WHY DO YOU NEED “ENGLISH” ?

I met one of my friends who was in the university few years back. He was talking to me very fluently in “ENGLISH” like someone who had was just come from UK. It was a great surprise for me. This guy who came to the university from Hanguranketha and I could recall he told me he saw the “English Alphabet”  for the first time after coming to University. The degree we have done was only available in English Medium and this guy who did not know a single letter of English took the challenge of doing it. 

I asked him a simple question. “What’s the secret of your improvement in English ?”

He gave me a simple answer. “Because I was not afraid of making mistakes while speaking in English”. 

This is what is lacking in many who are not very fluent in English. They are afraid of speaking in English assuming others will laugh at their mistakes. 

It’s a fact that ENGLISH is a must today. Because English is so widely spoken; it has often been referred to as a "world language". You need to find out how to improve your communication abilities in ENGLISH.

If you take developed countries such as Japan, China, South Korea the majority can’t speak in English fluently. But they are very successful in dealing with Europe. This is purely because no one in those countries laughs at people who are struggling to communicate in ENGLISH. They know their limitations and try to get the maximum from the limited skills they have.

In Sri Lanka ENGLISH language is playing a key role in the corporate sector. If you need to be a part of the corporate world it's one of the primary requirements. This is how Sri Lankan society is structured. What I propose is don’t try to change the society or its beliefs. Best thing is CHANGE YOURSELF and not allow anyone to let you  down or block your progress just because you are not Fluent in ENGLISH. 

We recently saw Sri Lankan government launching a campaign to improve English knowledge among the rural population. They have taken well known Sanath Jayasuriya and Susanthika Jayasinghe as ambassadors.  Both of them were not born in to English speaking families but their commitment to learn ENGLISH language helped them to progress in their career. They are truly great sports personalities but their commitment in improving language skills makes them complete international sports figures.

STATISTICS ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE

•    English is the most widespread language in the world and is more widely spoken and    written than any other language.

•    Over 400 million people use the English vocabulary as a mother tongue

•    Over 700 million people, speak English, as a foreign language.

•    Did you know that of all the world's languages (over 2,700) English is arguably the richest  in vocabulary; and that the Oxford English Dictionary lists about 500,000 words, and there are a half-million technical and scientific terms still uncatalogued.

•    Three-quarters of the world's mail, telexes and cables are in English.

•    More than half of the world's technical and scientific periodicals are in English.

•    English is the medium for 80% of the information stored in the world's computers

•    English is the language of navigation, aviation and of Christianity; it is the ecumenical language of the World Council of Churches

•    Five of the largest broadcasting companies in the world (CBS, NBC, ABC, BBC and CBC) transmit in English, reaching millions and millions of people all over the world.