Language at work: how much English do you actually need?

What each trade really requires, and why fifty right words beat a full course.

Language frightens applicants more than it stops them. People delay applying for years believing they need fluent English, when most trades need about fifty right words rather than a course.

The truth, trade by trade

• **Construction**: Arabic usually suffices. Most workers and supervisors are Arabic speakers or follow simple instructions. You need the words for safety and tools.
• **Maintenance and technicians**: you need to read part names, numbers and instructions on equipment — limited technical English, not conversation.
• **Drivers**: addresses, district names, map applications. Reading matters more than speaking.
• **Hospitality**: here you genuinely need conversational English — the customer may not speak Arabic.
• **Office and sales**: good English is not negotiable.

Start with what you use daily

Do not start with grammar. Start with a word list for your trade: your tools, spare parts, safety phrases, numbers, days, directions. Fifty words in your field serve you better than five hundred general ones.

Phrases for the first week

• "Again, please" / "slowly" — to ask for clarity without embarrassment.
• "I did not understand" — say it immediately; pretending causes mistakes and accidents.
• "Where is…?" — for finding anything.
• "I need help."
• "This is not safe" — a phrase that may save your life or a colleague’s.

Free tools that work

• Camera translation in translation apps — photograph a sign or a machine label and read it in Arabic.
• Voice translation for short exchanges with a supervisor who has no Arabic.
• Save the translations that recur; you will need them daily.
• Ask a bilingual colleague to teach you the trade words — the fastest and most accurate route.

One point specifically about safety

Learn the warning words on your site before anything else: danger, stop, caution, height, electricity, fire. Not understanding a warning on a construction site is not embarrassing, it is dangerous — and these words take an hour to learn.

And do not let language stop you applying. State your level honestly on your CV — "basic working English" is credible and accepted, while claiming fluency collapses on the first call.

Rules and fees change and differ by country and employer. Always check with the official authorities before paying or signing anything.