The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics indicate that there are close to 7000 languages in the world. In this multilingual world that we live in today, English is the most taught and learned language, even in places where its main population doesn't learn it as a first language.
English is everywhere, whether it is at work to interact with businesses abroad, in entertainment, such as in films and online media, or on holiday in the tourism industry. In this article, you'll see how the influence of the English language shapes your everyday lives through different fields.
Impact of English Proficiency on the Global Level
- Enhance workplace communication and employability
- Experience seamless access to global entertainment
- Navigate higher education opportunities worldwide
- Share and create digital information without restrictions
- Expand cultural and linguistic comprehension of English
💼 Influence of English on Work & Business Communication
One of the most popular English lessons that is offered among adults, besides English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), is Business English. That's because English is the lingua franca of all things business, especially in these three areas:
International business & trade
- Working language of multinational corporations to reduce reliance on translators
Online marketplaces: products & services
- Official networking language in Amazon, Google, and LinkedIn
Global conferences & organisations
- Official language of the World Bank and World Economic Forum
Globally, employees are motivated to improve their English skills to gain better job prospects across industries, where higher salaries are often linked to strong English proficiency — regardless of whether you're in Hong Kong or London.
This trend is especially evident as remote and collaborative work becomes increasingly common between global offices.
Real-life case study: About 15 years ago, Rakuten, a Japanese-based trade company, made waves when the then-CEO announced a new language policy for all its employees. English was made the official working language, which encompasses presentations, meetings, and the submission of documents.
Over the years, free English classes and e-language learning support were provided for employees to increase their English language proficiency — to set the company apart in the realm of global business through Englishization.
🎬 Influence of English on Media & Entertainment
You certainly cannot miss out on the domination of English media and entertainment, especially on streaming platforms like Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube.
⭐English language songs
Top 10,000 tracks on Spotify
⭐English content/ videos
Top 250 YouTube channels
Many non-English media were either dubbed or subbed in English first to reach a greater audience, including the iconic Korean series, Squid Games. Other notable examples in the music industry include fully English singles by the South Korean boy band, BTS, such as Dynamite, Butter, and Permission to Dance.
BTS were the first Korean group in history to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Dynamite” their first fully English single in August 2020.
Learning English allows you to communicate with everyone, and you can watch your favourite English series and movies in English without relying too heavily on subtitles. And finally, you will be able to understand the lyrics of your favourite songs if English is not your first language.
🎓 Influence of English Language: Education & Academia
The teaching and learning of the English language go beyond the Anglophone countries — the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Across the European Union, English is widely taught at both primary school and secondary school levels, either as a mandatory or elective subject.
Primary Education
(100% pupils learning English in 2023)
Secondary Education
(100% pupils learning English in 2023)
When it comes to tertiary education, English is used as the medium of instruction for many taught degrees (both undergraduate and postgraduate) in many higher learning institutions worldwide, from Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and even Africa.
Additionally, English is also the lingua franca for scholarly publications in academia, particularly in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Many globally influential and credible academic journals and publishers indexed in Web of Science or Scopus only accept submissions in English, such as:
- The New England Journal of Medicine (NJEM)
- Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
- Taylor and Francis
- Wiley
- Springer Nature
- Elsevier
📡 Influence of English Language: Internet & Technology
According to a 2025 report by Web Technology Survey (W3Techs), English-language websites make up 49% of all accessible websites online.
That's why English is also the most spoken and written language for the broadcasting of information in the computing and telecommunication fields, especially in these three main areas:
☑️Social media
- Main language of popular social media platforms like X, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Reddit
☑️Search engines
- English content is prioritised with SEO optimisation by Google and Microsoft Bing
☑️Software and UI design
- Many operating systems, like Microsoft Windows and iOS, and web services like Google products, are first launched in English
Another big role that English plays in the Internet and online technology landscape is through programming languages like JavaScript, Java, C++ or Python. If you're into coding, you'll probably realise many coding keywords revolve around English words like "return", "function", and "while."
Since English is the main language used online, it is also no surprise that it plays a significant role in artificial intelligence (AI) development.
For instance, popular AI models like ChatGPT are trained through machine learning to retrieve as much digital data as possible, according to the available English content. Also, ChatGPT's default language is English before being localised to other languages used by different users globally, as it is developed by an American company.
🌐 Linguistic & Cultural Influence of English
If you dive deep into the history of the English language, you'll realise that the British Empire brought its language to different countries across the globe, such as Nigeria and India. This is why we find English in the Anglo-Saxon world (the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) and ex-British colonies.
That's why when you travel to different countries, you'll notice that English often blends into some of the local languages, whether it's through quotations, loanwords or code-switching — showing how English carries global culture through new vocabulary and how cultures adapt English to local linguistic identity.
| Original English Word | Adapted Language | New English Loanwords in the Adapted Language |
|---|---|---|
| Computer | Korean | 컴퓨터 (keompyuteo) |
| Weekend | French | Le week-end |
| Coffee | Mandarin Chinese | 咖啡 (kāfēi) |
| Television | Turkish | Televizyon |
Culturally, the influence of English is also demonstrated through the soft power of British and US culture. Global pop culture has always been dominated by English-speaking content. For instance, British franchises like Harry Potter, Paddington, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond created a buzz for all things British, like their accents, lingo, fashion, and even cuisine. For instance, whether you're a Harry Potter fan in Australia or Japan, you'll instantly recognise the term Muggle.
The same applies to Paddington, which can refer either to a train station or to a lovable bear with an obsession for marmalade.
In fact, new English words are being coined and added every year through English slang used on the Internet among the younger generations, especially for online dictionaries like the Cambridge Dictionary and Oxford English Dictionary. Terms like red flag, green flag, delulu, and even skibidi are now official English vocabulary that you can use, even beyond social media.
💡 Activate Your Global Superpower by Mastering English
Now that you have reviewed the diverse influences of English in different areas, it's time to put all this knowledge into real action. The use of English — whether through listening, speaking, reading, or writing is likely to overlap with your everyday life, regardless of where you are currently at, and your occupation.
Whether you are currently a student, a software engineer, an artist or even a retiree, you can always enhance your knowledge in language learning. It doesn't matter if English is your first language or not; there is always room for improvement.
The English language is a work in progress. Have fun with it.
Jonathan Culver
At Superprof, you can find an experienced and qualified English tutor who matches your current learning goals and pace at an affordable rate near your city. All you need to do is head to the Superprof UK homepage and indicate your desired subject (ESOL or English), current city (London or Glasgow), to start having personalised one-to-one tutoring from the comfort of your home or through online lessons.
What's best about finding a tutor at Superprof is that you can book your first lesson through simple steps. First, you can access a selection of tutors' profiles based on your preferences on tutoring experience, tutoring qualifications, subject specialisation, teaching methodology, online reviews of past students, and even hourly rates. There's no need to worry about the affordability of the tutoring sessions, as you can adjust your maximum budget according to the indicated average hourly rate of English tutoring for different cities.
After confirming the important details of each tutor and also your preferred hourly rate, you can proceed to contact the tutor via the messaging feature to discuss your future lessons and payment method moving forward.
We hope you have found this article insightful in your English learning journey. All the best, and don't forget to have fun too!
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
