Val Dumond

Author

Publisher

Editor

Consultant

If You're Going Global, You'd Better Know Your English
by Val Dumond
©2009

How and where can you speak English? Let me count the ways? English is becoming the primary inter-national language around the world. Most international conferences use English as the common language, even when they are held in European, Asian or African cities.

Furthermore, nations are looking to each other for sharing economically as well as ecologically. Consider world banks, world weather stations, worldwide clearing houses, world distribution warehouses, world trade centers...

After spending a couple exciting weeks touring France, Italy and Switzerland, I longed for the sound of English speaking crowds. Of course our traveling group spoke English, but the challenges grew as we stopped at hotels, restaurants, scenic areas, or went shopping in the European equivalent of malls. My focus turned to the five-day stay in London before heading home. There, I was sure, I would feel more comfortable with the language.

Wrong! We weren't in England five minutes before the words began to sound "foreign". It was partly the accents, but mostly the words. Do you realize how many British words we (Americans) have scrubbed from our language or changed into our own versions? Besides nearly getting hit by a bus (rushing the wrong way down the street), I couldn't understand directions that used words like "squares" instead of "blocks", and "meters" instead of "yards".

There are so many kinds of English spoken in places inside and outside of England: Australia, India, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Canada for starters, and all around the world where Great Britain has spread its influence. Place these speakers in one room, add accents, and stir. Pandemonium!

Why is this an important subject? Look around. Listen. Do you hear accents? Of course you do. Children in many countries around the world learn English in some form in school. (Hint: When traveling in other countries, ask children for directions; most of them understand and speak English better than their elders.)

One way to face this trend is to improve your own English. You are familiar with the belief that newbies to a function do better than those who have practiced it for years? It's true. Many people from other countries speak better (more accurate) English than many Americans.

Another is to make an attempt to learn a few words and phrases in the language of others when meeting with them in your hometown or theirs. Phrases such as: good morning, good evening, thank you, please, hi, how're you doing?, help me... My experience is that by using a bit of their language, they will have the courage to try their English. That's where both fun and exchange of information begin.

The world is becoming global. The Internet is the culprit making this happen, along with the realization that we humans on our Blue Marble are in this together, ecologically, economically, productively, and socially.

Time was when we greeted "foreigners" to American shores with baseball bats and cheers of "Go back where you came from." The fear was "they" would bring their ways here and change us.

The fear has turned to acceptance. Now we realize that we all come from Earth, that we benefit from the variety that makes up Earth's population. Whether we (humans) migrate from Turkey to Europe, Russia to Africa, Europe to the Americas, or South to North America, we bring along our art, customs, music, food, and language. We enrich each other with our ways.

While I'm not a "futurist", I can see how the globe has shrunk and with it the barriers. From space, map lines disappear; there are no borders - the contrivances of humans to mark territory. The fact remains, we are all alike in our differences.

We in the United States of America should be well aware of the possibility in a shriveling world of the United States of the World. How conscious we are of "northerners" being different from "southerners", "easterners" and "westerners" with their various quirks, Californians being unlike Iowans, Floridians different from New Yorkers. Each state preserves its own flavor. Still, we share a specific space.

As the world moves closer and closer into sharing production, everyone benefits. One country makes the frames, another the engines, and another puts them together and draws up a marketing campaign. One country grows potatos, another raises dairy cows, and another mixes them together to create a casserole. One country raises wheat, another corn, and another rice to feed the world.

If you are reading this (in English), you are among the lucky ones to know that your language will serve you well, no matter where you do business in the world. Make sure you demonstrate your skill with it.

If you're going global, you'd better know your English.

Back to the main Articles page

Val's new soon-to-be-published book, The JOY of Grammar, will help get a handle on the language of the world.

Please feel free to contact me. I welcome your comments and any specific questions you may have.