First I’d like to wish you all a prosperous and peaceful New Year.
As the New Year starts, here in Britain the weather is usually horrible – cold, rainy, dark and we may even have snow. So, many people try to cheer themselves up by planning their holidays and deciding where they can go to get a little sunshine and relaxation. I’m no exception – I love to travel.
In fact, I’m privileged to have visited some amazing places over the past few years – the two that stand out most are Japan and South Africa. As a language teacher I’m always interested in how many people use English in the countries I visit, how well they use it – and I usually feel very embarrassed that I can’t speak their language at all. Because English is used so widely and is one of the main languages for the Internet, we are very lazy in the UK.
In Japan, the level of written English is often excellent. But people seem reluctant to speak English to strangers as they worry about getting it wrong and losing face. In South Africa, on the other hand, English is the fourth most widely used language (after Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans). So many people have little difficulty in speaking English but their written skills are not always as good. This has an impact on them when applying for jobs, as they have to write letters, emails, reports etc in clear, correct English.
Both Chinese and Spanish have more native speakers around the world but English is still known as the ‘lingua franca’, with over 335 million people speaking it as their first language, and another 450 million as a second, in 101 countries. It has become the language of international business, and is the language of the scientific and medical fields, which use English as a basis for much of the terminology.
I know that for many countries – particularly in Africa – China has become a huge trading partner and is fronting big infrastructure and mining operations. So, Mandarin is starting to go on the curriculum in many secondary schools. But, I still think there is a long way to go before having a good working knowledge of spoken and written English loses its usefulness.
So, if you’re looking to change job or seek promotion, take a long, hard look at your current level of English. Especially the kind of English that you might need in a business environment. Ask yourself whether it’s good enough or could benefit from some polish. If you feel that improvement would help then why not consider our Business English with Spoken English Diploma Course or our Advanced Business English Course. We provide study materials by post and online; everything is clearly explained, but if you do have any problems we have friendly advisors to help you. And you can do all this studying in your own home, in your own time, rather than having to attend classes.
Why not get 2019 off to an ambitious start?
Author: Diana Nadin
