Teaching filling up professional logistic documentation in English

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TEACHING FILLING UP PROFESSIONAL LOGISTIC DOCUMENTATION IN ENGLISH

foreign language communicative

В.В. Засименко,

кандидат педагогічних наук, доцент

(Національний транспортний університет, м. Київ)

The integration of Ukraine into European community and global universe, the intensive expansion of international ties and the entry of national companies into the international market have called for training highly-qualified specialist having the skills and a good knowledge of professional foreign language communication. The recent trends of student training that correspond to the increasing demands for international mobility and closer cooperation in the spheres of logistic business, economics, science, education, commerce, designing and others have become generally recognized. Consequently, the update of learning needs and teaching programs applied in non- linguistic higher educational institutions, as well as the elaboration of corresponding teaching aids have been required nowadays. For this purpose, a new English teaching program aimed at the development of professional communication has been worked out in Ukraine. The development of professional communicative competence required for the real occupational spheres and live situations specified in accordance with the professional needs and contexts has been defined as a final objective.

In conformity with the ongoing training program in the English language used for professional communication, the following demands for the written speech abilities have been put forward: arranging and carrying on business and professional correspondence, a high level of grammatical correctness in writing resumes, drawing up protocols and other documents, filling up academic and professional template forms, performing and responding to a wide range of speech functions, using common phrases etc. Thus, the abilities to “fill up forms containing the information about oneself and a company, understand and compile a CV, covering letters, recommendations etc.” are of great interest for our research made within the framework of a general occupational heading “Working Environment and Everyday Work” [1, 12].

The listed below scientists investigated the issue of a foreign language communicative competence development for students studying in non-linguistic higher educational institutions: D. Bubnova, V. Borshovetska, M. Voloshynova, N. Halskova, N. Drab, N. Zinukova, T. Korzh, Z. Kornieva, S. Radetska, Y. Semenchuk, H. Skurativska, O. Ustymenko, I. Fedorova, I. Khalieieva and others.

Still, the instruction method of developing communicative competence in English writing for students mastering logistic business has not been sufficiently elucidated. That is why the social significance and the need for quality in the process of training logistics specialists acquiring a high proficiency level of the communicative expertise in foreign language writing have made this research currently important.

The thematic justification and the international logistical documents applied for the elaboration of teaching techniques necessary for the development of English writing skills acquired by students mastering logistic business have been the research objective.

International companies and organizations use a variety of documents regulating the arrangement, execution and conduction of foreign trade operations. The ability to draw up a working document demonstrated by a student studying logistics has been of crucial importance in a foreign language writing environment as such documents are used for establishing business contacts and confirming oral agreements. The correct drafting and filling up different working papers are key factors for a successful international activity at all stages. This is the reason why future logistics experts being involved in the process of international English communication have to acquire the skills required for keeping documents needed for their professional activity. A long lasting professional adaptation experienced by future logistics specialists is caused by the lack of adequate attention paid to the issues of mastering foreign language writing skills. Thus, the acquiring and development of special foreign language skills required for professional communication is the first order condition essential for raising the professional qualifications of students studying logistic business. The language proficiency of specialists aimed at advancing technological progress has become urgent nowadays as a foreign language for a technical institution graduate is a means of production and educational humanization being the integral part of culture. A highly qualified logistics expert shall have a foreign language communicative competence of a corresponding level and quality in order to compete at the international labour market.

Both positive and negative tendencies of developing special foreign language communication skills for students mastering logistics have been observed in non-linguistic higher educational institutions.

The current English language programs designated for students mastering non-linguistic special fields (2005) and elaborated in the context of European language education recommendations (2003), as well as the application of printed and electronic training devices for teaching a foreign language are considered a positive tendency. The ever-increasing demands for the training quality, the reduction of academic hours spent for foreign language teaching being detached from the global needs, as well as the lack of correspondence between the foreign language university training and the current practice of language implementation by occupation are negative trends of the process.

Special declarative knowledge of traffic (consignment notes, waybill, through bills of lading and charter) and shipping documents (packing list, invoice, the certificate of quality and the certificate of origin), procedural knowledge of the document drawing up, speech skills and the abilities to fill in logistic documents are the foundation of logistic professional activity. Personal qualities of a logistics expert like logistic thinking, sociability, high level of proficiency, and the abilities to think on feet and arrive at constructive solutions are equally important. The electronic workflow used by companies providing international freight services has determined the necessity for students mastering logistic business to acquire the skills necessary for filling in both printed and electronic working document forms. The listed below criteria were followed while selecting shipping logistics documents to be used by future logistics specialists as a teaching material for developing a special foreign language competence: authenticity and functionality of a transport document, its social and cultural value, as well as its adaptation to the training process. Among all the professional documents maintained in shipping logistics we focused our attention on traffic and shipping ones. Traffic documents consist of different way-bills depending on a transport mode used for freight traffic. Shipping documents include a packing list, invoice, the certificate of quality and the certificate of origin.

The use and filling up of authentic logistic documents for training purposes allows the implementation of foreign language teaching objectives. The development of a foreign language writing competence (declarative knowledge of documents applied in shipping logistics, procedural knowledge of document drawing up regulations, speech skills and the abilities to fill in documents) is a practical teaching purpose. The educational objective implies mastering social and cultural competence (getting the students to know printed and electronic forms of authentic traffic and shipping documents), the information and communication competence (the ability to use electronic teaching devices). The developmental objective is focused on the development of reflexive competence (logistic thinking, the ability to be quick and independent in making decisions, professional consciousness and sociability). The educational purpose assures steady motivation for the development of a foreign language professional competence.

Having reviewed professional literature and documents applied for international freight traffic activity and having considered our own experience we determined the principal stages to be followed by students mastering logistic business in order to acquire skills necessary for drawing up the mentioned above documents.

1. The review of a logistic form filled in English.

At this stage students gain knowledge of documents used in shipping logistics and of procedures applied for the proper record management. At the same time, future logistics experts develop their professional consciousness, logistic thinking, acquire a high level of proficiency, display the ability to think on feet and make constructive decisions.

Let us illustrate a possible task to be performed by students at this stage. Imagine that you work for a company providing logistic services. Among all other supporting documents there is the certificate of quality. Make a careful revision of each entry and choose the most appropriate mode of transport for further freight handling. Explain your choice. Performing the task a student plays the role of a real company employee getting acquainted with national and foreign companies providing a wide range of logistic services. Handling the certificate of quality, students are offered an opportunity to learn other shipping documents accompanying the freight (packing list, invoice and the certificate of origin). In such a way a student is involved in the real environment of a company delivering transport services.

2. Filling in some entries (columns) in a traffic document.

At the second stage students get to know printed and electronic traffic and shipping forms, acquire the abilities to work with different training resources. Moreover, they raise the level of their professional consciousness, logistic thinking and proficiency, develop the ability to think on feet and arrive at constructive decisions. The example of a task offered at this stage: imagine that you work for the company providing logistic services. The certificate of quality is one of the accompanying notes. Fill in its entries in accordance with the freight characteristics.

Accepting the challenge students receive the list of freights choosing the one in their own discretion or offering any other.

3. Individual filling up of a logistic form.

At this stage students get acquainted with printed and electronic logistic documents, learn to draw up documents, improve their professional consciousness, system thinking and the ability to take quick and independent decisions.

The possible challenge issued for the stage: imagine that you work for the company “."providing logistic services. File consignment notes for combined freight traffic activity. Or: fill in the package of traffic and shipping documents for road freightage (sea carriage, railway or air cargo traffic).

To fulfill the task a student is supposed to know the standard set of traffic and shipping documents and the type of consignment note used for international carriage of goods provided by different transport modes. The opportunity to choose any freight variegates the exercise.

4. Self control and mutual control taken by a student or his/her group mates and the control (assumed by an instructor) over the traffic or shipping blank filling up. This stage is important as the understanding of logistic document content displayed by a logistics expert is a guarantee of the competent duty performance provided by a logistics specialist while receiving or shipping goods. The mutual control affords an opportunity for students to act as company executives checking their subordinates in terms of correct traffic and shipping blank filling. A communicative aspect is also important in this task.

Thus, acquiring skills necessary for arranging and filling up professional documents in English is an essential component of a training process applied in non-linguistic higher educational institutions the lack of which makes it impossible to train highly qualified logistics specialists. For the effective settling the issue, the corresponding instruction procedures for managing professional documentation in English have been elaborated.

The foundations for selecting shipping logistics documents to be used as a teaching material are the following: typical situations requiring professional foreign language writing skills, the spheres of professional foreign language communication experienced by logistics experts while performing international carriage of goods, communication objectives and challenges faced by logistics specialists. The authenticity, functionality, social and cultural value as well as adaptation to the training process are the criteria having been followed while selecting traffic and shipping documents.

The development of skills required for drafting and filling up professional documents for the sake of effective implementation of communicative objectives in a specific working situation is the training goal of managing transport documentation. At that, the compliance with the document composition and genre structure as well as the correct use of appropriate language, non-language and speech means is of great importance.

In this research we have offered the following stages to be followed by students while filling up logistic documents: the first phase implies the acquaintance with the logistic blank content; at the second stage students have to fill some entries in a shipping logistics document; at the third stage students are supposed to fill in the whole logistic form; at the fourth stage different forms of control over the correct form filling are assumed: self-control, mutual control (taken by students) and control (taken by an instructor).

The principal issues of this research can be applied during practical English classes with students-logisticians, development of educational programs and manuals in logistics, additional training courses in professional education of future logistic managers in universities and colleges.

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