Not surprisingly, one of the reasons why English is such an awesome language is that it is the second most widely spoken language in the world (behind Mandarin Chinese), and by far the most learnt language, with an estimated 1.5 billion learners.
Including the UK, 60 out of the 196 countries on Earth speak English as their native language. Although it comes behind Mandarin in terms of popularity, it’s spoken in more countries than any other language, boasting around 400 million native speakers globally. It is also estimated that around 1.5 billion people in total speak English worldwide, so you have plenty of people to talk to!
English is the official language of NATO and the European Union. It is also the commonly adopted second language in many countries across Europe, such as Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
If you understand at least the basics of English you will be understood in most corners of the world. When it comes to things like travelling and finding employment, English doesn´t really have a rival. Over the last decade or two, English has become more of a given than a desired skill for most big companies. As competition grows and the world becomes even more globalised, the more languages you have the bigger edge you have over your competition. Ultimately, multilingualism can be the difference between two strong candidates.
There are many great free resources out there for you to get started on a new language or even perfect one, so you have no excuse for not reaping the various benefits of learning another language.
Globally, English is considered the dominant language of business, so it does not come as much of a surprise that major financial entities have headquarters in the UK and USA. Nowadays speaking English is seen as almost a necessity. As more and more companies expand into the global market, it is only natural that they will look to hire more people to communicate with customers who will most likely be English speaking. And even if the customers don’t speak English, the common language in most international offices is English.
Learning – or perfecting – English as a second language is a great way of bolstering your CV and making yourself a more attractive candidate to employers. Having any second language is a plus for any candidate, but having mastered the English language really reflects well on you and opens more doors in the professional world. If you have the slightest ambition to be an international business person, it is essential that you speak English to a decent level. Anything after that is a bonus.