Using Technical English as a Basis for International Collaboration

As we continue to merge global markets it is inevitable that many of today s graduates will participate in international activities when they enter the workforce. It is imperative that we prepare our students for this global work environment. Described is a project between students in the United States and the Slovak Republic aimed at improving both technical communications and cultural understanding between the two groups. The students in the United States were seniors in a two-semester capstone design sequence in Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) at Purdue University. The Slovak students were Ph.D. candidates from the Faculty of Materials Science at the Slovak University of Technology (SUT) studying Material Science, Plant Management, Automation and Control, and Machine Technolo gies. The SUT students were enrolled in a course entitled "English for Specific Purposes", allowing all communications to be in English. The students were paired and exchanged biographies, resumes (CVs) and technical works such as design proposals and research abstracts. Internet cameras purchased using funds from a grant facilitated on-line meetings throughout the year long project. Since the two groups were from different disciplines, clear English communication was a necessity. By reviewing the material written by the SUT students, the EET students became sensitized to the problems caused by their own use of idiomatic phrases and incomplete descriptions. The SUT students benefited by practicing reading, writing and speaking in English through their correspondence and online meetings with the EET students. Both groups reviewed technical English written by peers including flaws and idiomatic expressions. The primary advantage of this collaboration is that it is not constrained by curricular discipline , making it easily adaptable by other disciplines. A secondary advantage is that the students gain international experience while avoiding the travel expense.