Why learning English should be a number one priority in the post-pandemic era
Why learning English is even more valuable than you think!
3 February 2022
Amidst all the talk in recent years of Mandarin and Arabic as the new high-priority languages to learn for international professionals, it’s tempting to think that English might be experiencing its demise as the premier global language.
But that is a total myth. Rather, with the possibilities presented by the new post-pandemic age, one in which international cooperation is not a choice but an absolute necessity, English as a lingua franca will be more important than ever. English continues to be the ultimate tool to tackle the most pressing global challenges of the 21st Century and beyond.
As the stark reality of the COVID-19 virus has proven, not a single one of us can afford to be left behind…
Essential English
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), out of the 10,728 papers published from the day of the coronavirus outbreak until 28th April 2020, a whopping 85% were written in English. Thousands of these papers are still unavailable in any other language or are awaiting translation. This literature is vital: it is what informs governments, creates public policy and ensures our safety, meaning that understanding it could save lives.
Knowledge is power and it’s currently almost entirely locked within English words. Certainly, viruses do not wait for translation schedules and so the only way for us to access this information is to learn what those words mean.
This is the case not only in the health sector, but across all major international organisations. English is the only official language of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). It is the sole working language for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), of which Chile is a central member. Along with French, English is the official language of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Even the East African Community (EAC) relies on English as its primary lingua franca. The list goes on and on.
These are the organisations tackling today’s most important global issues, from conflict to poverty to climate change. Those that don’t exclusively use English, such as the United Nations (UN), still count on it for a huge proportion of international dialogue. If we want to contribute to these incredibly important discussions and understand what they mean for our own lives, we simply must be able to speak English.
Easier than ever
The British Council declared a few years ago that online learning would soon become the future of education. Following the coronavirus pandemic, that future is happening today – and Fluent Language couldn’t be better prepared for it.
Online learning has been part of our strategic plan since our inception back in 2017 so our native teachers are used to delivering quality personalised English classes online. It couldn’t be a better time to begin your English language journey with us!
Sign up for your first class today…
SOURCES:
World Health Organization (WHO): Global research on coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE): Science needs to inform the public. That can’t be done solely in English
British Council: Will online courses overtake the traditional degree?
(https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/will-online-courses-overtake-traditional-degree)
Wikipedia: List of official languages by institution(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_official_languages_by_institution)
