The question still arises sometimes “Why learn English?” » . Learning English takes time and it helps to know why you are doing what you are doing. So let’s see why English is important these days .
If you find yourself in a situation where you tell yourself I don’t like English but you still need to learn it, this article should help you reframe the situation and see what you have to gain from it .
English is the international language
English has become the international language. In addition to being the native language of 339 million people, it is also the most learned foreign language in the world. 603 million people speak English as a foreign language.
English is thus the most widely spoken language in the world , at an international level, with a total of 942 million people who speak English
We obviously think of Chinese, spoken by just over a billion people around the world – technically more than English. The big difference is that English is an official language in a hundred countries and taught in hundreds more, while Mandarin is an official language in only a dozen countries and taught in far fewer.
Why learn English? English is the international language
In short, to communicate with foreigners, English is the number 1 language . And, in our globalized era, being able to exchange with foreign countries quickly becomes essential .
We can deplore it and even want to change it, but the fact remains accomplished. If you want to be able to communicate with the rest of the world, English is the most useful language these days.
The choice of English as an international language is a question that deserves its own editorial. The question of a more neutral language and attached to no country arises. Only, in practice, English is precisely the most practical language! Most Chinese learn English, not Esperanto. Nothing prevents you from learning another living language (we will talk about it) but English is the language that will allow you the most things .
Be a cultured person
Today, not speaking English is like not knowing how to use a computer or not knowing how to read and write. It cuts you off from the world. It is a form of illiteracy.
Not speaking English prevents you from being independent in simple situations of modern life . Whether it’s verifying information, learning your whole life or being able to communicate with the rest of the planet.
FYI, Wikipedia is five times larger in English than in French and nearly one in two pages on the Web is in English .
Speaking English is also, in my opinion, the best way to learn for life because it allows you to learn in English – where there are more opportunities.
Why learn English? To be a cultured person.
So, some may also say that they don’t care and that it doesn’t matter to them, but that would be a sign of a lack of education.
In another era , the priority would have been to learn Latin or Greek. Nowadays, it is to learn English. Learning Latin or Greek was reserved for an elite. Today, thanks to the Internet, learning English is open to almost everyone.
Knowing a foreign language is part of a good education . Why learn music? The drawing ? Geography ? Why learn history? Because it’s the right thing to do for anyone who’s a bit curious about the world, what’s in it, and its extraordinary richness.
As a bonus, learning a language and mastering it opens the door for you to learn other modern languages , with more and more ease.
Speaking a foreign language increases your salary. Estimates on the subject vary by study and country. This ranges from 2% in the United States (for a foreign language) to 34% in India for English. It is reasonable to place France between the two.
The impact will obviously be proportional to supply and demand and, in a country known to be lagging behind in English like France, speaking English fluently can be a way to do well in terms of employability.
Translation: “If a man empties his purse in his head, no one can take it from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best rate of interest. »
But above all, from a certain level, knowledge of English becomes quite simply compulsory . This is what will make the difference between being able to continue your career and stopping it. Unfortunately, learning English takes time (about 1,000 hours) and it’s not the kind of thing you prepare at the last minute. Those who are ready will reap the rewards of their labor, while those who have neglected this skill will pay the price.
If you’re just starting out in your career, speaking English can help you stand out . If you are looking for a job, this can be a good opportunity to do intensive English . In any case, there is a time when it will come in handy.
This also applies to culture. French culture is renowned throughout the world. Exporting French culture is something we can be proud of, but doing it with a below average level of English is regrettable. Speaking English well is within reach of the first comer provided you do it well. Mastering English allows us to create links with cultures and the better our level of English , the smoother this link will be.
One can rightly complain that this is a one-way job. Americans and Brits don’t need to learn a foreign language to communicate with the rest of the world. But think about it… who really wins in the story? The person who speaks two languages or the one who only speaks one? What is a constraint can be transformed into an asset.
