Question for the Forum: The Future of English in the Classroom- How Important is English?

This past March, we had our first ever AKS Workshop at all of the participating universities and colleges in Germany. AKS stands for Arbeitskreis der Sprachzentren in German; translated into English, it would stand for the Task Force of German University Language Institutes. Headquartered in Bochum in North Rhine-Westphalia, AKS was established in 1970, and as many as 150 university language institutes in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and China are part of the association, which work together to improve the quality of foreign language learning at the universities.

AKS developed the UniCert test system for languages, which is highly recognized internationally, on par with other exams, such as TOEIC/ TOEFL, Cambridge and TELC. It also has the FOBICERT, a certificate for qualifications collected by the teacher for future use. Each year in the fall, we have a UniCert conference at a host university, but this past spring was the first time we had an AKS Workshop, which was held in hybrid- classes were held online and at the host universities.

The Importance of English

While Artificial Intelligence was one of the top themes at our workshop, the biggest of them all was the question of the Importance of English and the Empowerment of other Foreign Languages, such as French, Spanish and Chinese, but also languages of regions in Europe.

In the past 30+ years, English has become the second language to learn aside from learning the mother tongue- in this case, German. Known in Latin as the Lingua Franca, English is the language of universal communication, being used at conferences, in classrooms at schools and other educational institutions, in international politics, for travelling and business, and lastly for sciences. If one cannot find the right literary sources for a topic in one’s own language, English is considered a fall back, as the language has touched each and every single topic. 80% of all films originate from an English-speaking country. When it comes to sports tournaments, international policing or even a simple conversation between people from different cultures, English is the medium of communication.

And rightfully so, which is why between 70 and 75% of the German population speak and write in English, just like the rest of Europe. Further north and west, as well as in Switzerland and Austria, is the rate much higher. English is everywhere.

The Question of the Importance of English

Despite its dominance as the second language of communication, the changes in the current environment have put the question of English to the test. Apart from the rise of influence from Russia and China, especially the former because of the war in Ukraine, there has been a rise of nationalism in many parts of Europe (also in Germany) and with that, the strive to push foreign languages out of the classrooms and the introduction of nativist culture, including language. A foreigner living in Germany would lie if there was no encounter with someone of German descent during one’s stay, who frowned at someone talking in another language along the street and was greeted with the words: “Amtssprache Deutsch!” (EN: Speak in German!”)

If you have experienced it, not to worry for I had that share of excitement in that department, especially in rural areas in the eastern part.

At the same time, there have been some attempts to make lesser known foreign languages more attractive to learn, especially as they are useful for the same purposes as with English. They are equally important for business, travel and if living abroad, for some interesting small talk. While English has been established as its second language, a push to make other foreign languages equally important will lead to some questions as to which direction is English going to, for 2024 is indeed the year at the crossroads for many reasons that also go beyond the classroom.

Arguments about the Importance of English

We had a debate about the importance of English during one of the sessions of the workshop to determine which direction will English go in the next 30 years. The results in the small group discussion was mixed ranging from English remaining on top in the coming years to the language losing some of its influence. Speaking from personal experience, there are two opposing arguments:

English is not important

I have heard this argument while teaching at a Berufs- or Fachschule (Vocational School) before quitting to take a teaching job elsewhere. Speaking with colleagues from other universities, they have also witnessed either something similar or know someone who had that same experiences as I had. Those who claim that English is not important have to do with the question of use in praxis. Even if students were to learn the terminologies and practice using it in certain settings, one will be greeted with arguments saying one of the following:

“There are languages that are more important than English, such as Russian, Arabic and even the border languages.”

“There are more important things to learn apart from English.”

“English is the language of the West. “

“There are apps which can translate between languages.”

“The official language of Germany is German. If you want English, you must get an interpreter.”

The last one is perhaps my favorite of all the excuses, as it has been mentioned enough times by those who fail to understand the arguments about the importance of English, which I have heard and even gotten support:

English is important

English has been considered a well-established language as it has been used for academic and non-academic purposes. Business transactions, conferences, publications, international policing, international sports events and also concerts are communicated primarily in this language. The language is everywhere and has served as a useful guide for people who are in a foreign country as visitors, where the language serves as a bridge between the native tongue of the people living in the country and the person living in that country. For immigration, English is very important to deal with the bureaucracy and paperwork. Therefore one cannot see English fading away in 30 years.

Questionnaire about the Future and Importance of English

The discussion about its importance in the future led me to conduct an experiment which requires your assistance. It has to do with the question of the role of English in the future: will it fade, or will it remain the same? I’ve divided the questionnaire up into two parts: one for the teachers and one for the public. It’s a hybrid questionnaire consisting of multiple choice and open-ended question, the latter you can answer in the comment section

Deadline for the questionnaire is August 4^th, after which the results will be calculated and presented for use. Please feel free to encourage others to vote. Best of luck! 😊

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For Educators:

In which educational institution in Germany are you a teacher (at present)?

Link: https://strawpoll.com/PKgl3LLPenp

From a teacher’s point of view, how important is English?

Link: https://strawpoll.com/40ZmqOOBKZa

From a teacher’s point of view, how important will English be in 30+ years?

Link: https://strawpoll.com/7rnzmjj8LyO

For the Public (non-educators) plus Students:

What is your profession at present?

Link: https://strawpoll.com/PbZqRzzYGyN

From a Non-Teacher’s point of view, how important is English?