2

Edited:

Imagine there is a task which requires lots of practical or scientific / academic knowledge. A master of that field wants to claim that this is a professional task and what he can do because of the relationship between his / her profession and specialty and the task. I would appreciate it if someone could let me know which one of the flowing self-made sentences works in this sense? If no one of them sounds idiomatic, then please let me know what a native speaker would say in a natural way to indicate exactly the same message:

This task is within my profession.

This task is within my specialty.

I have made this question to make sure whether these words differ in meaning or not.

Improve this question
7
  • 2
    Both are grammatical, neither is idiomatic. That's not how a native speaker would be likely to speak. Are you trying to say "That's something I do frequently in my job"? – Tᴚoɯɐuo Jan 24 '17 at 12:34
  • 1
    Often "speciality" is a subset of "profession". A police officer (by profession) might specialise in road traffic issues. A school teacher might specialise in teaching geography. The first might say "I specialise in road traffic policing" or "I am a police officer and I specialise in road traffic". The other might say "I teach geography" or "I am a (school) teacher and my (main) subject is geography". – AdrianHHH Jan 24 '17 at 12:45
  • 1
    You could use more idiomatic sentences like: "this task is (well) within my abilities", "this task is (well) (within) my area of expertise", or just "this task is my specialty (removing "within my")" or even "this task is one of my specialties". – MorganFR Jan 24 '17 at 12:45
  • And what is the contextual purpose of the pretending in your question? – Tᴚoɯɐuo Jan 24 '17 at 13:06
  • 1
    Is the master of his craft saying that the task demands a professional, that the task is beyond the capabilities of someone who lacks professional expertise and experience? Or is he merely claiming to have the necessary experience? – Tᴚoɯɐuo Jan 24 '17 at 20:22
3

Firstly, the words specialty and profession are used quite differently.

Profession

a [particular occupation, business or vocation] requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science.

Specialty

a special subject of study, line of work, area of interest

A profession is very broad, you can be a policeman, a doctor or a software engineer. A profession requires knowledge and study, but is very broad. A general understanding of computers is rarely described as 'a specialty'. Also a profession can be even broader such as "technology".

A specialty is very specific, for example a homicide detective, a neuroscientist or a java developer. This is a doctor that "specializes" in neuroscience.

then please let me know what a native speaker would say in a natural way to indicate exactly the same message.

Both are valid, however I would probably use something like:

I can do this because it falls within my area of expertise

I can do this because I am qualified to do so

My training qualifies me for this task.

The reason that I would use phrases such as "area of expertise" is that this is indicative of a human ability. "Profession" is quite broad, but you could say that "I can do this because it is my job, I am used to doing it". "Specialization" is very narrow and not really used colloquially "I can do this because it is my specialty" is grammatically correct but I've never heard it used. I think perhaps because it is a fundamentally academic word, you specialize in medicine, and this is used frequently in an academic context.

Improve this answer
8
  • Then I would appreciate it if you could let me know can we swap the sentences: "What is your profession?" with "What is your specialty?" For me they both meant the same, but now, I doubt @Isobella Pines. – A-friend Jan 25 '17 at 6:47
  • 1
    Not really, "what is your profession?" is like asking "what is your job?". "what is your specialty?" is like asking "what is your final year project?". – Bella Pines Jan 25 '17 at 21:06
  • Then I guess "what is you area of expertise" is what I shall ask about the field in which the technician / specialist is specialized in. Right @Isobella Pines? – A-friend Jan 26 '17 at 7:26
  • 1
    Yes I would agree with that law statement. Usually when you say "what is your profession?" it is analogous or similar to asking "what is your job" on the assumption that you have a job in the field of study that you specialized in. Dictionary.com defines profession as "a vocation requiring knowledge" on that same assumption. – Bella Pines Jan 28 '17 at 18:05
  • 1
    I would also swap "what is your idea about" for "what is your opinion" – Bella Pines Jan 28 '17 at 18:10

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.