Learning English is still a must EF Education First
Agenda • English as lingua franca and the world’s other most spoken languages • What is the future of English? Could it be replaced by another language? • Is it still worth investing in learning English? • English in global business • Learning English in different countries
1.6 billion people speak English as 1st 2nd or 3rd language
Most spoken languages in the world
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Mandarin Chinese
Spanish
English
Hindi
Arabic
Over 950 Million Native Speakers
Over 405 Million Native Speakers
Over 360 Million Native Speakers
Over 310 Million Native Speakers
Over 295 Million Native Speakers
The future of English?
Could Chinese or Spanish replace English as a lingua franca? Chinese • Hard to learn • Hard to pronounce • No base on pop culture • Political behavior of Chinese state Spanish • Easy • Present in pop culture
Could Chinese or Spanish replace English as a lingua franca? But … English • Embedded in everything from trade to pop culture • Historically dominant • Perceived dominant by most people
1 out of 4 people in the world speaks English at a useful level; Is it still worth investing in learning it?
Machines won’t replace human English proficiency
English in education systems around the world • 94% of European secondary school students learn English • In Scandinavia, people immerse themselves in English • In Malaysia, parents send their children to school in Singapore • In Vietnam, people are embracing English over their neighbor’s language • In China, children learn English from kindergarten and more Chinese people are studying English than in any other country
English in global business
English in global business
EF EPI-s testing Correlates positively with IELTS and TOEFL
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To sum up In international trade, diplomacy and culture, nuance and context is often everything, and getting it absolutely right can mean the difference between success and failure. Fluency in English is likely to remain a vital asset for a long time to come.
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