Business speak appears to be on the rise. According to Sussex Enterprise’s Business Edge magazine, large companies are often the worst offenders, with 98% of workers using buzzwords such as ‘blue-sky thinking’ every day. But are they cringeworthy additions to our language, synonymous with try-hard managers such as David Brent in TV’s The Office, or do they introduce new, motivational creative flair into boring workplace jargon?
To me, business buzzwords and buzzphrases such as ‘knowledge base’, ‘win-win’ and ‘to touch base’, all of which I encounter regularly in my translation work, are relatively harmless and are regularly understood. However, I fail to see the point of words such as ‘upskill’, as in ‘upskilling our staff’: what’s wrong with plain old ‘train’? Exercise caution if you decide to put these kinds of buzzwords into your business texts. By all means inject creativity into your writing, but make sure that you don’t confuse your reader!
What are the best/worst examples of business speak that you’ve come across? Share them with us below!
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