Karl Drobnic (born 1943) is an American educator and publisher, He pioneered work in English for Specific Purposes during the era of large scale technology transfer programs between developed and underdeveloped nations in the latter half of the twentieth century.
Drobnic co-edited English for Specific Purposes: Science and Technology in 1978 with Louis and Mary Trimble and co-wrote Sci Tech (publisher: Prentice Hall, 1980).
"Pride of place here belongs to The ESP Newsletter and EST Clearinghouse from Oregon State University and under the Editorship and Management of Karl Drobnic.
"[2] After gaining cohesion in the 1970s as a legitimate academic pursuit, English for Specific Purposes has become a recognized sub-field of applied linguistics, pursued by academicians at universities worldwide.
Drobnic worked as a consultant to the governments and university systems of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, North Yemen (Sana’a), Nicaragua, Peru, Indonesia, Mexico, and Costa Rica.