English is described as “the language of opportunity”, and after you read this article, I am positive you will agree with it. If you are in Jakarta and always want to be able to take an English course, you need to read this article.
The reasons why you have to learn English
English will offer you more opportunities
Even in countries where English is not an official language, English is often used as a language of communication / daily interaction. The ability to speak English allows you to communicate effectively in many countries, and this opens up many possibilities for you to look for work abroad one day – not to mention traveling as a tourist. You don’t need to worry about getting lost when you travel to an English-speaking country, because you will easily be able to ask for directions, and taking tours, ordering food, and chatting with locals will not stress you out.
What’s more, careers that involve a lot of travelling or international exposure, such as airlines, tourism and the film industries, use English as their official language, and many companies in this sector tend to require proof of certain English language proficiency before they consider hiring you. This means that if you can speak English, you will find that you have more career choices to choose from after completing your studies at university.
English will make you more desirable by many companies / entrepreneurs
Being fluent in a second language clearly shows a strong brain and reflects someone who has spent a lot of time, resources and commitment needed to master other languages. But while being bilingual is very impressive, no matter what combination of languages you master, adding English to your CV will be very useful. English is very useful to learn because so many countries use English to communicate and do business.
English has been referred to as “business language”, and it is not difficult to see the reason. If you have ambitions to become an international businessman, it is important that you speak English fluently; business conducted internationally is more often done in English. Even if you don’t think of living or working abroad, that doesn’t mean you won’t find English as a useful language to include in your CV. There may be many multinational company offices in your home country. What’s more, English language skills are always desired by many companies / entrepreneurs.
Here are three examples to give you ideas of situations where English can be useful in your own country:
Business meetings
English language skills put you in a position to be able to attend or hold international business meetings. Where multiple languages are represented, the possibility is that the meeting will be conducted in English – and if you are the only one on your team who can speak English, you may find yourself being asked to attend important meetings, and this will accelerate your career advancement.
Customer service and sales
You will be able to help English-speaking customers and sell your products or service to them. This gives you the opportunity to build relationships with international customers, and the ability to build relationships is an important business skill that puts you in the advantage of fellow employees who do not speak English and make you more valuable to the company where you work.
Marketing and communication
if the company where you work markets its products or services to English-speaking countries, or releases other types of communication such as press releases to these countries, your knowledge of English may be useful for translating marketing material or communication with customers or sales prospects. The cultural knowledge you gain through learning English may also be useful in knowing how to sell products and ideas to English-speaking countries.
English gives you an access to some of the best universities in the world
English is widely regarded as the language for higher education. Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and MIT are some of the well-known universities that are ranked in the top of the world education league, and you have to speak English fluently to access one of these, because they all speak English. It goes without saying that if you can study at one of these universities, you will start your career with a famous name on your CV – and the benefits of that are very clear. If English is not your native language, you need to take an English test during the admission process to prove that your level of English is sufficient for the demands of the academic environment. If you have the desire to continue your education at a well-known university, the effort you make to learn English as early as possible will be appreciated when it comes to university choices that you can apply.
English allows you to get more from popular culture
The best-selling films in the world are made in Hollywood, and needless to say, these are made in English. How many times have you seen an American blockbuster movie and been frustrated at having to follow a quick translation? And how many times have you hummed your favorite pop song, but can’t sing together because it’s in English and you don’t know the words? There is a solution … Say goodbye to the annoying subtitles of the film and enjoy the music you like by learning English.
English allows you to attend international conferences and events
Sports events such as the Olympics are held in English, and so are international conferences, so competitors and delegates must be able to speak English to be able to participate and make the most of the events. You may find yourself needing to attend a conference as part of your chosen career, so learning English now will be very beneficial for you. Not only can you understand the conversation, but you will get more networking opportunities if you can speak effectively in English. You never know – maybe there are new employers or clients among the crowd of fellow delegates, so make sure you can communicate with them!
English has a simple alphabet and everyone is equal
The Latin alphabet is the most widely used alphabet in the world.
The English alphabet is very easy, making it easier to master than symbols or images that make up several languages. If you have trouble learning more complicated alphabets, you might find you are making more progress with English, which shares the alphabet with many other languages.
There are no complicated symbols and characters in English; even in French, which basically uses the same alphabet, there are several accents used in certain letters that change the pronunciation. That doesn’t happen in English. Also, no matter how important they are, everyone is referred to as “you” – there are no polite and informal variants to make you annoyed (like in France with “tu” and “vous”, for example), so you don’t need to worry about creating social awkwardness by being too familiar. And unlike many other European languages, there are no masculine and feminine words to remember.
English gives you wider access to knowledge
Did you know that 55% of world web pages are written in English? The next most used language on the internet is Russian (which is only 6%). Knowledge of English allows you to take advantage of the much broader intellectual resources of the world.
English is also the language of science. If you study English, not only will you have an access to a greater proportion of the vast amount of knowledge available on the web; You will be able to educate yourself further by being able to read scientific books and papers. English, of course, is important if you want to pursue a scientific career. In the Science Quotation Index, compiled by the Institute for Scientific Information, an estimated 95% of the articles are written in English, even though only about half are from English-speaking countries. According to the Open University, “At Oxford University, two-thirds of graduate students come from outside the UK. Students in the university’s chemical research lab recognize that working in English is the main attraction. ”
Accept the challenge? Learn English!
If you are looking for a new challenge, learning English is probably what you are looking for. Not only that, because it is so widely spoken, it lets you have a large number of new cultural experiences, which will help you develop life skills, meet new people and grow your confidence in handling new situations.
Have we convinced you? If you are inspired to learn English, consider signing up for English Today and developing your English skills to open the door to wider opportunities.
