Why English is Important for a Student’s Foundation?
There are more than 6,000 spoken languages in the whole world. But, why exactly is English so important? English is the language of science, aviation, computers, diplomacy, tourism, and most importantly – the language of international communication, the media and the internet. English is the official language for many countries – the United Kingdom, Australia, U.S.A., Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the Caribbean countries – there are more than 400 million native English speakers. In short, English is an international language and the main language of this planet. The following reasons are why you should keep learning and practicing English:
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English is a Global Language to Communicate with Other People
More than a quarter of the world’s population speaks English – that is, about 1.6 billion people – understand and relate to the English language. Most of the films, for instance the largest film industry Hollywood, are produced in English. Even if films are produced in foreign native languages, when distributed to the global market, they will be translated or dubbed into English. International trade and tax agreements, and international business meetings between different countries are also conducted in English. This shows evidently the power of English in conversation, legal agreements and even in entertainment.
Entertainment and Access to the Internet is in the English Language
Films, TV shows, books, music are produced in English, and if they are not, they are usually translated into English. Having a good proficiency in English opens up more doors to entertainment and internet and the media.
The Best Universities in the World Teach in the English Language
Having good proficiency of the English language is important for every student’s foundation because the best universities in the world teach in the English language. We see that schools like Harvard and Oxford, which has the highest foreign students’ intake, are conducted in English, despite its wide diversity of students that do not speak English natively.
More Job Opportunities in Foreign Countries
Speaking English allows one to broaden his or her perspectives, and allows one to gain more job opportunities in foreign countries and to also to be able to relate to people from other countries. any people after completing their studies in Singapore choose to pursue a career overseas and teach English in China, Japan, Korea or Vietnam. One’s English skills comes into test especially when they apply into jobs or countries that require high English conversational skills.
Relate to People from Other Countries
English language, being a universal language around the world, is able to knock down barriers between different countries – especially cultural barriers. Understanding the habits and customs of other countries and how it differs from ourselves help to put ourselves in others’ position and understand why other people behave differently.
English Makes Travelling Easier
Imagine you are travelling to Thailand and require a new pillow for your hotel room, but the hotel receptionist could not converse to you in Thai, so he or she replies you in English. If you do not have a good proficiency in English, you may not understand him or her and will not be able to convey your needs to the receptionist.
Teachers in school can never emphasise enough – English is truly the most important language to be proficient in. This is why in schools, there are always read periods for English reading (and also mother tongue reading). However, it is simply not enough to only spend time on honing your English skills during English lessons in school.
There must be consistent effort in practicing proper English even out of the English lesson. Practicing proper English does not mean simply speaking English – that is what we do everyday in Singapore – however, we have been speaking Singlish, which is full of grammatical inconsistencies. Therefore, engaging an English home tutor would be crucial to learning English.