What “international business English” really is

Picture a meeting.

A German, Brazilian, Korean, Finn. None grew up speaking English. The call runs in English anyway.

Someone says, “Sorry, my English isn’t very good.”

Good by what standard? No one in the room is the judge. They’re all speaking the same thing. Plain, shared, get-it-done English. The kind that works when no two people learnt it the same way.

That’s what international business English is. Not a weaker version of someone else’s language. Its own language, built for exactly this room.

So you’re not falling short of “real” English. You’re already using the English that works everywhere.

Next time you want to apologise, try, “Let me put that simply.” Same warmth, no apology.

💬 Ever caught yourself apologising for English no one was judging?