English courses. A solution for integrating low proficiency and specialization is offered, that will respond to the European recommendations for specialization and the needs of the job market.

Keywords:

English, professional, specialization, proficiency, needs.