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by ARCHITAMITTRA
ARCHITAMITTRA

English for Logistics:

Essential Vocabulary to Get
the Job Done Right
The first time I was on a logistics team, I was
pretty bad at itit.

I was in school and we’d organized a debate

contest.

We ran out of paper and didn’t have enough

refreshments for our participants.

Then our event was delayed because we didn’t

pick up our chief guest on time.

At first, I didn’t get it. I’d always been good with

planning, organizing and numbers.

So why did I mess up?

Then I realized that no matter how well you plan

something, things can always go haywire.
To succeed in logistics, you must be a good
planner, yes—but
but you also need to think on
your feet
feet. You need to improvise and come up
with good solutions at a moment’s notice.

And to do that, you need to be able to quickly,

clearly communicate your ideasideas. That means
having the right vocabulary for every little stage in
the logistics process.

The next time I volunteered to handle an event’s

logistics, it went wonderfully. Of course there were
things that went wrong, but instead of panicking,
we improvised and discussed to find solutions.

If you’re afraid that your business English skills

aren’t up to scratch for this type of work, you’ve
stumbled to the right place!

In this post, I’ll cover all the relevant vocabulary

and jargon that’s used in the field of logistics
today.

Download: This blog post is available as a

convenient and portable PDF that you can take
anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

What Does a Job in Logistics Mean

for You?

Well, you’d be responsible for efficiently managing

all the supplies required in a program or
business
business. You’d basically be in charge of the
movement of goods, services or information from
one point to another, as per your client’s needs.

For instance, if you were working on logistics for a

debate competition, your job would involve getting
the stationery and refreshments for all participants,
contacting and coordinating between suppliers and
venue representatives and ensuring that everything
arrived on time and where it needed to be.
As you can imagine, clear communication is
essential to doing this type of work successfully.
To make a good impression in the workplace, you
need to know the right words and concepts and be
able to apply them as required.

Before we give you those words and concepts, let’s

take a look at some awesome online lessons
and practice materials you can use to master
them.

Online Resources to Improve Your

Logistics Vocabulary

To supplement your learning, you can check out

these resources to further improve your business
English skills and make an impression at the
workplace. To make the most of it, try to practice
regularly and don’t forget to review what you learn.

FluentU: This is the best tool to learn how to

use the vocabulary below like a native speaker
would. FluentU takes real-world videos—like
business dialogues, inspiring speeches, news
and more—and turns them into personalized
English lessons.FluentU has a huge collection
of English videos that people in the English-
speaking world actually watch.
More to the point, FluentU has an entire
business category filled with authentic
business-related videos covering six language
levels.

To show the variety of videos even inside this

single category, real-world business videos on
FluentU include “Introducing Business
Colleagues,” “Business Buzzwords,” “Control
Your Inbox!” and “What Warren Buffet Thinks
About Cash.”

An added bonus is that if you want to work on

other topics later, simply use the same, familiar
FluentU platform to learn with videos from
other categories, such as “Science and Tech,”
“Politics and Society” or mix it up with “Arts and
Entertainment” or “Health and Lifestyle.”
Every spoken word is subtitled, complete with
an in-context definition, image and multiple
example sentences.

All you have to do is tap or click on one of the

words in those subtitles to get more
information. For example, if you tap on the
word “brought,” you will see this:
Plus, these great videos are all accompanied
by interactive features and active
learning tools
tools, like multimedia flashcards and
fun games like “fill in the blank.”
If you are interested in watching fun, relevant
videos and practicing language actively in the
process, be sure to create a FluentU
account and try it out on your computer, iOS
or Android device!

Investopedia: Whenever you come across an

unfamiliar turn of phrase in logistics, head over
to this site to learn more about it. For instance
this page gives you a short background on
logistics with examples and detailed
explanations of what a logistician actually does.
If you have any queries, chances are that this
site will answer most of them.

Effective Business English for Logistics

on Udemy: If you’re serious and dedicated to
your learning, consider investing in a course
devoted to teaching English for those working
in logistics. This online course promises to be
 really useful and worth the money. You’ll be
able to communicate effectively, manage the
staff and administer logistics processes in the
right way. Whether in administration,
warehousing or management, this is an all-in-all
course for you.

If you enjoy this resource, you can find many

more engaging and effective courses on
Udemy. Udemy is an online education platform
with hundreds of courses covering a range of
both business topics and English language
topics. And they’ve almost always got big
discounts running on their courses!

English for Logistics: Essential

Vocabulary to Get the Job
Done Right
Below is a list of commonly used terms and
abbreviations used in logistics. Carefully studying a
vocabulary list like this will give you a thorough
grounding in the basics
basics, from where you can
further build your knowledge base.

For continued, in-depth vocabulary studies, check

out this glossary from Inbound Logistics. As
indicated above, you can also find many useful
definitions by searching on Investopedia.

I’ve also provided an example sentence to give you

an idea of the context in which the word/phrase
usually appears, so you can use them in your
everyday conversations with your coworkers and
clients.

Advanced Shipment Notice (ASN):

This is a document that tells your customer all the

information they need to know about a pending
delivery—including the type, nature and number of
goods, packaging information and other relevant
shipment details. It’s sent in advance to the
customer so that they have an idea of what to
expect and when.
 You better tell Sheila to send the ASN to the
customer soon, so that he knows when the
products are coming.

Air Taxi:

This is a small commercial aircraft that usually flies

short distances on demand. There are restrictions
on the amount of cargo and passengers allowed in
the aircraft.

It’s like hailing a cab when you’re in a hurry, except

the cab is a plane!

The traffic on the highway is going to be pretty

bad, so we booked an air taxi for our VIP
guests so that they can reach the venue on
time, without any hassles.

Backorder:

To put it simply, a backorder is when a retailer

orders something that’s currently out of stock. The
client trusts the company long enough to wait for
the order to be shipped at a later date.

Jack has finally dealt with all the pending

backorders for our customers, and our
inventory is up-to-date.

Business-to-Business (B2B):

This is an approach where a business targets other

businesses to access and sell their products and
services. In short, the commercial transaction
occurs not with the customer but with another
business.

For her new jewelry start-up, Maya recently

bought a huge set of charms and beads
directly from a wholesale supplier that
specializes in B2B.

Business-to-Consumer (B2C):

This is the opposite of B2B and the one we’re more

familiar with, where the transaction takes place
between the business and a customer. However
the strategies used here differ significantly from
those used in B2B marketing.

Typically, B2C strategies focus on emotionally

engaging the customer to buy a product,
whereas a B2B approach focuses more on
value and utility.

Blanket Purchase Order:

Also referred to as a blanket order or a standing

order
order, this is a type of purchase order where a
client receives regular, ongoing deliveries for large
quantities of goods, thereby taking advantage of
discount pricing.

Jane uses a blanket purchase order to get her

goods. This keeps her business steady and she
gets what she needs at cheaper rates.

Bilateral Contract:

This is a reciprocal arrangement between two

parties, where you promise to do something in
exchange for something in return. Both of you are
bound to keep your ends of the bargain.

If you agree to provide a service for a company

and they agree to pay you for it, you’re
entering into a basic bilateral contract.

Consignor and Consignee:

The consignor is the person (or firm) that sells or

ships the goods to the recipient, or “consignee.”
The consignor is usually the “seller” and retains
ownership of the goods until the consignee pays
for them.

As per the transportation document, Aditya is

the consignor and you must make the
necessary payments to him when he delivers
the goods.

Customs Officer:
The customs officer is the law enforcement official
who acts on behalf of the government and ensures
that people and goods enter or exit a country
legally.

The customs officer at the docks caught him

trying to smuggle some banned substances
and promptly confiscated them.

Distribution Network:

This term refers to the interconnected group of

storage facilities and transportation systems that
ensure goods are smoothly delivered from the
manufacturer to the customer.

The distribution network is part of the “supply

chain” (more on that later).

Creating and managing a strong distribution

network is one of the key skills required to
succeed in logistics.

Freight:

This refers to the goods that are carried in bulk by

land, sea or air. It can also mean the fees paid for
the transportation of these goods.

Joe worked for a few months as a truck driver

carrying freight across the highway from one
city to another at night.

Inbound Logistics and Outbound Logistics:

Goods either “come into” or “leave” a business.

Inbound Logistics is applied for the transport,
storage and delivery of goods that “come into” a
business from a manufacturer.

The opposite is of course Outbound Logistics,

which involves goods that “leave” the business to
the client.

Amrita is the head of the inbound logistics

team, so address all queries regarding the
manufacturer to her and she’ll deal with it.
Inventory:

This refers to all the goods or a list of all the goods

that are held by a business to be sold.

Keeping the company’s inventory up-to-date is

very important so that it’s easy to see if any
goods have gone missing or been stolen.

Lading:

This term typically refers to the load of cargo or

goods onto a transportation vehicle. However, it
also sometimes refers to the cargo itself.

The lading process was long and strenuous,

but we did it carefully and now the ship’s set
sail with the cargo.

Logistics Service Provider (LSP):

As the term suggests, LSPs are third parties that

provide companies and clients with logistics
services.

We advised Michael to research an LSP’s

credentials and track record, before
approaching one to distribute his goods and
take care of the transportation for his business.

North American Free Trade Agreement

(NAFTA):

This is a free trade agreement between Canada,

the U.S. and Mexico and covers several issues such
as those relating to customs, intellectual property
rights, government procedures and so on. NAFTA
was implemented on January 1, 1994.

I work in logistics for a North American

importer and exporter, so I need to be very
familiar with the provisions in NAFTA.

Order Picking:

Order Picking is the process of assembling the

goods before they’re shipped off to the customer.
It’s one of the basic warehousing processes.

Sayan recently got a job collecting articles

before shipment and the company is so
pleased with his efficient order picking he may
soon get a promotion.

Order Processing:

This refers to all the different activities related to

the filling of a customer’s orders until they’re
completed. It usually includes the picking, sorting,
packing and delivery of goods to the shipping
carrier.

Swift order processing is the hallmark of any

wholesale retail company.

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM):

An OEM is usually a company that manufactures

goods that are then used as components in
another company’s goods.

However, the term has evolved over the years and

now sometimes refers to the second company (i.e.
the one receiving and using the goods).

Company A makes equipment that’s

incorporated into Company B’s product, so
traditionally Company A is called an OEM.

Owner’s Risk Rate:

This term is commonly used with reference to

railway shipment. It refers to a reduced tariff,
compared to the rate that one ordinarily pays. The
reason for the discount is that the goods are
carried at the owner’s risk and the railway
administration isn’t responsible for any damages
incurred.

I prefer to ship my goods at the owner’s risk

rate, because it’s cheaper and I usually get
lucky—but I’ve incurred some losses over the
years.
Packaging:

No, it’s not just safely wrapping up a product before

it’s shipped. Packaging involves all the processes
and materials that are used to contain, transport
and protect a product until it’s delivered.

It also can refer to the design and production of

packages.

Sarita works as a packaging engineer for a

small business and she’s responsible for the
optimum use of paper and cardboard
resources.

Pareto:

This refers to the Pareto principle, or the 80/20 rule

that 80% of profits come from 20% of your
work/effort. In order to improve productivity, you
identify the “20%” areas and capitalize on those.

The Pareto principle is applicable in all walks of

life, so know your “20%” well and spend more
time and resources in improving it.

Pooling:

This is a common term in shipping lingo, where

multiple shipments from different carriers are
combined in one truckload to reduce shipping
charges.

Pooling your delivery goods is an efficient way

to make the most of your company budget and
is also more environmentally friendly.

Preferential Rate:

This is a term related to customs payments. It’s a

special, reduced rate for products from certain
“preferred”countries.

Luckily for you, you can pay per your country’s

preferential rate for exporting these items.

Request for Information (RFI):

An RFI is a document to collect written information
about a vendor, product, supplier or service.

Jackie filed several RFIs when choosing the

most reliable supplier for his goods.

Supply Chain:

The entire interconnected network of

organizations, people, activities and resources that
are responsible for the movement of the product
from the supplier to the customer.

Efficient supply chain management is one of

the chief aims of any logistics operation, so
every minute detail must be overseen by the
person who leads the operation.

Transportation:

This is a key aspect of any logistics operation and

refers to the movement of goods via land/sea/air,
as well as the procedures involved to make it go
smoothly and efficiently.

I was in charge of transportation, which meant I

had to coordinate with truck drivers for the
delivery of our goods to the warehouse.

Unit Loads:

The combining of individual items in shipping

containers into single units.

I need to find out the exact number of unit

loads that’ll fit into this warehouse.

Warehousing:

The act of storing goods that are to be distributed

and sold at a later date. The commercial building
where goods are stored is called a warehouse.

Tanya scaled down her plans for the start-up

because the warehousing costs were too
expensive.
To draw an analogy, working in logistics is like
being a stage magician’s assistant, backstage help
and manager—all at the same time. The audience
claps at the magician’s clever tricks, but it’s
everyone working behind the scenes, tirelessly and
invisibly, who ensures the success of the
performance.

Our job in this field is to coordinate everything with

everyone else, in a timely manner. It requires
tremendous skill and quick thinking—so if you want
a job that’s challenging and fulfilling at the same
time, this might be the right career for you.

And in order to succeed, you also need to know the

right “lingo” that’s currently in vogue, so take your
time with this list. Bookmark this post, learn and
review the definitions and research topics or
concepts that are unfamiliar to you.

You can even ask a friend or coworker to quiz you

on this list or you can make it a point to use a few
terms from this list in your daily life, every day.

Make learning a habit, set yourself small goals,

don’t ever lose hope and you’ll succeed in your
field by leaps and bounds.

Archita Mittra is a freelance writer, artist, educator

and a self-taught Italian speaker. Feel free to check
out her website or contact her for freelancing
inquiries.

Download: This blog post is available as a

convenient and portable PDF that you can take
anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

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