Is English REALLY the International Language?

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The answer to this question depends on whether you’re having a calm discussion about it in the classroom or a heated shouting match in a bar.  In the classroom, the conclusion would be “yes – sometimes and for some things,” in the bar the answer is whatever the biggest and toughest guy says.

Who Makes the Rules?

The might makes right conclusion at the bar is said in jest, but when considering how English came to gain its broad position of use in the world, the history of colonization is a major factor.  Because the reach of the British Empire was so expansive, the language of commerce during their reign as a global power was English.  Simply stated, they exported their language as they exported their goods.  Additionally, being present in each of their colonized countries made it easier for them to insist that their language be used instead of the many languages and dialects that existed throughout their empire.

The subsequent rise of America as a global power reinforced the notion of English as the primary international language.

Local Economies

All of this may be true for business to business transactions, but the crossover to local business transactions in non-English speaking countries has not happened as completely as one would think.  The counter forces of national pride, and local cultures and traditions has prevented the use of English from becoming as dominant for business to consumer transactions as it has become for business to business dealings.  For example, selling a microwave to a consumer in Latin America requires that the business speak the consumer’s language.  This reality, the need for the marketing of goods and services to a local audience, is what has spurred the push toward Internet localization.

Keeping the Peace

As is evident by the United Nations adoption of six official languages – Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish – the language of governments and diplomacy is not English alone.  English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations, but delegates may speak any of the six official languages and have them simultaneously translated.  The use of non-official languages is, of course, permitted, but the user must provide his or her own interpreter.

It is clear from the use of several official languages by the United Nations that the task of keeping the peace among the countries of the world is a job that requires diversity and one that could not be undertaken successfully using English alone.

Why Not English Only?

In America, the world’s melting pot, there have been various attempts at making English the only language that is spoken.  Those attempts fail to recognize the linkage between language and culture and the benefits of being multi-linguistic.

“Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world’s population.”

— A Global Perspective on Bilingualism and Bilingual Education (1999), G. Richard Tucker, Carnegie Mellon University

Clearly, having a single official international language would be convenient for some, but promoting it as the only solution is to have a short-sighted view of the complexities, cultural richness, and diversity of the world.