About Nuclear English

“I wish Nuclear English had existed when I joined the nuclear industry” - Mr. Eui Jin Lee - Head of Education Program Development, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute

In Summer 2005, the World Nuclear University will publish Nuclear English, the first English language textbook for people working in the nuclear industry. The central objective of the course is to increase student proficiency within the four skill areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing as well as to cover grammatical features which have been shown to be useful in technical and business English. It will consist of 12 lessons covering areas of the nuclear energy cycle as well as important issues such as non-proliferation, safety, research and development and the use of radioisotopes in medicine and agriculture. It will be aimed at both technical and non-technical staff who have reached an intermediate to advanced level of English. The textbook will not be a nuclear manual. Nevertheless, learners - in particular newcomers to the industry - will enhance their knowledge of the nuclear industry through the course. Other features of the book are:

• An accompanying CD containing authentic and absorbing interviews with industry figures. Besides standard British and American English, a wide range of accents frequently encountered in the nuclear industry (Indian, Australian, South African etc.) are featured.
• A glossary of key nuclear terms
• Transcripts of recorded material used in the lessons
• An answer key for the exercises enabling self-study
• A guide to help teachers maximise the learning potential of the materials

Nuclear English has been developed on the basis of a needs analysis and piloting involving Japanese, South Korean, German, French, Bulgarian and Ukrainian learners of English working in the nuclear industry.