Advantages & Disadvantages of Studying English

If you did not speak English, you would need to translate this page into a language you can understand. English is a language that is spoken around the world. In addition to being the official language of the United States, England and Australia, English is often spoken in other countries as well. There are many advantages to learning how to speak English, the the process is often challenging. The various idiosyncrasies involved in its construction make English one of the most difficult second languages to learn. Despite the challenges, however, the effort required to learn English will pay off with access to a wealth of information and new opportunities.

Travel

When traveling abroad, knowing English is a great advantage. If you want to visit the United States, England or Australia, knowing how to speak English would be highly beneficial. Additionally, English is often spoken in other countries as an auxiliary language, making it a good all-purpose language to know to get around on the international scene. English is popular all over the world and would be of great use to a traveler, even if you only know how to converse on a basic level.

Academia

Most works in academia are published in English and many of the most prestigious schools in the world are also English speaking. If you want to further your education in a Western school, you will not be able to do so without learning how to speak English fluently. Not only does the language open up all of the journals of research, it also opens up the wide range of scholars who are English-speaking as well.

Information and Communication

Thanks to technological advances in translation services, most websites can be translated into every existing language. While this is helpful to non-English speakers who want to access the wealth of information published in English on the Internet, sometimes things do get lost in translation. The ability to speak English provides more direct and accurate access to information on the web and enhances communication with other English speaking people on social networking sites.

English is Difficult to Learn

The main disadvantage of studying English is the difficulty often associated with learning it. Spelling in English is a matter of memorization because various words that sound one way are spelled differently. Many English words have the same or almost the same meaning, making it difficult at times to know which word to use. Words in a sentence can receive different stresses to change the meaning of the sentence, which is not something that occurs commonly in other languages. Conjugating verbs is also a nightmare for English-as-a-second-language students. Learning how to speak English requires a commitment but thanks to online courses and language learning apps that help you study the language and increase fluency, access to English learning is easier than ever. The cost associated with the courses and apps could also be another disadvantage to studying English, but since knowing English comes with so many advantages, the price of language courses is a worthwhile investment.