Some thoughts on the provision of courses in reading for industry

There is a distinct need in British industry for personnel fulfilling a variety of functions, ranging from information science to distribution, who can read a variety of foreign languages within a given subject field. Specific courses of training catering for such personnel are largely conspicuous by their absence, added to which there would often seem to be a marked lack of realization of the need for them in both industry and those institutions which should be catering realistically for its real rather than imagined needs. This contribution, by a former industrial linguist, sets out to amplify this thesis on the basis of many years of practical experience.