Why should I learn English?

Its a good question! And here are some good answers!

Communication
English, whether you like it or not, is the chosen language of international communication.

English has official or s ecial status in at least se!enty fi!e countries with a total o ulation of o!er two "illion. # eakers of English as a second language ro"a"ly outnum"er those who s eak it as a first language. Around $%& million eo le are "elie!ed to s eak English as a foreign language. 'ne out of four of the world(s o ulation s eak English to some le!el of com etence) demand from the other three* quarters is increasing.

+early one in two Euro ean ,nion citi-ens claim to "e a"le to con!erse in English. according to a sur!ey carried out in /001, and 20 er cent of sur!ey res ondents who did not s eak English as their first language felt that it was the most im ortant language for them to learn or use.

#ources3 4ritish Council 5 Euro"arometer %& .6his includes the /2 er cent of E, citi-ens who s eak English as their first language.

Information 5 7esearch

English is the main language of "ooks, news a ers, air orts and air*traffic control, international "usiness and academic conferences, science, technology, di lomacy, s ort, international com etitions, o music and ad!ertising.

'!er two*thirds of the world(s scientists read in English. 6hree quarters of the world(s mail is written in English 1&8 of the world(s electronically stored information is in English. 'f the estimated 9&& million users of the Internet, some :28 communicate in English.

;e!elo your career

<ost professional jobs require a good le!el in English = think how im ressi!e >e?cellent le!el in English> will look on your C@.

Business and commerce are increasingly dri!en "y international trade and if you are going to grow in your Ao" you need to "e a"le to follow this trend.

Technical skills are essential in modern industries and you need to "e a"le to "oth read and write technical English if you are going to maintain your technical com etence.

Bou may need to attend International Symposiums and Exhibitions either as a !isitor or a resenter and the chances are youll ha!e to work in the English language.

The Benefit of Learning English

'ne of the rimary "enefits of learning English is that it is often considered the language of glo"al "usiness. 6he international "usiness community often uses it for communication, e!en among eo le who do not s eak the same nati!e language. # eaking and understanding English can let a erson more easily communicate with others and find more Ao" o ortunities not only in his or her home country, "ut around the world as well. 6here are also many rofessional informati!e u"lications rinted in English, which means it is often an essential language for anyone working in science or research.

Professional Opportunities
Cor many eo le, the "enefits of learning English include "roadening their em loyment o ortunities, since it is used so commonly in "usiness. Deo le who s eak two or more languages are often ideal candidates for Ao"s in tra!el, international "usiness, or translation. <any go!ernment agencies and em loyers that offer work with the general u"lic, such as ositions in law enforcement or healthcare, often look for multilingual candidates.

Social Networking and Relationships

<any eo le see the a"ility to communicate and talk with others as one of the maAor "enefits of learning English. E!en outside of a rofessional en!ironment, eo le often like to "e a"le to talk to indi!iduals from around the world. <any eo le find great social and cultural "enefits in ha!ing en als from other countries, and the Internet makes such communication fast and easy. Enowing English can "roaden the ty es of eo le you can s eak to, whether its !ia emailor on an online discussion forum. A tremendous num"er of we"sites are a!aila"le rimarily in English, and anyone who does not understand the language may ha!e difficulty using them. Cor anyone interested in tra!eling to countries in which English is the rimary or common language, it is often essential to understand and s eak it. 6hroughout the ,E, ,#, and Canada, tra!eling and sho ing are often made easier "y s eaking the language since many indi!iduals may not s eak any other language. 'ne of the most im ortant "enefits of learning English is the a"ility to e? lore these regions and more easily communicate with locals to learn a"out laces and e!ents that might otherwise remain unknown. <any eo le in Euro ean countries learn English in school, so knowing it can also "e of "enefit when tra!eling in locations e!en where it(s not the nati!e tongue. Fearning a language can also "e a great way to meet eo le, e!en if you ne!er lan on lea!ing home. A class at a local community center or college can introduce you to a wide !ariety of eo le who are also interested in English, and gi!e you the o ortunity to interact with them in a controlled setting. Fanguage courses often encourage students to carry on con!ersations with each other in the language "eing learned, and this can "e a great way to "reak the ice with new eo le.

Immigration
Immigrants to English*s eaking countries who do not s eak the language are often at a serious disad!antage economically. It(s much more difficult to get and hold a Ao", find a lace to li!e, and e!en do e!eryday tasks like grocery sho ing if you don(t understand the language. Fearning English not only "enefits immigrants themsel!es, it also hel s families "y allowing arents to "e in!ol!ed more fully in their children(s li!es and education. In addition, these children don(t ha!e to translate for their arents, allowing them to "e kids instead of inter reters.

Entertainment and Cultural Understanding

A huge amount of o ular entertainment comes out of Gollywood, and nearly all of it is roduced in English. American mo!ies and 6@ rograms are distri"uted all o!er the world, and are often su"titled for eo le who don(t s eak the language. Enowing English can allow you to "etter understand the su"tleties of dialog that su"titles frequently miss. It can "e a challenge to translate conce ts and terms that don(t match one*for*one "etween languages, and nuances of meaning can "e lost. Fanguage is an inherently cultural construct. Gow eo le s eak, the words they choose, and the to ics under discussion are dee ly tied into the culture of a lace. 4y learning English or any other language, you are utting yourself into the mindset of a nati!e s eaker and are introduced to many of the conce ts that he finds im ortant. Haining a "etter understanding of other cultures can hel you to enrich your own understanding of the world and how others see it.

Research and Academics

<any of the most rominent and well known u"lications throughout the world are written and rinted in English. #cholars interested in doing research at an academic le!el, or working on new scientific de!elo ments, should consider the "enefits of learning English to read these eriodicals and u"lish their own work. Du"lication in eer*re!iewed Aournals is often required for someone who wishes to remain in academia, and the a"ility to read and write in English may "e necessary to maintain such a osition. E!en learning a"out current e!ents often requires an understanding of the language, since so many glo"al u"lications and news we"sites use it.

Education
4ecause English is a first language for many countries, many other nations teach it as a requirement in schools. It is estimated that o!er a "illion eo le in the world s eak English on at least a "asic le!el. Cor many eo le, the "enefits of learning English in!ol!e the new o ortunities that "ecome a!aila"le to someone who understands it. Anyone interested in attending a uni!ersity in the ,#, for e?am le, needs to s eak it or "e a"le to ass a test ro!ing that he or she is fluent.

Different orms of English

Deo le who do decide to learn English may need to consider what ty e of English is "est for them to know. 6he two most common forms are 4ritish English and American English, and they can "e quite different in some res ects. 6he fundamental underlying language is the same, and eo le who learn one are likely to still "e easily understanda"le "y someone who s eaks the other, "ut there will "e instances in which words are hrases don(t mean the same thing. <uch of the decision a"out which ty e of English to learn will de end on where a student is learning it and what his or her ultimate goals are. 6o understand the language generally, any ty e of class will "e of hel . <any eo le don(t ha!e a wide !ariety of o tions to choose from, and a local college may only teach 4ritish English, for e?am le. #omeone who li!es in Euro e is more likely to "e taught this form sim ly "ecause he or she is closer geogra hically to the ,nited Eingdom. Indi!iduals who are learning English for a Ao", howe!er, might want to seek out a class that is s ecifically tailored to "usiness language or to the form s oken in the country they will "e doing "usiness with. A erson who will "e regularly working with an American com any, for e?am le, may "etter understand the nuances of her coworkers if she is familiar with the terminology and idioms of that country. # eciali-ed classes also ty ically focus more on the language used in "usiness rather than casual con!ersation, which could "e im ortant if that(s the student(s main goal.