The Value of English, Even as a Second Language

According to Wikipedia, a 2000 census shows that 251,388,301 Americans speak English and nearly 36 million of them speak it as a second language.  Worldwide, there are approximately 400 million native English-speakers, and about another 200 million more who speak it as a second language.

With English as the most popular language of communication, and writing the main method of interaction, people who are less fluent in English stand to face many difficulties in the international world.  Often times, first impressions are made by email as opposed to a face-to-face meeting. It’s so easy to make a simple, silly mistake when composing an email, even if you are completely fluent in English. Now imagine English is your second language. English grammar is complicated enough as it is, without having to worry about insecurities of second guessing your vocabulary and word choice. Fortunately, there are plenty of options to help people with their English.

There are always new technologies popping up to help people learn and improve English, both written and spoken. WhiteSmoke 2011, for example, offers the WhiteSmoke Translator, which supports 9 languages, as of this writing, in addition to a grammar, spelling and style checker. These things are especially helpful in a world where the main form of communication is writing.

It may be worthwhile for people who are learning English, or trying to improve, to invest in software such as WhiteSmoke Grammar Checker and WhiteSmoke Translator. Writing with fluent English has become a must, especially in the business world.