The fact, it is a fact, that the UK creates a bunch of school and further education leavers who essentially only speak English is an issue. There is a false argument:
How dumb is that? Yes, massive international businesses run their operations globally with English. But tap beneath the exec layer in these businesses and its local languages. And tap under the ‘massive international’ level of business and its local languages. To do business locally you need to communicate locally. To trade in Europe you need to engage properly.
Truth is that this is worthy of a separate thread - how isolated the UK will become without foreign language capability. I’d welcome that discussion as it’s a huge issue.
As an aside I’ve worked with many “english language” global businesses. Most often their exec level team is not UK people. That tells me a lot about the poor access to such positions our narrow English tongue-only view of the world offers. There is a whole world out there that our dismal, narrow, English centric education (and government), (and populist voices) is denying us. Its a related issue that we are denying our kids access to education in Europe.
I truly hope that there might be a Brexit benefit of the UK realising that our poor fluency in other languages is a drag on the UK’s capability to export and grow. Not just EU language BTW. Surely the need to address this is obvious to Brexit and non-Brexit thinkers?
I really do worry that two of our contributors here do not think this. What are they trying to prove by hoping that only speaking English is the way ahead? Or that o-level French - roughly A2 fluency (or feck all in the level of business discussions) works. And then they moan about the UK’s balance of trade. That is narrow, isolationist thinking that resulted in Brexit. Go guys, go. Your solution of Brexit requires an international body of professionals. Get behind the idea of investing in language fluency. Create at least one Brexit benefit.
In my personal opinion language is a very interesting subject as it has to do with culture.
Some years ago My wife and I were (again) in Thailand, sitting in a wine bar run by a guy from Switzerland.
There were Franch, Itailan, Spanish, (one) Japanese guy, us Germans and one American.
As “we” (my wife and I) are fond of languages, speaking German, English, some French, Italian, Spanish (and in my case some) Portuguese and Thai, we talked a lot with the guys around. Okay, having learned Latin for 5+ years helps a bit.
At one point the American guy became quiet. Asking him he replied that “he” (the American world police, his words) was only able to speak one language, whereas all the others spoke 2, 3 or more. At least enough to get around.
I had never thought about that before…,
I work with Switzerland, India and most if Europe every day. Everyone speaks English
If people want better access, learn better English. The UK has never been isolated internationally over language, including countries outside the EU such as India and Japan. English has and always will be the international language of the world.
During the negiations, the EU weaponised UK citizens rights to stay in countries such as Spain, where may UK ex-pats live, in work and retirement in communities. The UK provided EU citizens the right to stay straight away, while the EU attacked UK citizens living abroad causing enormous stress and anxiety unneccessarly. This only changed years after when the WTA was being finalised.
Your not demonstrating facts at all. Your splitting hairs because your losing every argument. I mentioned this in one of my first replies - see if this helps jog your memory. The EU, Varadkar and Rajoy Spain with Barnier behaved appallingly during the negotiations. The UK on the other hand …
Yes, except it was Germany, Italy and Japan that they were up against - but then Britain had the entire Commonwealth, the remains of Empire, most of Europe, the USSR and the might of the USA at their side. That assistance won’t be available in any dispute in the North Sea.
Yes and no. Perhaps in decades to come the internet will demand English as the sole common language. Right now, no, not true.
I too have worked in global companies, on global projects. Yes the common language us English. Large businesses use English as their shared language. It is the international language only at a certain level and at certain usage.
But you are ignorant if think English pervasive and common everywhere. Spanish is as common. Cantonese more so. But more importantly selling to the EU won’t work without local language skills. The UK’s exports will always suffer whilst our people think (as you arrogantly do) that speaking English if sufficient. I say ‘arrogant’. I mean ignorant.
That claim is, my ignorant friend, utterly wrong.
I’ve lived through the withdrawal process, Friends in Spain have done the same,
You know nothing about this, not even about how it was for EU citizens in the UK applying for residency. Try not to gain your insights from the Daily Mail. If you want details of how it worked in practice and why a very few had problems (living illegally) then ask.
And as for the UK being decent in the negotiations. Stop reading Farage commentary and perhaps re-read how dumb the UK aggression and simple minded approach was. For heavens sake, the UK had Dave (stupid) Davies as the front man. Did you think it would be anything other than ignorance? He turns up with no files and no clue. Quelle dick.
I’ve given up on your empty claims. End of.
EU citizens got a right to stay immediately away from Theresa May when she was Prime Minsiter. The EU did not replicate this arrangement until the TCA was about to be signed, years later.
I’m not getting insights from the Daily Mail either - they are a remain rag, why would I do that ?
David Davis didn’t turn up with no files either, he hid them (as he should do) from the camera taking the photo so as not to disclose confidential information.
Why do we need local language skills to sell to the EU ? Your absolutely bonkers, we can get a translator easily enough (from the Chamber of Commerce and the like). There are more countries outside the EU who are not native English speakers than in it, but the common language of the world, is English - either British English or American English.
The EU is not our biggest market, its in decline and bankrupt. The UK voted to leave to get out of the single market rules an common market to trade with the rest of the world, including the Commonwealth and joining CPTPP. Don’t big up your failed EU project, it failed before it was even finished. 95% of UK businesses do not even export LOL
I fully agree with your assessment of the “weight” of the English language in other countries. In Germany learning English is compulsory at school. However people do not train it, therefore they are by for not as good at English as say people from Sweden. Germans should be able to speak English yes, but it is the same with Mathematics. If you don’t have the need to train it, you will forget most.
In my business experience most Germans have a very (surprisingly) simple way of expressing things in conversation with international business partners from the UK, the US or India.
When it comes to working in Germany on the other side, it is inevitable to learn German. There is no way going to a doctor who speaks only English or anything similar.
The publicly available pictures tell a different story. Luckily (as always) you know better, so could you please be so kind to provide some evidence for your claim that he was hiding files for confidencial reasons?
