research article

Globalization and the English Skills Gap
This article by Deepak Desai is about the impact that globalization has on the use of English worldwide. The author’s aim is to show how important it could be for one’s life and career to speak adequate English as well as how strong companies rely on it.
Globalization has a great impact on people’s jobs. Since companies are now looking for employees all over the world in order to fill a certain position, it does not matter where someone comes from. What matters are not only his/her skills needed for a certain task but also the potential employee’s level of English. The fact that companies increasingly operate worldwide makes it crucial to communicate between people from different countries in order to do business. English is the common language used. All over the world, people learn English as a second language from their early years on. Therefore, English is not only crucial to companies in order to make profitable business, but also to people and their careers.
Although there are several ways for people to acquire a certain level of English it is hard to learn the background of a language, meaning things beyond the vocabularies and grammar. Examples are sayings, indications, dialect or sarcasm. It is almost impossible for a non-native speaker to learn, interpret and use these in the right way. Therefore, the problem of communication is not easily solved by studying a language from the book. This does not only create a problem for private persons who try to communicate with others from a different country but also for people doing business.
A lot of people employed by an international operating company say that, although their English is on an acceptable level, they feel a need to improve their English since it is still not good enough. The author therefore states that companies should invest in the education of their employees. Such an investment could lead to an overall better performance and therefore turn out to be profitable for the firm. Technology provides new and cost efficient ways to learn English. Providing employees with access to an online English course, for example, could be a good investment for the future of companies.