Has anybody read "Popularity of English proves Achilles heel "[Reuters, 27.02.06]?
It says: " The dominance of English as the world's top language - until recently an advantage to Britain and the United States - is beginning to undermine the competitiveness of both nations, a major research report says. The British Council report says monolingual English graduates "face a bleak economic future" as multilingual competitors flood into the workforce from all corners of the globe. [. . . ] These new polyglots, and the companies that employ them, have significant competitive advantages over their monoglot rivals, including a vital understanding of different cultures in a world faced with rapid globalisation. "The competitive advantage of speaking English is ebbing away," said the author of the report, linguistic consultant David Graddol. "Once everyone speaks English, advantage can only be maintained by having something else - other skills, such as speaking several languages. [. . .]
"We know from trade associations that small and medium-sized British firms are losing a lot of business because they can't even answer calls from abroad on the switchboard," Graddol said.
Interesting, isn't it?