The dual purpose of this paper is to put forward the problem of goal orientation in mathematics education in general and to consider a specific goal that is not seen as central in traditional teaching practice. The goal orientation approach in education aims to construct the teaching process considering the goals of the students, i.e. the expected fields of application of their mathematical skills. The point pursued is that goal orientation may imply focussing on mathematical needs of students in terms of specific capabilities, which could be developed using various mathematical topics, rather than concentrating on the subject matter. Examples are given showing that the same educational tool could be either beneficial or harmful, dependent on the teaching goal. Acquisition of technical language competence is put forward as a possible goal of mathematics education. This goal could be pursued on two levels: in a general context, to enable school graduates to comprehend public discourse as it appears in the media, and in preparation of professionals. In the latter context the case is presented comparing the mathematical preparation of engineers of pre-computer age with that of computer oriented professionals and conclusions are drawn concerning various parts of classroom mathematical discourse. (Contains 5 endnotes.)