English beyond English

By becoming a ‘world language’ English is now a shared unifying factor for all those who – at various levels – can interact using it. Citizens of the world strive to learn English, not only to conduct business, education and diplomacy, but to enjoy culture and entertainment. At the TESOL 2014 Conference “Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Thai politician and former Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), […] whose combined population tops more than 600 million people, stressed that English has played an instrumental role in the massive economic growth achieved in recent decades by countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, and increased English language education is required to improve the lives of billions of people, not only in Asia, but across the globe.”