THE BENEFITS OF STUDYING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE English is the official language of 53 countries. Out of the world’s approximately7.8 billion inhabitants, 1.35 billion speak English. However, the majority are not native English speakers, About 360 million people worldwide speak English as their first language. In addition to being widely spoken, English is by far the most commonly studied foreign language in the world, followed by French at a distant second. 1. Create Connections Probably the most apparent advantage of studying English is the ability to communicate and create connections with people around the world. For example, if a person is interested in traveling, they can join a group on social media to find out more about their dream places from people who already visited. 2. Education Benefits Nowadays, with the rise of globalization, more and more students are planning to pursue part or the entirety of their University education in international programs, which are taught in English. In addition, a lot of international English-taught programs are available for high-school students if they want to develop their passions or boost their chances of getting into a good University. 3. Volunteer abroad Volunteering became the hype of the 2010s. During the past two decades, more and more people have volunteered. Even in times of COVID-19, websites such as Worldpackers still offer volunteering opportunities in a wide variety of places worldwide. All of these opportunities require a proficient level of English. In fact, for most volunteering programs that take place in another country than your country of residence, the chance is, they require a good level of English. In addition, if you already have a proficient level of English, there are various volunteering opportunities for teachers. 5. Job Opportunities The 21st century is a global century and companies are constantly looking for ways to get more internationalized and inter-connected. English became the common language that people from different countries and cultures use to communicate with one another within the business environment. For this reason, most large companies require their employees to speak English at an advanced level. 6. Travel Purposes A good level of English is highly important in traveling. If you do not plan to travel as part of a group or in organized trips, speaking English allows you significantly more freedom in exploring. In addition, given the wide use of English worldwide, the chances are that no matter where you travel, you will find locals to talk to. Therefore, speaking English offers you the opportunity to get a better sense of the place and the culture by talking to the locals. 7. Literature Purposes From Oscar Wilde to Charles Dickens, English authors have produced some of the most important and immortal literature up to this date. And what could be better than reading their masterpieces in their original language? .....and last...but not least... 8. Improved Focus A study conducted by the University of Birmingham showed that people who spoke two languages have better attention and focus than those who only spoke one. This feat is mainly attributed to evidence that appears to prove a link between the lifetime task of switching between languages and improved concentration skills. With the rise of COVID-19, various people reported problems with the attention span as a result of the increased amount of time spent in front of the computer. So, enrolling in an English course sounds like a good idea :) Nato Lagidze Nato Lagidze is a freelance writer from the country of Georgia with an academic background in Psychology. She enjoys creating inspirational blog posts with unbiased information and sharing her thoughts about motivation, well-being, self-compassion, coping, and emotional intelligence. Writing about recent trends in the movie industry is her other hobby, alongside music and art. She believes that with enough effort we can achieve life's goals.
