No one can deny it.
English is the dominant language of the world.
People with good English have serious advantages over those with poor English skills, and these advantages will only get bigger as time passes.
If your English is weak, better start improving your English now!
Here are the benefits of learning English.
Benefit #1: Earn More Money
If your English is good, you qualify for more job opportunities and higher pay.
If you visit any job search site, you’ll find that most jobs require a good command of English.
Everything else being equal, people with good English earn more than those with poor English.
Here’s a real-world example: my sister, who works at Bumrungrad International hospital (largest private hospital in Southeast Asia), receives a monthly bonus on top of her base salary simply because she got a high score on the TOEIC English test.
Even if you aren’t looking for a job, having a good command of English still benefits you financially.
For instance, if you’re a freelancer who can write English well, you can sell your services through international freelance sites like Fiverr or Upwork instead of the local ones. This way you reach a wider audience, get more work, and earn more!
My English-Language YouTube Channel
Here’s a personal example of how I benefit from my ability to speak English:
I have a small YouTube channel where I share tips for learning English. Due to my laziness, the channel has only 13 public videos — a miniscule number compared to other channels.
But because the channel is in the English language, it reaches people worldwide and has generated over 22 millions views and has earned considerable income for me.
If I had made the videos in my native language, my channel would be attracting a much smaller audience, earning less income (due to fewer views and lower ad rates), and making less impact.
Benefit #2: More Career Options
A good knowledge of English opens up new career possibilities.
With decent English skills, you might be able to become an English teacher, a private English tutor, a tour guide, or a translator. You can take up one of these jobs on the side, or you can make it your primary way of earning income.
Your English doesn’t even have to be perfect to qualify you for these jobs.
Sometimes, having slightly above average English skills is enough.
Even though your English is not that great, you can still teach English to children.
Even though you speak English with an accent, you can still be a tour guide.
Although your written English isn’t perfect, you can still translate English into your native language.
You just have to make sure that your English is above average.
I used to be a software engineer, but thanks to my English skills, today I make a living teaching English online. My English is not perfect, and people make fun of my accent on my YouTube channel all the time, but that doesn’t stop me.
Benefit #3: Access to More Knowledge & Information
Today you can find information about almost anything.
There are books, articles, videos, audio programs, online courses, and podcasts on every topic imaginable.
But here’s the caveat: most of the information is in the English language.
So if you’re unable to read or listen in English well, you have access to only a limited amount of information.
I’m speaking from experience here.
As a website owner, I sometimes have to search online for ways to fix issues on my site, which is built using the WordPress software. However, it’s difficult to find useful information about WordPress in my native language.
But if I search in English instead, the task becomes much easier because there’s plenty of information in English.
If you have good English reading and listening skills, you are at a big advantage; you have access to an enormous supply of knowledge.
Benefit #4: Communicate Globally
If your English is good, you can communicate with people all over the world.
This comes in handy in various situations.
Here’s a personal example: one time my PayPal account was suspended for some reason, so I couldn’t withdrew my money. I tried contacting them via email but got no response. But since I could speak English, I called customer support (located in Singapore) and explained the situation. The problem was resolved soon after.
I’m comfortable using English-language services like PayPal, Fiverr (freelance services site), Google Drive, Hostgator (web hosting). If there’s a problem, I know I can explain the problem in English and get it sorted out quickly.
Sadly, many people aren’t comfortable with these services because they can’t communicate in English so well.
Benefit #5: Travel
Do you enjoy visiting new counties?
Does your job involve traveling abroad?
If so, learning English will make your travel life easier.
English is the most commonly spoken language in the world.
It’s the most popular “second language.” Most people choose to learn English after their native language. In many countries, it’s a mandatory subject in school.
This means when you’re abroad, you’re more likely to find someone who knows English than someone who knows Mandarin Chinese or Spanish.
And as you can see from the map below, the English-speaking populations are more “spread out” across the globe, whereas the speaking populations of other languages are usually confined to a single country or continent.
This makes English the most useful language to learn.
If your spoken English is good, you can travel abroad without worrying too much about language barrier. You can confidently communicate with foreigners without resorting to sign language or translation apps.
Benefit #6: Enjoy Books, Movies, and TV Shows in English
The English-speaking cultures have produced many creative works in various forms such as books, movies, and TV shows.
If you have good comprehension in English, you can enjoy these creations in their original language—English.
Now you might be thinking, “Why bother with the originals when I can enjoy the translated versions?”
Unfortunately, there are two problems with translated works.
Problem #1: Availability
Sadly, many creative works are not available in a foreign language, especially the less popular ones.
But if you understand English well, this won’t be a problem. You can just go straight to the source materials.
It’s nice being able to enjoy things in their original forms. Lately I’ve been listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks. (It’s a different experience than reading the books.) I usually listen to them during my workouts.
These audiobooks aren’t available in my native language. If my English listening was poor, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy them.
Problem #2: Loss of meaning
No two languages are equal.
When something is translated into another language, it’s inevitable that some meaning will be lost, no matter how good the translator is.
Sometimes this is due to poor translation. Other times it’s because of certain differences between the two languages, or because of some unique characteristics of English.
For example, consider these wordplay jokes:
Q: How do you count cows?
A: With a cowculator.Q: Why did the school kids eat their homework?
A: Because their teacher told them it was a piece of cake.Q: What do you call a bee that can’t make up its mind?
A: A maybe.I have a few jokes about unemployed people, but none of them work.
It’s impossible to translate these jokes. You must read them in English to get the jokes!
Benefit #7: Mental Fitness
This may be the most overlooked benefit of learning English.
Just like how your body needs physical exercise to stay fit, your brain needs mental exercise to stay sharp and healthy.
And based on many research studies, learning English (or any other language) has many benefits to your mental capacity.
Here are a few examples:
- People who speak two or more languages show symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease at a later time than speakers of a single language.
- Babies growing up in bilingual homes are better at adapting to changes in their environments.
- Bilinguals are better than monolinguals at switching between two tasks (thanks to the practice of switching back and forth between two languages).
- Bilinguals are twice as likely to recover from a stroke than monolinguals. (A stroke is the death of brain cells caused by a lack of blood flow in the brain.)
The evidence is clear: being bilingual is beneficial throughout life, from infancy to adulthood to old age.
No matter how old you are, your brain will benefit greatly from the challenge and stimulation of learning English.
Conclusion: Why It’s so Important to Learn English
Today it’s common for people from different parts of the world to communicate with each other.
And more often than not, the language they use will be English.
Even though China is on the path to beating the US and becoming the world’s most powerful country, learning English is more advantageous than learning Mandarin Chinese, or any other language.
This is because English has become ingrained in many aspects of our lives. It’s too late for another language to replace it.
If you speak Mandarin Chinese, you’ll only be able to communicate with mostly Chinese people. But if you speak English, you can communicate with the Chinese, Koreans, Brazilians, etc.
So if you think your English needs improving, what are you waiting for? Start improving your English so you can enjoy many social, financial, and lifestyle advantages.
On this blog you can find useful articles to assist you on this important journey:
- How to learn English at home
- How to improve your spoken English
- How to improve your English listening / reading comprehension
- How to Improve your written English
I encourage you to read these articles. (All the links open in a new window.)
Remember: the world is more connected than it has ever been. It’s more important than ever to learn English.
Let’s start today!
