Paul Stevens and I started a conversation about virtual communications during the pandemic and it soon led to other issues as such conversations often do when they happen between people who are passionate about communication.  We were soon focusing on what speaking English is like for the non-native speaker.  It’s something I’ve often coached executives on:  how to cope in a language when it’s your second, or third, or in one memorable case, your fifth.  So naturally I was fascinated with Paul’s perspective.  Paul is a graduate of the University of Cambridge in the UK and the owner of Mayflower College, an English language training and testing company, specializing in aviation English, business English and academic English.  The Q and A follows; enjoy!

Nick: How widespread is the use of English as a business/global language beyond the countries where it is spoken by the locals?

Paul: The need to know English is of course not limited to the residents of USA, UK, Australia, etc.

English is very much the global language of business, science, diplomacy, the internet, entertainment, etc. International meetings and conferences are typically conducted in English (even if no native-English speakers are present).

Despite Brexit, English will likely remain the lingua Franca of EU lawmaking.

For many jobs, having a good command of English on your resume is no longer seen as a bonus; it’s a prerequisite.

And many multinationals like Siemens, Airbus, Nissan, Sodexo, Rakuten, Lenovo, Renault, etc. have adopted English as their official working language.

Of course English is the logical choice. 77% of primary school students in the EU learn English as a foreign language and English is now compulsory in Chinese primary schools. It seems that English has no rival in the foreseeable future.

Yes, more than 1.5 billion people speak English but about 75% are non-native speakers. We native-English speakers are very much in the minority.

Consequently, the very nature of the English language is changing. Pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar have been adapted as English reflects the first languages of its international speakers. ‘English as a Lingua Franca’ (ELF) may be spoken with a Spanish twist, an Italian rhythm or a Japanese lilt.

Nick:  What are the challenges facing international speakers of English?

Paul: In terms of learning the language, English has a very large vocabulary and the non-phonetic nature of the pronunciation is problematic. Try explaining the logic of this:

  • There was no WIND so I decided to WIND in the sail.
  • He couldn’t CLOSE the door because he wasn’t CLOSE enough.
  • The farm was used to PRODUCE PRODUCE.

Phrasal Verbs are another challenge. By adding a preposition to a common verb the meaning can change completely (and often illogically):

  • We broke up two years ago.
  • I broke out in a rash.
  • They set off early to miss the traffic.
  • When the door is opened, it sets off an alarm.

However, in my opinion, the biggest challenge which international speakers face comes from us, the native English speakers.

88% of international speakers say it’s more difficult to communicate with a native-English speaker than with another non-native speaker. It seems we:

  • Speak too fast.
  • Use complicated grammar.
  • Use idiomatic language.
  • Don’t know how to use ‘plain English’.

In addition, there’s plenty of research which shows that international speakers of English are considered less successful, less intelligent and less believable than native-English speakers. Wow!

“We’re less likely to believe something if it’s said with a foreign accent” says Dr Lev-Ari, a psycholinguist at the University of London. She puts it down to the extra cognitive effort we need to make in order to understand an international speaker. Our brains then shift the blame for this extra effort onto the veracity of the speaker.

Nick: Why is it important for native speakers to be aware of the challenges for others?

Paul: First we should remember that it’s not only people who live outside our national borders who may struggle with English. For example, according to the US Census Bureau:

  • over 21% of the US population speaks a language other than English at home.
  • 9% percent of the population is considered limited English proficient, meaning they speak English ‘less than very well’.

Our unconscious bias against international speakers causes ‘linguistic ostracism’; non-native speakers can feel isolated and excluded and meetings are poorer as a result.

Imagine this scenario: one day it’s announced that the official working language of your employer is changing to … let’s say, Japanese. You don’t speak a word of Japanese but after much agonizing you decide to stay with your company and sign up for lessons. After 12 months of hard slog you become reasonably proficient and fly off to Tokyo for your first meeting. And during that meeting the Japanese native-speakers make no allowances for the fact that Japanese is not your first language … they speak at their normal speed, make jokes among themselves, use idiomatic language, complicated grammar, abbreviations and jargon. How would you feel? Angry? Humiliated? Frustrated? Overlooked? Well, that’s how non-native speakers can feel if we don’t adjust our English.

I occasionally attend meetings in French or Arabic and it changes my perspective entirely. I hang on every word, trying to make sense of what’s going on. Often, all I want to do is survive the meeting without making a complete fool of myself.

But if we want to make better decisions we need to ‘hear’ the views of everyone and banish any perception that ‘my opinion is more important than yours because I can express it in perfect English’. Different nationalities and cultures can bring entirely contrasting perspectives to issues, fresh ways of looking at a problem.

Nick: What are the best ways for native speakers to help with these challenges?

Paul: The first question to consider is why are we Americans / British / Australians so poor at filtering and simplifying our English when communicating with non-native speakers? Some put it down to a misplaced sense of imperialistic superiority … ‘I’m a native English speaker, therefore the problem cannot possibly be mine, it must be yours.’ Surely not?

And our poor track record of learning foreign languages means that we find it hard to empathize with the challenges faced by those who’ve had to learn English as their second language.

So… what can we do?

1) We need to identify and confront any unconscious biases we may have about international speakers of English.

2) We should understand how fortunate we are to have our first language as the world’s lingua Franca.

3) When non-native speakers are present we must learn how to adjust our language and communicate using ‘plain English’.

Nick:  Tell us more about Paul Stevens?

Having spent 30+ years helping students and professionals (from 85 countries) learn English I’ve seen at firsthand how much time and effort they put into learning ‘my’ language’. When it comes to communicating in an international environment the burden of responsibility typically falls on the non-native speakers; in simple terms they’re required to improve their English. But there’s another party involved too … we, the native English speakers. If we’re not going to learn foreign languages the least we can do is to learn how to communicate in a way which international speakers are more likely to understand.

www.saywhatenglish.com is the first training program to focus on this challenge and is our attempt to make the world a slightly better place.

Nick:  Thank you, Paul, and thanks for the work you do helping us understand each other.