As a native English speaker, it’s often quite chastening to compare the ability of so many citizens of the world to speak fluent English with the general inability of the English-speaking world to converse fluently in a second language.  That English is the de-facto second language of the world makes it easy for native speakers to assume that others will be able to speak our language.

The scale of this global fluency was underlined by a recent report from Education First, which detailed both how many people are fluent in English, and the importance of this fluency to individual and collective success.

“For expanding businesses, young graduates, scientists and researchers, and international tourists, English proficiency broadens horizons, lowers barriers, and speeds information exchange,” the authors say. “The incentives to learn English have never been greater.”

Despite the evident advantages, the report suggests that many people lack the time or opportunity to develop the language skills they need to thrive in the modern workplace.  This has numerous implications, not only for the direct career opportunities people forgo, but also the connectivity English fluency provides with others around the world.

Citizens of the world

The report chronicles the journey of the 2.3 million adults who have completed an English language test via EF during 2018.  The analysis highlights how English proficiency is generally improving around the world, but that much of this improvement is concentrated in 11 countries that achieved the majority of the gains.

This matters, as the authors argue that English fluency and innovation are strong bedfellows.  They argue that English is the language of global collaboration, and there is a clear correlation between English fluency and investment in R&D.

“This finding resonates with recent research showing that companies with managers from many countries earn more revenue from innovation than their less diverse competitors,” the authors say. “English-speaking teams are able to attract more diverse talent and access ideas from around the world.” 

What’s more, the authors suggest that countries with higher English fluency are fairer and more open than their peers.  The use of English as a medium of connectivity seems indelibly linked to both equality and engagement with the wider world.

Learning the lingo

Given the evident advantages of learning English, there is much to be gained from extending opportunities to do so.  Online channels are on the rise, and the authors argue that this will democratize learning as it removes any obstacles pertaining to distance and geography.

There are clear signs that English is an increasingly important part of university education today, as evidenced by the growing number of 21-30 year olds who have strong levels of English proficiency.

It’s perhaps not surprising that those in managerial roles also exhibit strong English skills, and there is a clear language divide based upon the seniority of professionals.  This is largely because managers are tasked with interacting with colleagues and clients overseas, and therefore both the requirement for English is greater, but also the opportunities to practice it are more prevalent.

“Additionally, because English skills are at a premium, those who have them are often promoted to managerial positions,” the authors say. “Executives, though, tend to be older, and many came of age in a business climate where English skills were less valued.”

The report concludes with a league table of proficiency, with the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway the top three most proficient nations, and Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan and Libya at the bottom of the pile.

One way misunderstandings

It’s easy to paint this growth in English language proficiency as a wholly positive thing, especially from our Anglosphere perspective.  After all, when everyone is speaking your language, it certainly makes engaging with the world that bit easier.

As Ivan Krastev argues in his recently published book The Light That Failed however, it can have consequences, not least in our understanding of the rest of the world.  He suggests that while the spread of American culture and the English language have done wonders for helping the rest of the world understand Britain and America, it has done much less to help Britain and America understand the rest of the world.

Our cultural knowledge of countries is limited by our inability to speak their native tongue, and it’s perhaps no coincidence that fluency in a 2nd language is lowest in countries where English is the native tongue.

While it’s undoubtedly comforting that so many people speak English therefore, and certainly makes life easier for us, there is undoubtedly a risk that this lopsided learning of language merely exacerbates the misunderstandings about the world that are so evident in both the US and UK today.