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What It’s Like to Speak English as a Second Language
I’ve often coached executives on how to cope in a language when it’s your second, or third, or in one memorable case, your fifth. So naturally I was fascinated with Paul Stevens’s perspective. Paul is a graduate of the University of Cambridge in the UK and the owner of Mayflower College, an English language training and testing company, specializing in aviation English, business English and academic English. The Q and A follows.
Nick: How widespread is the use of English as a business/global language beyond the countries where it is spoken by the locals?
Paul: The need to know English is of course not limited to the residents of USA, UK, Australia, etc.
English is very much the global language of business, science, diplomacy, the internet, entertainment, etc. International meetings and conferences are typically conducted in English (even if no native-English speakers are present).
Despite Brexit, English will likely remain the lingua Franca of EU lawmaking.
For many jobs, having a good command of English on your resume is no longer seen as a bonus; it’s a prerequisite.
And many multinationals like Siemens, Airbus, Nissan, Sodexo, Rakuten, Lenovo, Renault, etc. have adopted English as their official working language.
