The use of lexical items to an effective communication at the tourist police unit

Abstract

The present guided work is an ESP course (English for Specific Purposes) carried out at the Tourist Police Department of La Paz City. The objective of the guided work “The use of Lexical Items to an Effective Communication at the Tourist Police Unit” is to teach lexical items in the tourism field, the course is addressed to Tourist Police Officers, taking into consideration that those officers are in contact with tourists from different nationalities. Therefore, for Tourist Police Officers, it is relevant that they learn specific knowledge in the tourism field in English, so that they could communicate effectively with tourists that visit our city. The ESP course was designed in three modules. The 1st module covers meeting tourists in the streets. The 2nd module is about tourists´ items and places to go for tourists. The 3rd module covers police officers in the streets meeting tourists in trouble. The course was developed applying mainly the Communicative Approach, it means the participants learned lexical items in context. The classes were developed simulating monologues and short dramas about tourism. Besides, ESP material was designed for tourism, considering specific subjects that Tourist Police Officers need in English. At the conclusion of the guided work, the Tourist Police Officers were able to put into practice the lexical items learned in the ESP course. They could communicate effectively with tourists in real life situations, such as: asking and giving personal information, asking and giving directions, and reporting robberies. Therefore, the present guide work about ESP teaching was useful not only for the Tourist Police Officers but also for the society.