CHAPTER 20
English Is The Language Of
International Business
A few years ago I was reviewing business proposals. Our company
needed new graphics for our website, so I had posted a job on an
international freelancer forum. We got over twenty responses to our job
posting. Each posting contained a bid for our project.
As I reviewed the bids, I noticed the nationalities of the graphic artists.
There was a company from Argentina. There was an artist from Hungary.
There was a Japanese bidder. There was a German and a Malaysian. There
were several from the United States and Canada.
As I looked them over, I was struck by this clear example of
globalization. These people were all participating in an online international
marketplace. Then I realized the obvious: they were all using English to do
so. Every bid was written in English. Therefore, each of these artists was
competing not only based on their artistic ability, but also on their ability to
communicate their strengths in English.
Clearly, English is the international language of business. It is for this
reason that schools, everywhere in the world, offer English classes. English
language ability is a competitive advantage to any and all who have it.
English opens the world, to companies and freelance artists alike. Lack of
English closes opportunities and puts you at a disadvantage in our global
economy.
These are simply the facts, be they pleasant to you or not. The simple
truth is that English is growing increasingly important to the global
economy. More and more jobs, in more and more countries, are requiring
