Зачем английский язык: «Для чего нужно учить английский язык?» – Яндекс.Кью

Зачем учить английский язык | Статьи по английскому на Study.ru

Знание английского языка – требование времени, необходимый критерий для получения престижного места работы, для развития успешной карьеры. Это язык международного общения, без знания которого не только невозможно заниматься бизнесом, но и совершать поездки по разным странам.

Существуют различные способы изучения иностранных языков, о некоторых из них написано в этом материале.

Каждый решает для себя сам: есть ли у него необходимость изучать иностранный язык. Предлагаем советы по изучению английского языка для тех, кто решил, что эти знания ему необходимы.

Не будем говорить о том, что английский – язык международного общения, позволяющего не только посещать разные страны, но и обучаться в лучших зарубежных вузах. К тому же это язык бизнеса. Большая часть интересной и нужной литературы выходит именно на английском, и огромное количество страниц в Интернете также распространяются на этом языке, не говоря уже о компьютерных программах и приложениях к ним. Говорить на эту тему можно долго.

Сегодня изучение иностранного языка доступно, практически, каждому благодаря всевозможным курсам, частным урокам, обучению через Интернет.

И в этой связи встает вопрос: как же лучше изучать иностранный язык, чтобы уметь четко выражать свои мысли, легко общаться на нем, хорошо понимать прочитанное и услышанное.

Нужно сказать, что любой языковой тренинг базируется на 4-х «китах»: чтении, письме, разговорной речи и восприятии ее на слух.

Чтение 
Те, кто решил изучать иностранный язык, должны знать, что чтение всегда дает хорошие результаты. В текстах, с одной стороны, вы встречаете уже знакомые слова, с другой – увеличиваете свой словарный запас. При чтении советуем незнакомые слова, затрудняющие перевод, выписывать на лист, а затем их значение следует узнать из словаря. Разумеется, тексы следует подбирать в соответствии с вашим уровнем владения языком.

Письменная речь представляет трудность и с точки зрения орфографии, и с точки зрения построения предложений, и с точки зрения выбора грамматических явлений. Но, в любом случае, писать следует обязательно, будь, то записки-напоминания, или детальный дневник. Постарайтесь найти друга по переписке, желательно хорошо знающего английский. Не отказывайтесь от общения посредством электронных писем, чатов, ICQ.

Разговорная речь, пожалуй, самое трудное дело. И если вам не с кем говорить по-английски, найдите собеседника в самом себе. Рассказывайте себе о прошедшем дне и о планах на завтра, пересказывайте прочитанные книги и просмотренные фильмы. Натыкаясь на незнакомые слова, ищите их в словаре. Если вы будете упорно заниматься в таком режиме, уже через некоторое время будете непроизвольно прибегать к английскому языку, иными словами, начнете думать по-английски. Смело начинайте говорить на языке, не стесняйтесь своих ошибок. Один раз не получилось без ошибок, пробуйте снова и снова. Только каждодневная тренировка даёт результаты.

Чтобы научиться воспринимать звучащую речь, нужно как можно больше ее слушать. Сегодня в продаже большое количество аудиокниг и фильмов на английском языке, которые вы сможете слушать у себя дома.

Фильмы на английском языке также являются хорошими помощниками в изучении языка, к тому же жесты, мимика, само действие помогут вам разобраться в содержании картины. В том случае, если что-то не понято, у вас есть возможность просмотреть эпизод еще раз. Часто к фильмам прилагаются русские или английские субтитры, что, несомненно, облегчит понимание диалога.

Если вы настроены на самостоятельное изучение иностранного языка, знайте, необходимыми условиями являются – большое желание и регулярные занятия. Лучше заниматься ежедневно по 30 минут, чем три часа один раз в неделю. Ведь освоение английского языка требует постоянной практики. Составьте план занятий:

• одну часть времени отведите на занятия с грамматикой;
• другую – на пополнение словарного запаса;
• третью – на выражение своих мыслей на английском языке.

Не забывайте о дополнительных материалах, среди которых интересные учебники, аудиокниги, фильмы, обучающие программы.

Знайте, нельзя изучать язык лишь одним из способов. Ведь вы должны научиться и говорить, и писать, и читать на английском языке.

Опираясь на собственный опыт, могу сказать следующее. Я стараюсь как можно больше читать на английском языке. Сегодня в продаже много художественной литературы на оригинальном языке. Как правило, беру книгу попроще (детективы, приключения, любовные романы). Когда есть возможность, стараюсь читать вслух, это позволяет улучшить произношение и отточить навыки беглой разговорной речи.

Уже несколько лет я смотрю передачи на НТВ+ на английском языке. Как правило, это новости по BBC и CNN , поэтому всегда нахожусь в курсе событий.

У меня есть знакомые среди англичан и американцев, общение с ними позволяет совершенствовать, лучше узнавать разговорный язык. Старайтесь как можно больше общаться с носителями английского языка. Для этого заходите на форумы и чаты в Интернете. А тем, у кого такой возможности нет, советую слушать и смотреть передачи на английском языке.

Есть такое понятие «чужеродная языковая среда». Когда все окружение человека – и люди, и СМИ содержат и передают информацию на чужом языке. В идеале, для совершенствования было бы неплохо пару месяцев побывать в такой обстановке в англоязычной стране.

Понимаю, что такая возможность есть не у всех.

Что же делать? Ответ простой: смотрите и слушайте, как можно чаще, теле- и радиопередачи на английском языке. Хотя бы по 30 минут в день.

И последнее. Самой важной составляющей в любом деле, в том числе и в изучении иностранного языка, является мотивация. Прежде, чем приступать к его изучению, скажите себе: если я не выучу язык, моя карьера застрянет в тупике. Или: я никогда не прочту Шекспира в подлиннике, о чем мечтал с детства. Не смогу выйти замуж или жениться на американце или на американке. Чем больше аргументов вы найдете, тем лучше. И тогда вам будет подвластно все.

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90000 Why English 90001 90002 90003 What 90004 is 90005 Official English? 90006 90007 90008 It’s NOT «English Only» 90009 90008 Having English as our official language simply means that for the government to act officially, or legally, it must communicate in English. It means the language of record is the English language, and that no one has a right to demand government services in any other language. 90009 90008 Official English would also reinforce America’s historic message to new immigrants — that we expect them to learn English as the first step in their assimilation — and that we are committed to ensuring that all Americans share in the economic, social and political benefits of having a common language.90009 90008 90009 90008 90002 Why English Should Be the Official Language of the United States? 90007 90009 90008 by K.C. McAlpin 90009 90008 90004 [W] hen men can not communicate their thoughts to each other, simply because of difference of language, all the similarity of their common human nature is of no avail to unite them in fellowship. — 90005 St. Augustine in «The City of God,» circa 420 AD [1] 90009 90008 90003 Introduction and Historical Background 90006 90009 90008 As St.Augustine’s 5th century observation illustrates, the role language plays as a bridge or a barrier between peoples has been known for centuries. When the Saint was writing during the twilight days of the Western Roman Empire, Latin was the tongue that made Rome’s rule over its vast collection of tribes and peoples possible. 90009 90008 Although the Western half of the Roman Empire collapsed not long after St. Augustine’s death, thanks to the Roman Church’s monopoly on education, the linguistic unity the Empire ushered in persisted in the Western Mediterranean and Europe for another thirteen hundred years through wars, plagues, and political upheavals, down to the modern era.Until Francis Hutcheson first started teaching his classes in the local Scots-English dialect at the University of Glasgow in 1730, anyone enrolling in a university from Lisbon to St. Petersburg had to be fluent in Latin because all classes and exams were conducted in the classic tongue. 90009 90008 Thus, when we read that Dutch-born theologian Erasmus traveled to England where he conversed with and befriended Sir Thomas Moore in the early 16 90035 th 90036 century, and that they each traveled to Rome and talked to the Pope, it was Latin they used to communicate.It may be more than an accident of history that the rise of European nationalism which so devastated Europe in successive wars throughout the 19 90035 th 90036 and 20 90035 th 90036 centuries, coincided with Latin’s disappearance as the lingua franca of Europe’s educated elite. 90009 90008 What we can say for sure is that throughout history, empires and nation states exercising political dominion over disparate linguistic groups have sought to unite their territories with a common language. Often this has meant the systematic suppression of minority languages ​​and the imposition of a dominant tongue.At other times the imperative manifested itself in a more benign policy of official multilingualism. But the goal was always the same — to forge a linguistic bond between dissimilar peoples and facilitate efficient communication, administration, a degree of cultural unity, and thereby strengthen the state’s power against outsiders. 90009 90008 90003 History of English as the Common Language of the United States 90006 90009 90008 Viewed in the context of European empires and nation states the United States is an anomaly.Except for scattered German-speaking settlements, the thirteen colonies that comprised its original territory were overwhelmingly English-speaking. John Jay, first president of the Continental Congress and a co-author of The Federalist Papers observed that one of the American colonists ‘great strengths was that they were «one united people» that were «speaking the same language.» 90009 90008 English’s role as the nation’s unifying and virtually universal tongue did not go unchallenged. Nineteenth Century territorial expansion and conquest — especially the acquisition of vast sparsely-populated territories as a result of the Louisiana Purchase and the U.S. Mexican War — added significant French- and Spanish-speaking minorities to the population. But policies like mandating English in schools and requiring English for public office, as well as the influx of English-speaking settlers succeeded in absorbing these groups into the larger English speaking community over time. 90009 90008 English’s role as the national tongue was challenged again by the great wave of immigration from mostly non-English speaking European countries during the last decade of the 19 90035 th 90036 century and first two decades of the 20 90035 th 90036 century.The rapid growth of the non-English speaking population and the tendency of new immigrants to settle among those speaking the same tongue, created large and flourishing linguistic ghettos in many northern industrial cities and the critical mass necessary for English to be virtually displaced as the common language of the local population. These enclaves gave rise to foreign-language newspapers, churches, synagogues, schools, and numerous community organizations. 90009 90008 Yet once again the country succeeded in meeting the challenge of linguistic assimilation into America’s English-speaking community.It was able to do this for four main reasons. First, the prevailing, almost universal view of American intellectuals and cultural elites at the time was that learning English was essential. It was necessary both for the successful assimilation of new immigrants and to enable these newcomers to join unions, fend for themselves, and free themselves from the power of the industrial magnates. Institutionally the impulse was expressed in things like the Settlement House Movement in which civic associations, churches, and progressive activists taught English as well as American government, traditions and civic culture to new arrivals.Conceptually it found expression in the ideal of the ‘melting pot’ society in which dissimilar ingredients melted to form a more uniform whole. The task was made easier by the fact that the immigrant flow was far more linguistically diverse then, and no one language dominated as Spanish has in recent decades. 90009 90008 Second, government policy favored English. Scant public resources were devoted to accommodating the linguistic needs of the new immigrants. The prevailing government view was expressed by political leaders like Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson who made no bones about immigrants ‘responsibility to learn English, assimilate, and reassign their political loyalty to their adopted country.90009 90008 Third, although many immigrants failed to adapt and eventually returned to their native countries, the large majority who remained were determined to learn English or make sure their children did. They were eager to adopt a new identity as Americans, and cast off the social, class, and ethnic identities that had barred or limited upward mobility in their homelands. 90009 90008 But the decisive blow to the linguistic balkanization of the country was the decision in the early 1920s to sharply curtail immigration.That cut the flow of new arrivals to a trickle. Deprived of new additions, the large, non-English speaking ghettos of Italians, Germans, Poles, Jews, Ukrainians, and other mostly Eastern European nationalities ceased to grow. As time passed successive generations learned English in public school, joined the armed forces or took jobs in government or business. As they gained affluence they married or moved outside their communities. It did not happen overnight, but eventually the old ghettos faded away.Most of what remains today are cultural rather than linguistic markers, i.e. foods, architecture, festivals and religious affiliations. 90009 90008 In the 1970s, however, things began to change. Propelled again by unprecedented mass immigration from non-English speaking countries, English’s place as the unifying and almost universally spoken language in the United States began to erode. Whereas in 1980 some 11 percent of U.S. residents spoke a language other than English at home, by 2007 that figure leaped to 20 percent, representing 55.4 million people. More ominously for the nation’s linguistic unity, of those 55.4 million, 62 percent, or 34.5 million people spoke a single language at home, Spanish. 90009 90008 The rapid increase in the non-English speaking population has once again created large linguistic ghettos and the critical mass necessary for English to be virtually displaced as the common language of the local population. 90009 90008 These demographic trends and the reemergence of linguistic diversity and linguistic -cultural segregation have been reinforced and facilitated by other trends.One has been a decided shift in the attitudes of American intellectuals and cultural elites away from assimilation into the prevailing American culture and the ideal of the ‘melting pot,’ toward ‘multiculturalism’ and its closely related manifestation in multilingualism, in which maintaining group identity is the overriding goal. Metaphorically the competing ideal is described as the ‘salad bowl’ in which different ingredients are mixed, but instead of blending retain their separate identities and distinctiveness.90009 90008 This shift in elite opinion was accompanied by a gradual but pronounced reversal in government policy. Whereas before the 1970s government policy had discouraged multilingualism, by 2000 it had changed to one in which the use of foreign languages ​​is encouraged and even demanded. Today for example the U.S. Department of Justice uses the threat of civil rights prosecution to force state and local government agencies to provide services in multiple languages. 90009 90008 Another change occurred in education policy starting in the early 1970s.The 1968 Bilingual Education Act required schools to give special help to children lacking English language ability. The new approach the Act called for was to teach such children core subjects in their native language while giving them supplemental help learning English. This was promoted as a way to help children keep from falling behind their peers while they strove to learn English, and was called bilingual education. In the words of the law’s sponsor, U.S. Senator Ralph Yarborough of Texas, its purpose was «not to create pockets of different languages ​​throughout the country … but to make these students fully literate in English.»Federal money was appropriated and although the federal government never mandated bilingual education, many states passed strict laws requiring bilingual education in their public schools for several years. 90009 90008 Despite the expenditure of hundreds of billions of dollars, these programs failed to teach English effectively and ultimately lost support from natives and immigrants alike. The attitude of many Hispanic parents toward bilingual education was best expressed by South Texas ranch foreman Ernesto Ortiz who said, «My children learn Spanish in school so they can grow up to be busboys and waiters.I teach them English at home so they can grow up to be doctors and lawyers. » 90009 90008 In 1975 Congress amended The Voting Rights Act to mandate the provision of foreign language ballots in political jurisdictions in which certain thresholds were met. Because knowledge of English was required for naturalization, the justification used was to help remedy the unequal access to education experienced by certain minority language groups. Thus American Indian, Spanish, and Asian languages ​​were included, but not others such as Middle Eastern, African, or Eastern European languages.90009 90008 An example of the government bureaucracy’s bias in favor of multilingualism occurred early in the implementation of the bilingual ballot laws. Counter-intuitively, and with little credible justification the Census Bureau chose to include citizens who describe themselves as speaking English «well» in the group of citizens needing language assistance to vote. By doing so, Census Bureau bureaucrats were able to triple the number of jurisdictions subject to the law. 90009 90008 Supporters of bilingual ballots said the provisions were only temporary remedial measures.But despite a government report showing such ballots were rarely used, and polls indicating widespread public opposition, Congress lacked the political will to let them expire. So Congress renewed them for the third time in 2007, extending the so-called temporary measures for another 25 years. 90009 90008 Under pressure from various ethnic interest groups and advocates, government agencies increasingly act on their own and without specific authorization to provide signage, translations, and interpreters in foreign languages, especially Spanish.So, for example, the Social Security Administration makes information available online not only in English, but in sixteen other languages. 90009 90008 The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) provided more evidence of the bureaucracy’s ideologically-driven determination to transform the U.S. into a multilingual / multicultural utopia, even at the expense of fundamental civil rights. In 2002 the EEOC filed suit against the owners of a single, family-owned drive-in restaurant in Page, Arizona, charging them with «national origins» discrimination for implementing an English-on-the-job policy to stop some of their Navajo employees from sexually harassing other Navajo employees in the Navajo language.In true rogue fashion the EEOC continues to file such lawsuits notwithstanding the fact that the courts have ruled repeatedly that employers have the right to have such workplace policies and have told the EEOC that its actions are «ultra vires,» i.e. outside the scope of its legal authority. 90009 90008 Nonetheless the widespread and often unauthorized about face in the direction of government language policy did not satisfy multilingual advocates. In тисяча дев’ятсот дев’яносто дев’ять a high-ranking Health and Human Services (HHS) Department official in the Clinton Administration held a private meeting with a number of multi-lingual advocacy organizations who wanted to force health care providers to provide interpreter services and translations for non-English speaking patients.The meeting led to a letter signed by sixteen advocacy groups urging HHS to «strengthen and enhance» its language policy guidance to require health care providers to provide language assistance to patients regardless of the size of the language group involved. 90009 90008 The legal theory put forward by the interest groups was to equate language with a person’s national origin, and thereby make the failure to provide multilingual services a violation of federal civil rights law. It did not matter that the attempt to equate national origin with language under the 1964 Civil Rights Act had been rejected in numerous court decisions at the federal and state level for thirty years.The groups wanted action. 90009 90008 What they got exceeded their expectations. On August 11, 2000., President Clinton signed Executive Order 13166 (E.O. 13166) which claimed to merely «interpret» existing civil rights law instead of creating new law, which is exactly what E.O. 13166 did. The order applied the disputed «language equals national origin» formula to all recipients of federal funds including federal, state, and local government agencies, government contractors as well as to medical providers such as doctors and hospitals participating in the Medicaid or Medicare programs.90009 90008 E.O. 13166 gave ideologically-minded government bureaucrats an extraordinarily powerful new tool to advance their multicultural agenda, notwithstanding the opposing views of the vast majority of U.S, citizens, or the Order’s suspect legal authority. 90009 90008 The wholesale change in the prevailing views of intellectual elites and government policy was greatly assisted by technological advances. The computerization of communications technology for example made it far more feasible for a whole range of institutions from government agencies to medical providers, businesses, and social welfare organizations to provide multilingual services either in person, via telephone translation services, or over the Internet.90009 90008 Yet there could hardly be an example in a democratic society of a more unpopular policy being imposed on the majority by a willful, ideologically-driven, minority. Not surprisingly it has led to popular resistance. 90009 90008 90003 The Rise of the Official English Movement 90006 90009 90008 S.I. Hayakawa, a Canadian-born naturalized U.S. citizen of Japanese descent and former professor of English and president of San Francisco State University, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1976, is widely acknowledged as the «father» of the official English movement in the U.S. In 1981, alarmed by the drift toward linguistic balkanization and segregation he saw taking place in his home state of California, the Senator introduced the first official English legislation ever introduced in the U.S. Congress — a constitutional amendment declaring English the official language of the United States. The Senate failed to take up the legislation, but after retiring from the Senate in 1983, Senator Hayakawa continued the battle and co-founded the first national organization dedicated to making English the official language of the U.S. 90009 90008 The Senator’s action capitalized on growing concerns in the public at large. When he introduced his amendment only five (5) states had made English their official language of government. But beginning in the 1980s, successive citizen petition campaigns succeeded in passing official English laws by overwhelming margins despite determined opposition from business, political, and media elites. More and more states joined the bandwagon until by 2009 thirty-one states, or 62 percent of the total had adopted official English laws of various descriptions.90009 90008 The widespread move to adopt official English laws spread to cities and counties. In 2006 the city of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, made national headlines following its adoption of an official English ordinance. The city’s action inspired a flurry of copycat efforts by cities, towns, and counties across the country. 90009 90008 A similar manifestation of the public’s opposition to the government’s undeclared policy in favor of multilingualism was the movement to get rid of bilingual education programs, long considered a sacred cow in the field of education, notwithstanding their thirty-year record of failure.The movement started in 1 996 when a group of Hispanic immigrant parents in Los Angeles, outraged that their children were being placed in Spanish language classrooms year after year, organized a boycott of a Los Angeles County elementary school. 90009 90008 The boycott attracted national attention and led Silicon Valley entrepreneur Ron Unz to bankroll a petition campaign that succeeded in putting a referendum on the California ballot in 1998. Proposition 227 called for the elimination of bilingual education programs and replacing them with assisted English-immersion style classrooms.Despite opposition from the two major political parties, newspapers, unions, business leaders, religious leaders, ethnic interest groups, and a lavishly-funded media campaign to defeat it, Proposition 227 passed with a landslide 60 percent of the vote. 90009 90008 Overnight the nation’s largest state, home to over 27 percent of the country’s foreign- born population, had resolved to eliminate bilingual education. Rising test scores for non-English speaking school children transferred to English immersion style classrooms convinced even some former opponents, and California’s example was followed by Arizona in 2000, and Massachusetts in 2002 where similar measures passed by even greater margins.90009 90008 But a statewide referendum to eliminate bilingual education in Colorado failed by 49 percent to 50 percent in 2002 following a multi-million dollar media campaign by opponents. They warned that if the referendum passed, majority white suburban school districts would be overrun by non-English speaking Hispanic children. The opposition’s race-baiting campaign and misleading TV ads were so egregious they were condemned by the state’s major newspapers, even though the newspapers opposed the measure.90009 90008 At the national level, legislation to make English the official language of the U.S., has been introduced in every Congress since Senator Hayakawa first introduced his amendment. Proponents succeeded in passing bills in the House of Representatives in одна тисяча дев’ятсот дев’яносто шість and in the Senate in 2006 and 2007. But each time the legislation failed to be taken up by the other chamber before Congress adjourned. 90009 90008 90003 What Official English Means 90006 90009 90008 Making English the official language simply makes it the standard language of government operations and says that whenever government acts in its official capacity, i.e. with legal authority, it has to use English. It would not prevent government from using other languages ​​whenever there is a general public interest in doing so. So exceptions would include things like teaching foreign languages; printing documents or taking actions necessary for national security; foreign relations; the promotion of commerce, tourism, and international trade. Protecting public health and safety would be exempted, for example, in the distribution of information to warn people about the dangers of diseases like HIV / AIDS, etc.An official English law also would have no effect on how the Census Bureau gathers information, or on actions that protect the rights of victims of crimes or criminal defendants, or on many other common sense needs government has to use other languages. 90009 90008 On the other hand, if properly implemented, official English laws would bar driver’s license exams in multiple languages, taxpayer-paid interpreter services in civil lawsuits, foreign-language signs in government offices, and numerous other instances in which no public interest is being served for the wider community.90009 90008 90003 Opposition Arguments 90006 90009 90008 Dismayed by the overwhelming success of official English initiatives and bans on bilingual education, opponents of official English have tried to counter with a variety of arguments including harsh rhetoric and outright distortion. 90009 90008 Initially the opposition sought to downplay the size of the problem, citing data to prove the United States is overwhelmingly monolingual and asserting that immigrants are indeed learning English.But recent Census data and the common day-to-day experience of ordinary Americans has undermined those arguments. 90009 90008 So opponents have turned to distortions and inflammatory rhetoric. For example official English laws are unfairly accused of criminalizing the use of other languages, not only when used informally by government officials, but also when used by people in their private conversations. Such characterizations are false. None of the 31 states with official English laws already on the books prohibit the use of other languages ​​by private individuals or businesses, or for many legitimate public needs.Yet opponents continue to make such unfounded charges. 90009 90008 If anything, government officials in states with official English laws already on the books err on the side of being too lax in enforcing them. So for example Alabama, which has a constitutional amendment making English the official language that specifically directs state officials to «take all steps necessary to insure that the role of English as the common language of the state of Alabama is preserved and enhanced,» nonetheless continues to offer driver’s license exams in thirteen other languages.90009 90008 Despite this, official English opponents continue to spread totally unfounded fears — especially in non-English speaking communities — about the impact of official English. 90009 90008 A more subtle form of the same distortion is frequent use of the term «English only» by the media and others to characterize official English laws. In addition to being false, the description conveys a sense of linguistic exclusivity that is entirely alien to the leadership of the official English movement, many of whom like the late Senator S.I. Hayakawa, are multilingual first generation immigrants. 90009 90008 Opponents also have resorted to the age-old strategy of ad-hominem attacks, demonizing supporters of official English, using guilt by association and similar smear tactics. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid even went so far as to say on the Senate floor that he thought an official English amendment being offered by Republican Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, who speaks fluent Spanish, was «racist,» notwithstanding the fact that 11 of Reid’s Senate Democratic colleagues later voted for it.90009 90008 Polls show that the American people do not buy Senator Reid’s characterization. When asked if official English is a form of racism or bigotry, the public disagrees 84 percent to 10 percent. 90009 90008 90003 Why We Need Official English 90006 90009 90008 The history of linguistically divided societies is not a peaceful one. As an anonymous philosopher is reputed to have said, religion and language are the two great dividers of mankind. In the past decade countries as diverse as Belgium, Canada, Sri Lanka, Kenya and the Ukraine have been torn by linguistic-cultural conflict that often resulted in murderous inter-communal violence.90009 90008 Today the United States is one of the few countries in the world without at least one official language. Fifty-four countries located mainly in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, have made English an official language including 27 that have designated English as their sole official language. Many of those countries were created with numerous language groups within their boundaries and have deliberately chosen English as a neutral ground in the hope of avoiding inter-communal strife and conflict.As educator and author E.D. Hirsch notes, «… multilingualism enormously increases cultural fragmentation, civil antagonism, illiteracy, and economic-technological ineffectualness.» 90009 90008 In contrast, unless it takes intentional steps to preserve its linguistic unity and immigration continues at current levels, the U.S. may be the only nation in history that deliberately transforms itself into a linguistically divided society. De-facto government policies that encourage multilingualism and discourage immigrants from assimilating into a common American culture, means that United States policy makers are effectively abandoning the formula that enabled it to become the most successful, multi-ethnic country in the history of the world, and replacing it with a balkanized model of society that endangers social cohesion and national unity wherever it exists.90009 90008 As the late Barbara Jordan, a former Congresswoman and civil rights leader who chaired the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform observed, «Cultural and religious diversity does not pose a threat to the national interest 90004 as long as public policies insure civic unity 90005 (emphasis added). Such polices should help newcomers learn to speak, read, and write English effectively. » 90009 90008 Making English the official language would have the practical effect of stipulating that while government could act in other languages, for its actions to be legally binding and authoritative, they would have to be communicated in the English language.It also would clarify that whenever a conflict in meaning occurs between laws, regulations, or government communications in more than one language, the English language version is the authoritative meaning. 90009 90008 Adopting official English would align federal government agencies with other government institutions like the armed services and the federal court system, which for practical reasons have decided to conduct official business in English alone. 90009 90008 It would also save money.Providing translations and interpreter services in even a handful of the 322 languages ​​now spoken in the U.S. adds significantly to the cost of government operations. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) estimated the cost of providing language assistance services was as much as $ 1 to $ 2 billion annually. But OMB says its estimate may not reflect the full cost, because government agencies are not required to account for the cost of such services. A more accurate estimate might be derived from Canada: a country roughly one tenth the size of the U.S. in terms of population, which spends an estimated $ 1 billion annually to provide translation and interpreter services it needs to conduct government business in two official languages. 90009 90008 Barring translations and interpreters for standard government services also would encourage immigrants to learn English. This would not only save the government money in the short run, it would help immigrants to become self-sufficient by improving their job skills and raising their income. Research shows immigrants with a low degree of English fluency earn only half as much as those with moderate fluency and only a third as much as those who are highly fluent.So encouraging immigrants to learn English strengthens the economy, boosts tax revenue, and helps the U.S. remain competitive in the global economy. Government policy that provides incentives rather than disincentives for immigrants to learn English is a «win-win» situation for both the United States and the immigrant. 90009 90008 Symbolically, declaring English our official language would send this important message to new arrivals: if you aspire to avail yourselves of all the opportunities in this society, you have a responsibility to learn English as your very first priority.At the same time it would reassure native-born English-speaking Americans that immigration is not going to transform the United States into a country they do not recognize and where they no longer feel at home. It would signal that the United States intends to remain unified as an English-speaking country and not plunge headlong down the path of a linguistically divided society with all the dangers and conflicts that entails. 90009 90008 But the most important reason to make such a decision is to respond to the overwhelming will of the American people, 87 percent of whom, according to the most recent poll, want to make English the official language of the United States.This desire cuts across all lines and reflects a degree of unanimity not known to exist on any other major public policy issue. 90009 90008 To preserve our incredibly successful ‘melting pot’ society and protect the opportunity the United States offers to people from every country on earth, it is time to make English the official language. 90009 90008 90009 90008 K.C. McAlpin 90009 90008 ProEnglish 90009 90008 90009 90008 Further Reading: 90009 90008 90004 Language in Thought & Action 90005, 4 90035 th 90036 Ed., S.I. Hayakawa, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1978 90009 90008 90004 Cultural Literacy; What Every American Needs to Know 90005, E.D. Hirsch, Random House, New York, 1988 90009 90008 90004 Americans No More; The Death of Citizenship 90005, Georgie Anne Geyer, The Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, 1996. 90009 90008 90004 Forked Tongue; The Politics of Bilingual Education 90005, Rosalie Pedalino Porter, Basic Books, Inc., New York, 1996. 90009 90008 90004 The Disuniting of America; Reflections on a Multicultural Society 90005, 2 90035 nd 90036 Ed., Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., W.W. Norton Company, New York, 1998 90009 90008 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics; English Literacy and Language Minorities in the United States, August, 2001 90009 90008 U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Report to Congress: Assessment of Total Benefits and Costs of Implementing Executive Order No. 13166: Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency, March 14, 2002. 90009 90008 «A Human Capital Concern: The Literacy Proficiency of U.S. Immigrants, «Education Testing Services, March 2004 90009 90008 90004 American Immigrant; My Life in Three Languages ​​90005, Rosalie Pedalino Porter, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick (USA), 2011 90009 90220 90008 90004 City of God 90005, Book XIX, Chap.7, St. Augustine, 413-426 AD 90009 90008 The Naturalization Act of 1906 signed into law by President Roosevelt, required immigrants to learn English in order to become naturalized citizens. 90009 90008 U.S. Census, American Community Survey Reports, «Language Use in the United States: 2007,» p.3, issued in April 2010. 90009 90008 Executive Order 13166 signed by President Bill Clinton, August 11, 2000., requires federal fund recipients and federal agencies to use a four-part test to determine when the provision of foreign language translation and interpreter services are mandatory. Violators are subject to penalties and or civil rights prosecution. 90009 90008 An April, 2007 McLaughlin & Associates poll of 1,000 likely voters (margin of error +/- 3.1 percent), and 300 likely Hispanic voters (margin of error +/- 5.6 percent), found an identical 88 percent of both groups in favor of placing limited English proficient children in English-immersion style classrooms. 90009 90008 Quoted in 90004 Straight Shooting; What’s Wrong with America and How to Fix It 90005, John Silber, Harper & Row, New York, 1989, p. 25. 90009 90008 Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 Sec. 312 [8 U.S.C. 1423] (a) «No person … shall … be naturalized as a citizen of the United States … who can not demonstrate (1) an understanding of the English language, including an ability to read, write, and speak words in ordinary usage in the English language: «90009 90008 Defined as either 5 percent of the total number of citizens within in a state or county who fall in one of the protected language classes, or 10,000 such citizens whichever is less.90009 90008 Letter from Paul Seigel, Chief, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Education and Social Stratification Branch, Population Division, (February 4, 1985). 90009 90008 U.S. General Accounting Office, Briefing Report to the Honorable Quentin N. Burdick, U.S. Senate, Sept., 1986, Bilingual Voting Assistance: Costs of and Use During the Nov.1984 General Election. 90009 90008 A March 2006 Zogby International poll of 1,007 likely voters found 63 percent favored printing ballots in English alone, while 35 percent favored bilingual ballots.90009 90008 May 13, 1999, San Francisco, California, Thomas E. Perez, Director of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for the Department of Health & Human Services, holds private meeting with representatives of various advocacy groups including the Mexican Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), the National Immigration Law Center, Chinese for Affirmative Action, etc. 90009 90008 Letter dated July 13, 1999. to Thomas E. Perez, Director of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for the Department of Health & Human Services.90009 90008 It is self-evident that the language someone speaks does not equate with national origin. French or Spanish for example are the principal languages ​​of dozens of countries. Conversely a native of India could speak any one of dozens of different tongues. 90009 90008 Fearful that a new administration would rescind E.O. 13166 the Justice Department ordered federal agencies to begin their implementation within 120 days — warp speed by government standards. They need not have worried.Soon after President George W. Bush was sworn into office in January, 2001. his administration signaled that it would not revoke E.O, 13166, which remains in effect today. 90009 90008 A Rasmussen Reports poll (margin of error of +/- 3 percent) of 1,000 adults in May 2010, for example, found 87 percent of respondents favored making English the official language of the U.S. 90009 90008 In 2001 the Supreme Court vacated 90004 Sandoval v. Alexander 90005, the solitary case that had upheld the language equals national origin formula.But federal courts in the 4 90035 th 90036 and 9 90035 th 90036 Circuits subsequently protected Executive Order 13166 from direct legal challenge by subjectively and inconsistently applying Department of Justice procedural objections to avoid a trial. 90009 90008 A common example of this technology is the ubiquitous bank automatic teller machine (ATM) that offers services in multiple languages. 90009 90008 Senator Hayakawa died in тисяча дев’ятсот дев’яносто дві at the age of 85. 90009 90008 U.S. English, co-founded by Sen.Hayakawa and John H. Tanton. Tanton and three former U.S. English board members later founded ProEnglish, an organization that also advocates for official English. 90009 90008 Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Nebraska. 90009 90008 Federation for American Immigration Reform (www.fairus.org): See Immigration Facts / State & Local Data / California, Aug. 30, 2011. 90009 90008 A common falsehood is that official English will outlaw the use of other languages ​​in private conversations.90009 90008 The two largest national organizations specifically organized to advocate for official English, ProEnglish and US English, are both chaired by bilingual and trilingual, first-generation immigrants. 90009 90008 At least 85 percent of UN member states. 90009 90008 Unfortunately, this has not always solved the problem as recent inter-communal conflict in some East African countries demonstrates. 90009 90008 90004 Cultural Literacy 90005, E.D. Hirsch, 1988. 90009 90008 Testimony to Congress, June 28, 1995.90009 90008 U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Report to Congress: Assessment of Total Benefits and Costs of Implementing Executive Order No. 13166: Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency, March 14, 2002. 90009 90008 Education Testing Services, A Human Capital Concern: The Literacy Proficiency of U.S. Immigrants, March 2004. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics; English Literacy and Language Minorities in the United States, August, 2001..90009 90008 Rasmussen Reports poll (margin of error of +/- 3 percent) of 1,000 adults, May, 2010. 90009 90008 A Harvard University poll of 2,923 young adults, ages 18-24, in March, 2007 (margin of error +/- 3 percent) found 72 percent favored making English the official language of the U.S., including majorities of Hispanics and Asians. A McLaughlin & Associates national survey of 300 Hispanic voters in April, 2007 (margin of error +/- 5.6 percent) found 62 percent favored making English the official language of the U.S. 90009 90008 90009 90008 90009 .90000 Why Learn English? These top 10 reasons will convince you why! 90001 90002 90003 Why learn English when it’s so difficult and time-consuming? When other languages ​​(e.g., Chinese) are spoken by billions of other people? When you do not live in an English-speaking country? 90004 90003 These 10 very important reasons will help explain the reasons mastering English is still a very valuable investment of your time, energy and resources. 90006 90004 90008 1. First, this global language lets you communicate with others 90009 90003 You already know that English will be helpful for you to communicate with someone from the United States, Great Britain, Australia or Canada, but that’s just a small percentage of the people who speak English.90004 90003 There are actually more people who speak English as a second language than all mother-tongue English speakers combined. 90006 90004 90015 90003 If three people from Mexico, Thailand and Lebanon meet in a bar, what language will they most likely communicate in? It’s probably not going to be Chinese. Chances are much more likely they will speak in English. It is estimated that more than 1.4 billion people speak English as a second language. 90004 90003 English is like a key or special currency.It unlocks the doors all over the world so you can communicate with people from all different countries. 90006 90004 90008 2. Why learn English? It’s entertaining! 90009 90003 There are more movies, films and books written in English than in other languages. Although some of these works are translated, dubbed or subtitled, many are not or there is quite a delay with the translation. If you can speak English, you get to enjoy the latest releases before they are translated. 90006 90004 90026 90003 Like listening to English music? In terms of popular music, music from British and American musicians and bands are frequently broadcast around the world.It’s a lot more entertaining and fun when you can also understand the meaning of the lyrics and cultural references in the songs. 90004 90003 English opens up a world of fun and entertainment to those who can understand it, and who does not want more enjoyment in their life? 90006 90004 90008 3. Why learn English? Increase your culture awareness 90009 90003 Language and culture are closely related and learning English will help you to also learn about the culture of the countries where English is spoken.According to Wikipedia, as of 2012 English is the official language of 88 sovereign and non-sovereign states. English is spoken in this is largely a result of so many of these countries as a result of Great Britain’s colonial expansion between the late 16th and early 18th centuries. 90004 90003 Language can help open peoples ‘personal horizons. It can help people become closer by allowing them to interact, get to know one another and learn about their cultural differences and different ways of living.This can help make the world a better place, where people can better understand and respect the differences among others. 90006 90004 90008 4. Why learn English? To travel the world 90009 90041 90003 Toothbrush? check. 90006 Plane ticket? check. 90006 Passport? check. 90006 English phrasebook? check. 90004 90003 English is predominately the language used for international travel. It will be very useful if you wish to visit the United States, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and other English-speaking countries.That’s not all. As noted above, English is spoken by many people as a first or second language all over the world. So no matter where you travel-even to non-English speaking countries-it is highly likely that some of the locals will speak English. 90004 90003 At airports, train stations, hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions, safety information and instructions are commonly provided in English. So if you do not speak the local language you will be able to get around and learn about the historical and cultural sites you see during your travels.You will also feel safer and more confident knowing English if you do not know the local language. 90004 90003 Not only will English help you get around but it will also make it easier for you to interact with other travelers. This can make traveling more enjoyable and rewarding. 90006 90004 90008 5. Why learn English? Go pro! Improve your professional opportunities 90009 90003 Employment is another reason why you should learn the language. English remains the single most important language for conducting business.If you’re looking for a good job, it is likely that speaking English will greatly improve your chances for employment. 90004 90003 Within multinational companies and between international companies, memos, emails, business meetings and phone calls will frequently be conducted in English. If you are looking for a career in the medical sciences, computer science, and technology fields, English is indispensable. 90004 90003 English is also an official working language for many international organizations such as the United Nations, European Union, NATO and the World Bank.90006 90004 90008 6. Moolah (why learning English is golden) 90009 90065 90003 Not only can English help you get a job, it can help you get a better salary compared to if you can not speak the language. Workers who speak English can bring in more business and communicate with more clients and customers. Who does not want to make more money? And, if you do not care about the money, give it to charity;) 90006 90004 90008 7. Why learn English? Get endless access to free Information 90009 90003 In the information age, knowing English will allow you to access vast amounts of information through the Internet, at absolutely no charge! According to a 2013 study by W3Techs, almost 55% of the websites that are visited the most are in the English language.In addition, it is estimated that 36% of the internet’s 200 million users can communicate in English. In terms of volume, there are more web pages in English than any other language. You will have countless opportunities to obtain free information on a multitude of different topics. 90004 90073 90008 8. Why learn English? Expand knowledge through English-language education 90009 90003 The United States alone has approximately 4,495 universities where students can study and there are many other universities in other English-speaking countries.Knowing how to speak English opens the door for students to study abroad, either to get a degree, do research or study even just for a semester. 90006 90004 90008 9. Why learn English? Make new friends and professional relationships 90009 90003 Looking for new friends? English is a great way to meet new people, especially those from other countries. The internet has opened a world of opportunities to get to know people all over the world. It’s easy to meet and develop friendships with new friends by chatting or doing language exchanges or simply leaving comments on your favorite blogs.90004 90083 90003 Many people who speak different languages ​​have found the love of their lives and life-long friends through English. Who knows, it could happen to you too! 90006 90004 90008 10. Finally, if you learn do not forget to pay it forward 90009 90003 Once you learn English, you will have a valuable ability that you can use to help others. For example, if you have children, you will be able to practice the language with them or help them with their homework. 90004 90008 Why learn English? Share your reasons with us! 90009 90003 Those are probably the most popular reasons for learning English but there are many others.Please feel free share your own reason (s) for learning English below. 90006 90004 90003 90004 90003 90006 Return to homepage from Why Learn English page. 90004 .90000 10 reasons why English is such an important language 90001 90002 English is one of the most dominating language of the world which is having its impact on every field of work. Undoubtedly, English play a much greater role in the world that it is inevitable for people to ignore it fully. Here are 10 reasons why English is such an important language. 90003 90002 90003 90006 90002 90008 1. It’s the most commonly spoken language in the world 90009 90003 90002 Depending a bit on how you count, in addition to the approximately 400 million native speakers, English is understood and / or spoken by 1-1.6 billion people. With over a quarter of the world speaking the language, there’s always someone to practice with, especially when you travel. 90003 90002 90014 90003 90006 90002 90008 2. It’s the language of international business 90009 90003 90002 With world business headquarters predominantly in the financial hubs of the UK and USA, English has long been the default language of trade as you can read in the history of the English language. Therefore, English is the dominant business language and it has become almost a necessity for people to speak English if they are to enter a global workforce, research from all over the world shows that cross-border business communication is most often conducted in English.Its importance in the global market place therefore can not be understated, learning English really can change your life. 90003 90002 90003 90006 90002 90008 3. Most movies are in English 90009 90003 90002 Hollywood is a powerhouse of global entertainment, so it’s natural that English would become the main language for movie-making. Sure, the movies are often dubbed over or subtitled — but they’re really best enjoyed in the language in which they were intended. 90003 90002 90033 90003 90006 90002 90008 4.It’s easy to learn 90009 90003 90002 This is debatable depending on who you speak to, but it’s generally accepted that English is not the most taxing language to get to grips with. The vocabulary is simple to grasp and it has developed throughout different languages ​​regarding its evolution that is explained in the article about the history of English language. Therefore, many speakers of those languages ​​can see where concepts in English originated from and fast adapt to understand the basics of English.90003 90002 90043 90003 90006 90002 90008 5. It helps you understand other languages ​​90009 90003 90002 English has a long and fascinating history that spans wars, invasions and influences from around the globe. Cultures that have helped shape modern English include Romans, Vikings and the French. For this reason it’s a hybrid language comprised of Latin, Germanic and Romance elements. 90003 90002 90053 90003 90006 90002 90008 6. You can say things in a hundred different ways 90009 90003 90002 One of English’s best assets is its flexibility: you can often find many different ways to to explain the same thing thanks to its wide range of vocabulary.It’s said to have well over 750,000 words (depending a bit on how you count — some generous estimates put that number at 1 million) and is adding new ones every year as mentioned in the article about the history of English language. 90003 90002 90063 90003 90006 90002 90008 7. It can be used around the world 90009 90003 90002 English is also hugely important as an international language and plays an important part even in countries where the UK has historically had little influence. It is learnt as the principal foreign language in most schools in Western Europe.It is also an essential part of the curriculum in far-flung places like Japan and South Korea, and is increasingly seen as desirable by millions of speakers in China. Therefore, if you have the basics of English language you can make yourself understood in nearly every corner of the world. 90003 90002 90073 90003 90006 90002 90008 8. It’s really flexible 90009 90003 90002 Non-native English speakers who learn it as a second language often comment on how many ways there are to say things.That’s because English does not discriminate — you can use it however you like. Countries like Singapore have taken this concept to heart, inventing an entirely new type of English called ‘Singlish’ that has absorbed facets of other languages ​​like Chinese and Malay. 90003 90002 90083 90003 90006 90002 90008 9. It’s the language of the internet 90009 90003 90002 Most of the content produced on the internet (50%) is in English. So knowing English will allow you access to an incredible amount of information which may not be otherwise available.90003 90002 90093 90003 90006 90002 90008 10. It continues to change 90009 90003 90002 Selfie, Hashtagging, Blogging, Smasual, etc. All these words are new to the English language but have already become valued members of the lexicon. More than any other language, English continues to evolve and absorb new words that branch out — often untranslated — into other languages. Every year approximately more than 1.000 new and approved words are added to the Oxford Dictionary. This tremendous development is the result due to technology, Social Media and how people spontaneously coin new words during daily life.More information you can find in the article about the history of English language. 90003 90002 90103 90003 90002 90003 .90000 10 Reasons Why Learning English Is the Best Decision You Ever Made 90001 90002 Hello, English learner! 90003 90002 Do you need some motivation? Are you wondering why you are working so hard to learn English? 90003 90002 I’m here to help. 90003 90002 Imagine having a cool superpower that can help you out in many different situations, or a magic key that can unlock thousands of doors that were once closed to you. 90003 90002 90011 English can be your magic key. 90012 90003 90002 Now imagine that you are using this magic key to go straight into difficult situations and help other people, solve important problems and get people to communicate well.90003 90002 With a key like that, you would nearly be a superhero! 90003 90002 Those ideas may sound nice, but maybe you want some real, strong examples of how you can use English to improve your life. 90019 90019 90003 90019 90023 90024 How Can I Use English in My Life? 90025 90002 Think about a time when you were at your local pharmacy and a tourist needed help filling a prescription. The pharmacist and the tourist just could not seem to understand each other. English could save the day.English could help that tourist heal from an illness or feel more comfortable. 90003 90002 Now think about a time when you were traveling abroad and you could not speak the local language. Have you ever done this before? It can be a little bit scary. You might need to find a certain bus stop or the nearest restroom-quickly! Luckily, many people around the world speak English, so a little bit of English can solve your problems abroad, no matter what country you are visiting. 90003 90002 One day in the future, you might go into an interview at a large corporation and find that your interviewer is a native English speaker.Even if they want to speak in your native language at first, your hard work to learn English-the international language of business-is about to pay off. Talk to them in English to demonstrate your skills, and they will see that you can be a very valuable employee. 90003 90002 English is only the 90033 third 90034 most-spoken language by native speakers. However, when you count all the people who speak English as a second, third or fourth language, then English is definitely 90011 the most-spoken language 90012 around the world! 90003 90002 English is really everywhere, so you will be able to communicate with native speakers and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) speakers all around this huge planet.You will help others, communicate with a huge diversity of people and help yourself unlock all sorts of life’s doors. 90003 90002 That is great, right? This will hopefully give you a little motivation to study English today. Now, keep reading! We are now going to talk about all the most important reasons why you should study English. Once you read these, you will stay motivated for your whole life! 90003 90042 1. You will discover that English is easy to learn 90043 90002 Most people think that learning a language is very difficult.90003 90002 In many cases, it is easier for certain people to learn English because English is related to their native language. For example, for people from Europe who are learning English, they find that English is closely related to their languages. German is very close to English. French has influenced English a lot. Plus, English speakers can be found nearby in Great Britain! They can easily travel to practice, and it is very likely that they will meet English speakers in their home countries.90003 90002 For people who live in different parts of the world and speak languages ​​that are not related to English, English can sound very foreign, confusing and frustrating. 90003 90002 However, there is something important that 90011 makes English very easy for everyone 90012: 90003 90002 90011 Availability of resources. 90012 Because English is such a widespread language and is found all over the globe, the resources you can use to learn English are endless. There are tons of resources on the Internet for free.Sometimes you will need to pay a little bit to take an English course online or access another resource, but they are often worth the money. 90003 90002 So, get started! Watch cartoons or sitcoms in English on YouTube, Netflix, Hulu or other English TV websites for free. 90003 90002 Worried that you will not understand enough of those English resources? 90003 90002 That’s exactly the problem that 90011 FluentU 90012 solves. FluentU lets you watch real-world English videos-like movie trailers, music videos, inspiring speeches and more-and transforms them into personalized language lessons.90003 90002 Every video comes with 90011 interactive subtitles 90012. Click any word for an instant definition, grammar info, memorable picture and examples. There are also flashcards and fun quizzes built into every video. 90003 90002 As you watch, FluentU remembers what you’ve learned and suggests more videos and examples for you based on that information. 90003 90002 This way, you learn new vocabulary naturally while absorbing English the way native speakers really use it. Plus, you can practice anytime, anywhere with the FluentU mobile apps for iOS and Android.90003 90002 For additional personalized English resources, you can even go online to hire an English speaker to communicate with and teach you on Skype. 90003 90002 English is everywhere. Take advantage of this fact! 90003 90042 2. You can find more job opportunities 90043 90002 Many large companies around the world require that their employees speak English. In some cases, these companies are requiring their workers to only use English. 90003 90002 As the world becomes more global (better connected), it is only natural that big businesses will want and need to communicate more.Right now, everyone is trying to learn and communicate with English. English is becoming the common language that people from different countries and cultures can use to communicate with one another. 90003 90002 For example, imagine that a businessperson from Israel, who speaks English and Hebrew, wants to do business with a someone from South Africa, who speaks English and Afrikaans. Even though they both started learning English as a second language in elementary school, they can use English to communicate with each other! 90003 90002 As Rakuten’s CEO Hiroshi Mikitani told CNN, «if you want to become successful in other countries, you need to internationalize your headquarters.»Because people from around the world know English and use it to communicate with everyone else, it is important that employees also know English. English is an important part of this process of becoming more 90011 internationalized. 90012 90003 90002 You do not just need English to work at American, Australian and British companies. In my own experience as an English professor in Korea, many students have come to me asking for help with required English interviews at Samsung, LG and other large 90033 Korean 90034 companies.90003 90002 By learning English, you can be well-prepared for interviews with any large, international companies. And, luckily, there are plenty of resources out there to help you practice for your English interview. 90003 90002 Not to mention, English is great for careers with travel, tourism and hospitality. 90003 90042 3. You can become better educated 90043 90002 Not only does knowing a foreign language expand your brain power, but you can use your knowledge of English to learn more and more things about the world.90003 90002 These days it is relatively easy to take an English class. Whether you take this class online, on Skype or in the classroom, there are many options out there. 90003 90002 But here is a new idea for you: Have you ever considered trying to take a class about a 90011 specific subject 90012 in English? 90003 90002 Imagine all of the things you could learn by taking an American history class from an American, a math class from an Australian or an English literature class from a British teacher? 90003 90002 This kind of class, taught completely in English, will let you learn about culture, intonation, body language, vocabulary and slang while also learning about an interesting subject like history, math or anything else that you personally love to study! 90003 90002 Furthermore, there are many great works of literature, science, history and social science that were written in English first.Do not lose anything by trying to read a translation. Instead, you will come closer to the heart (the main idea) of what the writer is trying to say by reading the original writing in English. 90003 90042 4. You can easily travel anywhere in the world 90043 90002 I am a native English speaker and I have traveled to many places in the world. Communication has almost never been a problem for me, because people all around the world speak English. I have been able to speak English in every country I have visited.While learning a few words in the local language is always a good idea-it is polite and shows respect-English will help you with the details of travel. 90003 90002 In many places where you will travel, people find English important for their businesses. They need to know English in order to communicate with potential clients and customers. In most hotels, at least one employee will speak English-often, many of the employees speak English. This makes it easier for customers to get what they need and spend their money.90003 90002 Even people in small town markets around the world know how to bargain with English speakers. 90003 90002 You will find that some of your best interactions will be with people on the streets who are trying to sell you something or who are looking to improve their English speaking skills. English will bridge the communication gap on your travels and make traveling a breeze. 90003 90042 5. You will know the global language 90043 90002 It is a historical fact that the economic power wielded by Great Britain and America over the last few centuries has resulted in English being so widespread today.90003 90002 This has taken a long time, and many good things and bad things have happened in the process. English spread through war, trade, slavery and religious missionaries. History is complicated and it is not always pleasant, but today we can recognize that English is being spoken everywhere in the world. 90003 90002 We can not change what happened in the past. However, we can use English as a 90011 positive 90012 power! We can use it to bring the world together, to communicate with people from foreign countries and to understand each other better.90003 90002 Not only will it make traveling easier, but English will also allow you to know more about global trends, culture and social issues. It will give you a deeper understanding of people’s different perspectives on life. 90003 90002 You will be able to communicate with people who do not speak your native language, and you will be able to consume thousands more news sources, blogs, books and songs. 90003 90002 Knowing English will let you be part of a global conversation! 90003 90042 6.You will learn about culture 90043 90002 Language and culture can not be separated. Language is culture, and culture is language. Simply said, knowing English will give you a better understanding of people who live in English-speaking countries. Knowing the English language gives you more insight into how people think, live and work. 90003 90002 If you do not know about the culture of English-speaking countries, this might lead to misunderstanding what people are saying in English. 90003 90002 It is not enough to just know basic words and phrases.To communicate well in English, you must know about things like tone, body language and facial expressions. You might think an English speaker is being crass, rude or dismissive when they are not! 90003 90002 If you understand which words or expressions are acceptable and unacceptable in English-speaking cultures, this might save you from a cultural misunderstanding with your English-speaking friends and coworkers. 90003 90042 7. You can improve your understanding of science 90043 90002 English is the language of science.90003 90002 If you want to learn, publish or speak with authority in the sciences, you must learn English. 90003 90002 Pharmacists, engineers and doctors around the world must always learn English along with their other subjects in university. In most cases, their other class subjects are taught in English or come with an English textbook. Most medical schools in America require English as part of their coursework. In other countries, this happens too. 90003 90002 Science research is primarily published in English, and most abstracts (the summary of the research) are written in English so that international scientists can read them.90003 90002 Getting a jump start in learning English can give you a head start in medical school, help you earn a biology degree or it could give you the tools you need to study at one of the world’s best universities for science. 90003 90042 8. You can date more people 90043 90002 Okay. Maybe getting a great, romantic date is all the motivation you need. 90003 90002 Got it! 90003 90002 Well, you will be happy to know that English will increase the number of people you could possibly date. Try meeting people who speak English on a dating site, through Facebook or another social media site.90003 90002 English speakers are generally very understanding when talking to people who are learning English, and they have plenty of patience. Do not worry if your English skills are not perfect yet. You are already very interesting because you are bilingual! 90003 90042 9. You can improve your confidence 90043 90002 I doubt there is any person alive who does not wish they could speak another language. It is a skill that everyone would love to add to their resume. With a little bit of studying every day, you can have this skill.Then you can be very proud of your ability to communicate with a wide variety of people. 90003 90002 Learning a language is hard and everyone knows it. People will automatically respect your commitment to learning and maintaining your English. Your ability to help and communicate with people will help you earn respect. 90003 90002 People will also seek you out to learn about you and your perspective on things. They will be interested in you and your experience in life. They will want to know the thoughts, hopes, fears and opinions of someone from another culture.When you feel more like you are more interesting, you will feel more special and confident! 90003 90042 10. You will exercise your brain 90043 90002 If nothing else, learning English will make you smarter and keep your brain strong. 90003 90002 Scientists have been demonstrating that bilinguals are able to understand concepts quicker and get better scores on tests. Who would not want that? 90003 90002 90003 90002 So, be smarter, more confident and helpful, get a job and date more. 90003 90002 That sounds good, right? 90003 90002 English is one key that unlocks a world of possibility.90019 90019 90003 90002 If you 90033 liked 90034 this post, something tells me that you’ll 90033 love 90034 FluentU, the best way to learn English with real-world videos. 90003 90002 Experience English immersion online! 90003.