It’s easy to see how important English is around the world. Many international businesses conduct meetings in English, universities teach courses in this language and, around the world, tourists and travellers use English as a lingua franca (a mutually known language).

English is not only the most spoken language (one quarter of the world’s population speaks at least some English) but it is also the third most common native language in the world, after Mandarin and Spanish.

It is a Germanic language, first spoken in England around the 15th century. Nowadays, it is spoken as a first language by the majority populations of several sovereign states, including the United Kingdom, the US, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and a few Caribbean nations.

It is widely taught as a second language and is an official language of the European Union. These are some of the reasons why many legal and non-legal documents are being translated into English, and translation agencies are in high demand.

Nowadays, more and more people are dedicating time to studying English as a second language. Many countries include English in their school syllabus and children are starting to learn English at a younger and younger age.

English is a particularly important language online, with more than half of the content on the internet written in English. As well as this, some of the world’s largest tech companies are based in English speaking countries.

Whether you are looking for a new job or planning to travel the world, studying English can help you progress in life, both personally and professionally; if you’re working in Dubai, or travelling around Japan, studying English can help you have a conversation with people from all over the world.