The fact that the English language is the lingua franca can lull us in to false sense of security that it’s ok to only speak English. Additionally, it can provide us with a convenient excuse for not bothering to learn any other languages.
But Baroness Coussins of the Chartered Institute of Linguists recently warned – “What a contradictory world… on the one hand retreating into a post-Brexit little island mindset, and on the other, being in instant contact every second of the day via… smart digital devices with anyone and everyone in the world”.
In truth, any life skill contributes to a fuller, richer life. But it’s 10X the case with languages. They can have a game-changing impact on our personal and professional lives.
There are some compelling reasons why speaking only the English language can be distinctly disadvantageous in the ‘20s and beyond. Let’s take a look at just a few.
The Downsides of English Language Monolingualism
- Uplevelled Commercial Future Forwardness – The Baroness pointed out that… “only 6% of the world’s population are native English speakers and 75% speak no English at all”. And despite Brexit, UK businesses are still including the ability to speak French and/or German as highly desirable requisites when they’re recruiting. It’s a wake-up call that we need to broaden our horizons beyond the English language more than ever in order to keep pace in the global business arena.
- Boosted Ability to Consume Online Content – We might feel like we’re drowning under mountains of online content. But surprisingly, less and less of it is in the English language. Arabic tops the list of most used language online, and Chinese continues its bid for online digital domination.
- Less Reliance on AI Tools – There are many online translation tools that we can use at the push of a button, and they’re fine for looking up words and phrases. But, increased use of these tools is accompanied by more bloopers, due to a lack of human nuance.
At La Academia, we believe that communication makes the world go round. Our passion for languages is almost tangible. We’re proud to teach all languages – including the English language – to students of all ages. Get in touch and tell us which language you’re interested in, so we can plan a learning path with you.