The importance of exchange in english language for the brazilian university student: main modalities and opportunities

Abstract

In the last years the search for exchange programs has increased considerably and more and more Brazilians wish to obtain the experience provided through this experience, since the labor market is increasingly valuing the exchange student's experience and the fluency in the language comes as a consequence. The English Language emerges today as a global language, whose usefulness goes far beyond the tourism. As a contact language, English is used as a means of communication in different contexts and, especially, in commercial relations with countries that speak several languages. Hence emerges the need to acquire the English Language so that the individual can be inserted in this world context and, above all, that is able to interact with it. Thus, the demand for exchange programs in English-speaking countries has been increasing in the last decades, especially among the university students who seeks for a better formation in order to be able to face the so fierce labor market. With this, the profile of the Brazilian exchange student is also changing, his / her age group, choices for the destinations and types of programs. In this sense, the article aims to analyze the main modalities
of exchange in English Language for Brazilian adults focused on the labor market, emphasizing the opportunities for personal and professional development. We carried out bibliographic research in academic articles, didactic materials, books and websites specialized in trips and national and international organizations. We also deal with the difference between acquisition and learning, as well as discussing the main aspects that have made English a language of global reach. To this end, we discuss the importance of English as a lingua franca, presenting the definition of exchange and the concept of cultural exchange, in order to characterize the profile of the current Brazilian exchange student.