5 reasons why learning English is important.

English is one of the languages known by many, with about 20% of the global population speaking it (that's 1.5 billion people). But did you know that most of those people aren't native speakers? Only about 360 million people speak English as their first language. Given its popularity in everyday communication, academia, business, and entertainment, it's no wonder many are saying it's important for non-native-speakers to hurry up and learn English.

1. English Is the International Common Tongue

There are several factors that make the English language essential to communication in our current time. First of all, even for those who don't use English as their primary language, it is a very common second language in various cultures. This means that two people who come from different countries (for example, a Mexican and a Swede) usually use English as a common language to communicate.

I think everyone needs to learn the language in order to get in touch on an international level. Speaking English will help you communicate with people from countries all over the world, not just English-speaking ones. That applies whether you're traveling, doing business, or communicating with others on social media.

2. It's the Language of Academia

English is also essential in the field of education. In many countries, children are taught and encouraged to learn English as a second language. Even in countries where it is not an official language, such as the Netherlands or Sweden, we will find that many syllabi in science and engineering are written in English.

Furthermore, English is generally thought to be the language of higher education. Many of the world's top universities are English-speaking schools. Because English is the dominant language in the sciences and international research, most of the research studies you find in any given scientific field will be written in it as well. At the university level, students in many countries study almost all their subjects in English in order to make the material more accessible to international students.

3. It's Favored by the Internet and Press

On the internet, the majority of websites use English. Even sites in other languages often give you the option to translate the site. The runner-up language is Russian, which only claims about 6% of websites. So English is the clear winner when it comes to the internet, with over 50% of the content in that language. And the amount of educational content on the internet is probably even more heavily skewed toward English dominance since, as we've already discussed, the modern world of research and academics favors English.

4. English Is Useful for International Travel

Having a good understanding of communicating in English makes it easier to travel around the globe. Because it is the main international common language for foreigners, knowing English makes it easy to get assistance and help in many parts of the world. After all, about one in five people know or understand at least a little bit of English. That's not true of any other one language. You can test this by looking at online travel options; any travel booking site you can find will have English as a booking option. And it's a good language to know for navigating airports and other transportation hubs as well.

Not only is English useful for tourism, but many international conferences, competitions, and celebrations are held in English as well—the Olympics, for example. It comes in handy almost wherever you go, for business or leisure. Even if you're not actively working on improving your overall understanding English, you might find it helpful to memorize a few English phrases before traveling to help you get around.

5. It's Essential for International Business

English skills are likely to help you in any business venture you choose to follow. That's especially true if you're working in the international sector, or if you'd like the option for your career to move from the local to international scale in the future. If you visit certain offices of private companies, governmental organizations, or even math or engineering companies, you will notice the prevalence of English.

Many big companies will hire professional staff only after getting to know whether they have good English or not. It's not uncommon for companies who want to function at an international level to only consider their staff to be well educated if they are fluent English speakers, writers, and readers.