English for Specific Purposes: Vocabulary for 12 Industries and How to Build Your Own Career Roadmap

You're an engineer, an accountant, a pharmacist, or a warehouse manager, and your specialized English is actually not bad. Reading technical documents, reading emails from partners, reading contracts, you understand most of it, look up a few words, and you're done. But on a real call, at a training session run by a foreign vendor, or in a meeting with no interpreter, you hear a sentence packed with abbreviations and jargon, and you lose the thread by the third second.

The cause is usually not a shortage of vocabulary: you've already met most of the specialized words, looked them up, remembered their meaning. The problem is that you only remember them in written form, while your ear has never heard them at real speaking speed, with a native speaker's swallowed sounds and linked sounds.

This article has two parts. A lookup table organized by twelve common professions, and a way of listening so those words actually stay in your head, instead of just sitting in a notes file you never open a second time.

• What is specialized English
• Why learning specialized English is harder than you think
• Vocabulary by profession
• How to learn specialized vocabulary so it sticks
• Common mistakes
• How to build your own roadmap for your field
• Frequently asked questions
• Detailed articles for each profession

What is specialized English

Specialized English, usually called ESP (English for Specific Purposes), is the part of English tied to a specific profession: the vocabulary, fixed phrases, and writing style used in that job. It is not a separate grammar system.

Grammar doesn't change between fields. The differences lie in three places: a much higher density of terminology than everyday English, many fixed phrases used only in that particular field such as bill of lading or load-bearing wall, and a more formal, more concise style.

Someone who's good at everyday spoken English can still freeze up in front of a conversation about logistics or accounting, simply because they've never encountered that particular set of words before. Conversely, an engineer who reads English technical documents well can still struggle chatting outside of meeting hours, because that's a different vocabulary altogether. Learning one set makes you strong in that set alone, and no set can substitute for another.

If you want to estimate your current general English vocabulary before focusing on a specific field, you can try WELE's free vocabulary test.

Why learning specialized English is harder than you think

The first difficulty is abbreviations. ETA, QC, ROI, NDA, KPI: every field has its own set of abbreviations, and learning materials usually teach the full term, such as estimated time of arrival, while in practice people just say ETA. Learning the full term without also learning the shortened spoken form is learning it only halfway.

The second difficulty is Latin roots. Many specialized terms, especially in medicine, law, and accounting, come from Latin or Old French: litigation, depreciation, reconciliation. These words are long, the stress falls on an unfamiliar syllable, and when spoken quickly, the vowels in the middle of the word get nearly swallowed whole, a form of the linking phenomenon covered in more detail in the article on connected speech.

The third difficulty is false friends and words that change meaning depending on the field. Discharge in medicine means being released from the hospital, in electrical engineering it means the release of electric charge, in law it means release from an obligation. Learning one meaning and applying it to another field is a mistake.

The fourth difficulty is writing style. Specialized English is formal, uses a lot of passive voice, and prioritizes precision over naturalness. A sentence like "the load shall not exceed the rated capacity" sounds stiff but is standard, while phrasing it the way you'd speak casually can lose the binding sense of the statement.

The last difficulty is one few people mention: most of the specialized words you hear in a meeting or a call reach your ears before you ever get the chance to read them anywhere. Partners speak faster than written documents and won't wait for you to look a word up in the dictionary. Vocabulary that only exists in written form is always one beat behind the conversation, the same root cause discussed in the article on why Vietnamese learners have poor listening skills.

Vocabulary by profession

The twelve fields below are the ones with the clearest need for work-related English: reading documents, listening to partners, writing emails. Each field lists only the core words, the kind you'd encounter in your first month working with foreigners, not the full vocabulary list for the entire field. If your field isn't listed here, the fastest way to expand your own vocabulary is to listen on the right topic — see more on how to choose podcasts by topic in WELE's podcast library.

Medicine

The set of words you need if you work with English-language medical records, see foreign patients, or read documents for imported pharmaceuticals.

Word / phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example sentence
diagnosis	/ˌdaɪəɡˈnoʊsɪs/	chẩn đoán	The diagnosis came back positive for a bacterial infection.
prescription	/prɪˈskrɪpʃən/	đơn thuốc	The doctor wrote a prescription for antibiotics.
symptom	/ˈsɪmptəm/	triệu chứng	Fever is one of the first symptoms doctors check for.
outpatient	/ˈaʊtˌpeɪʃənt/	bệnh nhân ngoại trú	She was treated as an outpatient and sent home the same day.
referral	/rɪˈfɜːrəl/	giấy chuyển viện	The GP gave him a referral to a cardiologist.
dosage	/ˈdoʊsɪdʒ/	liều lượng	Do not exceed the recommended dosage.
chronic	/ˈkrɑːnɪk/	mãn tính	He has been managing a chronic illness for years.
discharge	/ˈdɪstʃɑːrdʒ/	xuất viện	She was discharged from the hospital on Friday.

Accounting

The set of words that recur in most English-language financial reports and in meetings with auditors or foreign investors.

Word / phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example sentence
accounts payable	/əˈkaʊnts ˈpeɪəbl/	khoản phải trả	Accounts payable increased due to delayed supplier payments.
accounts receivable	/əˈkaʊnts rɪˈsiːvəbl/	khoản phải thu	We need to follow up on overdue accounts receivable.
balance sheet	/ˈbæləns ʃiːt/	bảng cân đối kế toán	The balance sheet shows total assets of two million dollars.
depreciation	/dɪˌpriːʃiˈeɪʃən/	khấu hao	Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis.
fiscal year	/ˈfɪskəl jɪr/	năm tài chính	Our fiscal year ends in December.
accrual	/əˈkruːəl/	hạch toán dồn tích	We use accrual accounting, not cash basis.
ledger	/ˈledʒər/	sổ cái	Every transaction is recorded in the general ledger.
audit	/ˈɔːdɪt/	kiểm toán	The company is undergoing its annual audit.

Logistics

If your job involves import-export, these are words that show up in almost every email with shipping companies.

Word / phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example sentence
supply chain	/səˈplaɪ tʃeɪn/	supply chain	The pandemic disrupted the global supply chain.
freight forwarder	/freɪt ˈfɔːrwərdər/	freight forwarding company	We hired a freight forwarder to handle customs clearance.
bill of lading	/bɪl əv ˈleɪdɪŋ/	bill of lading	The bill of lading lists the cargo details.
warehouse	/ˈwerhaʊs/	warehouse	The goods are stored in a warehouse near the port.
customs clearance	/ˈkʌstəmz ˈklɪrəns/	customs clearance	Customs clearance took three extra days this time.
lead time	/liːd taɪm/	delivery lead time	The lead time for this order is two weeks.
inventory	/ˈɪnvəntɔːri/	stock on hand	We are running low on inventory for that SKU.
ETA	/ˌiː tiː ˈeɪ/	estimated time of arrival	What's the ETA for the shipment?

Law

A set of words that matters for anyone drafting or reviewing English-language contracts, even if you don't work in law.

Word / phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example sentence
plaintiff	/ˈpleɪntɪf/	plaintiff	The plaintiff filed a lawsuit against the company.
defendant	/dɪˈfendənt/	defendant	The defendant denied all the charges.
breach of contract	/briːtʃ əv ˈkɑːntrækt/	breach of contract	They sued him for breach of contract.
liability	/ˌlaɪəˈbɪləti/	legal liability	The company denied any liability for the damage.
litigation	/ˌlɪtɪˈɡeɪʃən/	litigation, legal proceedings	The case is still in litigation.
clause	/klɔːz/	clause	Read the termination clause carefully.
jurisdiction	/ˌdʒʊrɪsˈdɪkʃən/	jurisdiction	Which court has jurisdiction over this dispute?
non-disclosure agreement	/ˌnɑːn dɪsˈkloʊʒər əˈɡriːmənt/	non-disclosure agreement	Every new hire signs a non-disclosure agreement.

Construction

Used when working with contractors, supervising consultants, or foreign partners on site.

Word / phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example sentence
blueprint	/ˈbluːprɪnt/	design blueprint	The contractor reviewed the blueprint before starting.
scaffolding	/ˈskæfəldɪŋ/	scaffolding	Workers erected scaffolding around the building.
rebar	/ˈriːbɑːr/	rebar (reinforcing steel)	The rebar needs to be inspected before the concrete pour.
load-bearing	/ˈloʊd ˌberɪŋ/	load-bearing	That's a load-bearing wall, you can't remove it.
foundation	/faʊnˈdeɪʃən/	foundation	Cracks appeared in the foundation after the earthquake.
subcontractor	/ˌsʌbkənˈtræktər/	subcontractor	The electrical work was handled by a subcontractor.
site inspection	/saɪt ɪnˈspekʃən/	site inspection	The site inspection is scheduled for Monday.
permit	/ˈpɜːrmɪt/	building permit	We can't start work until the permit is approved.

Mechanical Engineering

A set of technical words that keeps recurring in drawings, documentation for imported machinery, and equipment operation training sessions.

Word / phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example sentence
tolerance	/ˈtɑːlərəns/	tolerance	The part must be machined within a tight tolerance.
torque	/tɔːrk/	torque	Tighten the bolt to the specified torque.
lathe	/leɪð/	lathe	He operated the lathe to shape the metal rod.
gasket	/ˈɡæskɪt/	gasket	The gasket was worn out and leaking oil.
bearing	/ˈberɪŋ/	bearing	The bearing needs to be replaced every year.
calibration	/ˌkælɪˈbreɪʃən/	calibration	The gauge is due for calibration.
weld	/weld/	weld	The two pipes were welded together.
hydraulic	/haɪˈdrɔːlɪk/	hydraulic	The machine runs on a hydraulic system.

Electrical

Needed when reading electrical technical documents, working with imported equipment, or communicating with foreign engineers.

Word / phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example sentence
circuit breaker	/ˈsɜːrkɪt ˈbreɪkər/	circuit breaker	The circuit breaker tripped during the storm.
voltage	/ˈvoʊltɪdʒ/	voltage	Check the voltage before plugging it in.
grounding	/ˈɡraʊndɪŋ/	grounding, earthing	Proper grounding prevents electric shock.
short circuit	/ʃɔːrt ˈsɜːrkɪt/	short circuit	A short circuit caused the fire.
transformer	/trænsˈfɔːrmər/	transformer	The transformer steps down the voltage for the building.
conduit	/ˈkɑːnduɪt/	electrical conduit	The wires run through a metal conduit.
load capacity	/loʊd kəˈpæsəti/	load capacity	Don't exceed the load capacity of the panel.
insulation	/ˌɪnsəˈleɪʃən/	insulation layer	The insulation on this wire is cracked.

Automotive

Used in service shops, when reading vehicle technical documents, or communicating with manufacturers about parts.

Word / phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example sentence
transmission	/trænsˈmɪʃən/	transmission	The car has a problem with the transmission.
alignment	/əˈlaɪnmənt/	wheel alignment	The wheels need an alignment after hitting that pothole.
coolant	/ˈkuːlənt/	coolant	Check the coolant level before a long trip.
brake pad	/breɪk pæd/	brake pad	The brake pads are worn and need replacing.
torque wrench	/tɔːrk rentʃ/	torque wrench	Use a torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts.
timing belt	/ˈtaɪmɪŋ belt/	timing belt	The timing belt should be replaced every ninety thousand kilometers.
suspension	/səˈspenʃən/	suspension system	The suspension makes a clunking noise over bumps.
odometer	/oʊˈdɑːmɪtər/	odometer	The odometer reads over one hundred thousand kilometers.

Garment

A set of words that comes up constantly when communicating with foreign clients placing manufacturing orders, from sample approval through to inspection.

Word / phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example sentence
pattern	/ˈpætərn/	pattern, cutting template	The pattern needs adjusting for the new size range.
seam	/siːm/	seam	Check the seam for loose stitching.
hem	/hem/	hem	The hem came undone after one wash.
swatch	/swɑːtʃ/	fabric swatch	Send us a swatch before we approve the fabric.
cutting table	/ˈkʌtɪŋ ˈteɪbl/	cutting table	The fabric is laid out on the cutting table.
stitch density	/stɪtʃ ˈdensəti/	stitch density	Stitch density affects how durable the seam is.
lead time	/liːd taɪm/	production lead time	The lead time for this order is six weeks.
quality control	/ˈkwɑːləti kənˈtroʊl/	quality control	QC rejected the batch for uneven dyeing.

Marketing

Used when working with international clients, advertising partners, or reading campaign performance reports.

Word / phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example sentence
brand awareness	/brænd əˈwernəs/	nhận diện thương hiệu	The campaign is designed to boost brand awareness.
conversion rate	/kənˈvɜːrʒən reɪt/	tỷ lệ chuyển đổi	Our conversion rate dropped after the price increase.
target audience	/ˈtɑːrɡɪt ˈɔːdiəns/	đối tượng mục tiêu	Who is the target audience for this product?
churn	/tʃɜːrn/	tỷ lệ rời bỏ	We need to reduce churn among new subscribers.
CTA	/ˌsiː tiː ˈeɪ/	lời kêu gọi hành động	Put a clearer CTA at the end of the video.
impressions	/ɪmˈpreʃənz/	lượt hiển thị	The ad got two million impressions last week.
funnel	/ˈfʌnl/	phễu khách hàng	Most leads drop off in the middle of the funnel.
ROI	/ˌɑːr oʊ ˈaɪ/	lợi tức đầu tư	We track ROI for every campaign.

IT

The set of words that repeats in every standup, pull request, and technical document of an international product team.

Word / phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example sentence
bug	/bʌɡ/	lỗi phần mềm	The bug only shows up on older browsers.
deploy	/dɪˈplɔɪ/	triển khai mã nguồn	We deploy new code every Friday afternoon.
repository	/rɪˈpɑːzətɔːri/	kho lưu trữ mã	Push your changes to the shared repository.
backend	/ˈbækˌend/	phần phụ trợ hệ thống	The backend is written in Node.js.
endpoint	/ˈendpɔɪnt/	điểm cuối API	This endpoint returns the user's profile data.
latency	/ˈleɪtənsi/	độ trễ	Users complained about high latency during peak hours.
rollback	/ˈroʊlbæk/	hoàn tác bản triển khai	We had to roll back the release after the outage.
staging environment	/ˈsteɪdʒɪŋ ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt/	môi trường thử nghiệm	Test it on staging before pushing to production.

Restaurants and hotels

Needed when serving foreign guests directly, from check-in all the way to taking their order.

Word / phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example sentence
reservation	/ˌrezərˈveɪʃən/	đặt chỗ	We have a reservation for four at seven.
check-in	/ˈtʃek ɪn/	nhận phòng	Check-in starts at two in the afternoon.
concierge	/ˌkɑːnsiˈerʒ/	nhân viên hỗ trợ khách	Ask the concierge for restaurant recommendations.
housekeeping	/ˈhaʊsˌkiːpɪŋ/	bộ phận buồng phòng	Housekeeping will clean the room after checkout.
comp	/kɑːmp/	miễn phí, tặng kèm	The manager comped the dessert for the delay.
upsell	/ˈʌpsel/	bán thêm, nâng hạng	Try to upsell guests to a room with a view.
garnish	/ˈɡɑːrnɪʃ/	trang trí món ăn	Add a lemon garnish to the plate.
allergen	/ˈælərdʒən/	chất gây dị ứng	Please list any allergens on the menu.

How to learn specialized vocabulary so it actually sticks

A vocabulary list read once and then closed will almost certainly be forgotten within a few days. A much better memory mechanism is to listen to a sentence, guess wrong or miss a word, then correct yourself against the original. The brain holds onto that mistake far longer than it holds onto an entry in a list that was never tested.

Take "bill of lading," a logistics phrase anyone in import-export runs into. Read on the page, it's clear: bill, of, lading. But spoken at normal speed, "of" reduces to a very light sound that fuses onto "bill," coming out almost like "billa-lading." A beginner who has only met the word in writing, never in its spoken form, will often split it wrong or drop the word "of" entirely without noticing. Only by mis-transcribing it once and then checking against the original do you truly lock in how this word actually sounds in a real sentence.

Here's another thing a vocabulary list won't tell you: a lot of real-world terms are mostly spoken in their abbreviated form, not the full form. People say "sign an NDA," rarely the full phrase "sign a non-disclosure agreement." People ask "what's the ETA," not the full phrase "estimated time of arrival." If you only learn the full word through writing, you won't recognize the shortened spoken form when you hear it, even though you've known the meaning for a long time.

This is why WELE uses dictation as its main method instead of standalone flashcards. You pick a podcast on your own industry topic, listen sentence by sentence, transcribe exactly what you hear, then check it against the original transcript to see where you heard wrong. Vocabulary learned this way stays in your head because you once got it wrong, not because you once read it. The specific process is in the article 5 steps to effective dictation practice, and the reason learning words in the context of a real sentence works better than standalone flashcards is in the article vocabulary in context. If you're not sure where your listening level stands so you can pick a suitably challenging lesson, first take the free listening level test, then start with the dictation method using content from your own industry.

Common mistakes

Confusing invoice with receipt is the most common mistake in accounting and import-export. An invoice is a bill requesting payment, sent before or at the same time as delivery. A receipt is proof confirming payment has been made, issued afterward. Sending a client a receipt by mistake when they're waiting for an invoice to process payment is a mistake that has embarrassed no small number of people in front of their partners.

Another mistake lies in the stress shift between the noun and verb forms of the same Latin-root word. CONtract is a noun, meaning a legal agreement. conTRACT is a verb, meaning to sign an agreement or to shrink. PROcess is a noun, a workflow. proCESS is a verb, to handle something. Putting the stress in the wrong place not only sounds off, it can sometimes make the listener think you mean the noun when you actually mean the verb.

In mechanical engineering and construction, equipment and machinery are uncountable nouns — there's no "an equipment" or "two equipments." To count them you have to say "a piece of equipment" or "two pieces of machinery."

In logistics, ETA often gets mixed up with ETD, estimated time of departure. Asking for the ETA by mistake when you mean the ETD can throw off the entire loading and unloading schedule.

How to build your own roadmap for your field

There's no single roadmap that fits every field, because every job runs into English in a different place. But there is one shared formula, just three stages, and you fill in the content yourself based on your job.

1. Stage one, your field's reading sources. Ask: what English text are you required to read at work? For IT people it's technical documentation, for accountants it's standards and reports, for kitchens it's recipes and order tickets. Pick one type, read one page a week, then rewrite it as three bullet points in Vietnamese.
2. Stage two, your field's listening situations. Ask: when are you required to listen to English without being able to rewind? Shift handover, a call with a partner, a guest asking at the counter, a meeting across time zones. Find the recording type closest to that situation, listen to three minutes a week, transcribe it sentence by sentence, then check it against the written script. This is the longest stage, and also the most skipped.
3. Stage three, your field's speaking situations. Ask: who do you speak English with, and for what purpose? Explaining a product to a customer, reporting progress, pitching a proposal, interviewing a candidate. Set up one such situation each week, speak for two minutes, record yourself, listen back. The spots where you stumble are next week's word list.

The hardest part is finding sources for stage two. The three criteria below will filter out nearly all of it.

• Has a transcript. Without a transcript you can't check where you went wrong, and listening without checking is just listening to get your ear used to it. Prioritize podcasts that publish a transcript right on the page, or videos with captions made by a person, not machine-guessed ones.
• Speaking speed close to real life. Exam-prep tapes are read slowly and clearly, not like anyone at work. Pick sources with people speaking naturally, cutting each other off, misspeaking and correcting themselves. Too hard? Start with interview-style content, since it's slower than a presentation.
• Close to the real job. The closer the source is to what you actually have to handle, the more often you'll run into the same new words again, and running into them again and again is how a word sticks. A banker should listen to central bank press conferences more than a movie podcast.

See the completed formula in a few field-specific articles: IT English built around standup meetings, medical English built around medical records, accounting English built around audit season, restaurant and hotel English built around taking orders, legal English built around courtroom proceedings, and banking English built around numbers spoken fast.

These three stages are set up in fifteen minutes. Stage two is the one that eats time, and the cheapest way through it is still listening sentence by sentence and transcribing, using content that matches your own field.

Detailed articles for each field

Each field below has its own article, with vocabulary grouped by category, pronunciation, example sentences taken from real work situations, and a section on the common mistakes specific to that field.

• medical English
• pharmacy English
• nursing English
• accounting English
• logistics English
• legal English
• construction English
• mechanical engineering English
• electrical English
• automotive English
• garment industry English
• marketing English
• business English
• office English
• IT English
• economics English
• tourism English
• job interview English
• banking English
• HR English
• electronics English
• kitchen English
• restaurant and hotel English

Frequently asked questions

How is field-specific English different from everyday communication English? The grammar is the same. The difference lies in the density of terminology, the fixed phrases specific to that field, and a more formal, more concise style.

Where should you start learning field-specific English? From real content in your own field, not a specialized dictionary read from cover to cover. Listening to a podcast segment, watching a training video, reading real company documents and looking up words as you hit them, is usually more effective than memorizing a list beforehand.

How much field-specific vocabulary is enough to work with? There's no fixed number, but most day-to-day work repeats a fairly narrow set of words. Having a solid grasp of that core set, plus the ability to ask again when you don't understand, is enough for most everyday situations.

Where should you look for field-specific English materials? Prioritize real materials from the actual job you do: the manufacturer's technical guides, real emails with partners, training videos. You can also listen to podcasts on the exact topic of your field in WELE's podcast library to get used to how that vocabulary is spoken, not just written.

What if you don't have much time? A short session every day, focused on one short listening passage on the right topic, works better than one long session a week. A concrete schedule for busy people is in the article 15 minutes a day for busy people.

Every field has its own set of words, and the fastest way to learn is to listen to the right content for that field and correct your own listening mistakes yourself instead of memorizing a list. If you want to try it with the exact work topic you're dealing with, check out WELE's current course packages on the pricing page.