Emergency language services (ELS) has enjoyed unprecedented attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, existing studies have focused on making proposals for the construction of ELS mechanisms and the training of professionals. Few studies have explored practical ways to achieve this objective. We argue that the teaching of emergency language should be based on the following concepts: first, ELS should be extended to other fields such as maritime, aviation, customs, military and foreign affairs instead of being confined to health and medicine; second, the efficiency of ELS depends on emergency language teaching on a daily basis; third, emergency language teaching is the teaching of languages for specific purposes (LSP), rather than general language teaching. A person with a high language proficiency but without any specific knowledge in the given field could not be qualified for ELS. To conduct emergency language teaching, therefore, it is necessary to offer ELS programs in tertiary institutions. For example, English departments in the universities of maritime, aeronautics, customs, military, and foreign affairs might initiate such programs or provide related courses. The first step, however, is to change the dominant perception of the English major as liberal education.