People all over the world have been learning English as a second language for literally centuries. English may not be the most spoken language in the world by native speakers, in this sense alone it must defer to Mandarin Chinese. However, as the official language of more than 50 countries, spoken by over 400 million people as a first language and a staggering 1 billion or more as a second language, be in no doubt that English is easily the most important language globally! In the United States alone, the most recent census estimated that approximately 240 million people speak English as a first language.
Following are some reasons why it is so important to learn English; and as you read on, you will note that each example given rolls naturally into the next:
Nobody would argue that English is the foremost language of modern international communication. More than one in five people across the globe can converse in English, so learning English is more crucial and useful than ever before in allowing people to communicate in a common language with their fellow citizens across the world.
Why is it important to learn English? English is the leading language of business, and many international companies have adopted English as their preferred language to work with, irrespective of the fact that many of these companies are not of US origin. If you want to get ahead in the world of business, you’re unlikely to go far unless you can reach the largest number of customers available to you. To achieve this ambition, you’re almost certainly going to need to speak English. English is, without question, the main driver for communication in the sphere of global business and, as such, a command of English has become increasingly vital to business growth and development.
“If you wish to converse with me, define your terms”, said Voltaire. In essence, ‘define your terms’ means ‘define terms so readers understand precisely what is meant when key terms are used’. Bear this in mind for a moment as we use this phrase to examine precisely why it is so important to learn English:
We’ve established that English is far and away the most commonly spoken language in the world. We know, if we didn’t already, that English will help you to get ahead in business. We understand that English is the language of global communication. It follows that learning English is likely to help you on your career path. English is the language of science, English is the language of the media, English is the language of the internet – half of the content on the internet is written in English, if you can believe it! We know that travelling is a great deal easier if you can speak English. If you don’t believe this, imagine, for a moment, that you’re on vacation to Europe and you want to buy drinks from the bar. Chances are the barman won’t understand you if you’re ordering in French, unless you happen to be in France! However, there’s a better than evens chance that he will understand if you ask in English!
Importantly, being able to speak English fluently opens up countless opportunities for students to study all over the world. As English is spoken in so many countries, there are tens of thousands of schools, universities and colleges offering programs in English. And just consider for a second the vast range of cultural influences that a command of English opens up: films, TV, literature…the list goes on and on!
For over fifty years, ICLS has offered English classes for learners across the globe, including a number of English classes in washington dc, as well as business english and english pronunciation classes both in-person and online. Our extensive array of carefully tailored English language courses offers study options to meet the needs of English language students of all ages and abilities, in goal oriented, individually focused classes. All of the teachers at ICLS are highly qualified and experienced instructors in the field of teaching ESL. Our teachers encourage constant oral practice and continuous exchange within the classroom, as speaking English is the best way of learning English and becoming fluent. Quality is a byword for everything ICLS stands for in the field of language learning.
