English is the language of business, science, and tech
Most of the world's information on the Internet and scientific knowledge are in written English. Growth, innovation, and international affairs will continue to rely on science and technology—much of which are recorded and discussed in English.
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The Argument
English is the language of technology and scientific knowledge. Computer scientists especially have no choice but to learn English since much of the leading scientific papers in current topics such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing are in English.[1] The top 10 programming languages in the world are English-based.[2] In addition, 59.7% of the world's online content is in English. Mandarin Chinese only takes up 1.5% of online content.[3] Scientists agree that to facilitate better communication in the scientific world, English should be used (even if this fact is unfair to other languages).[4]
English is the language of international business. While local business sectors may not use English, international sectors certainly do.[5] Some in the business sector encourage English-only use for better productivity.[6] Since an estimated 1 in every 4 people around the world can use English at a productive level, it is better for companies to bolster its employees' English language abilities than invest in Mandarin language training.[7]
Counter arguments
China is increasing its scientific research.[8] In 2018, China's total number of scientific publications surpassed the US's, according to statistics from the US National Science Foundation (NSF).[9] Important AI-related publications are translated into Mandarin Chinese more quickly than Chinese AI developments are translated into English.[1] As China's economic and scientific advances grow, so will the need to learn Mandarin.
Proponents
Premises
Rejecting the premises
References
- https://www.axios.com/english-chinese-language-science-technology-9e201c25-17a9-4754-9ad5-a55234266031.html
- https://hbr.org/2015/01/why-english-not-mandarin-is-the-language-of-innovation
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_used_on_the_Internet
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/english-language-science-can-cause-problems-180961623/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/dorieclark/2012/10/26/english-the-language-of-global-business/#59246fa1b57e
- https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20170317-the-international-companies-using-only-english
- https://hbr.org/2012/05/global-business-speaks-english
- https://scientific-publishing.webshop.elsevier.com/manuscript-preparation/why-is-english-the-main-language-of-science/
- https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-00927-4