We are living in the twenty-first century, where technology is moving forward and the world is your oyster; it is impossible to imagine yourself lacking communication. Difficulties appear when we decide to travel abroad, where we do not know the language of native speakers of another country. However, there is an easy solution to overcome this barrier – English comes to our assistance. This is why English is irreplaceable and remains one of the most recognisable and most spoken languages in the world.
How did it start? So a few words about the intriguing historical background
Everything started with the Industrial Revolution. It made London the centre of development which, with the economic power of the US, imposed the obligation of English knowledge for the purposes of trade. Since then, the language has grown in popularity all the time. This can be seen at almost every level of life – both private and professional. Starting with children in schools where English is obligatory, to business talks with foreign contractors, or when we are travelling to other countries where we use it to communicate.
Interpretation of texts
The English language has taken over the world market, as evidenced by the number of published materials and works – mainly of music, film and literature.
As the popularity of the English language increases, so the demand for its translators increases. Translators have many instruments at their disposal to make their work easier. CAT programs (Eng. Computer-Assisted Translations) greatly facilitate the work of a translator in a computerised world. However, translation carried out with the use of CAT programs cannot be confused with machine translation, in which the entire text is translated by the computer using automatic algorithms, an example of that is the well-known Google Translator. The question remains as to whether the miracle of technology can replace a professional interpreter? The answer is obvious, because more than once devices fail, not to mention about the context correctness of the statement. Particular attention should be paid to interpreting during meetings and legal or technical translations with specific vocabulary. In these kinds of projects, professional support is irreplaceable and the help of interpreter is invaluable.
Learning English as foreign language
For some learning is not a problem, while for others it takes much more time. Why? English, which belongs to the group of West Germanic languages, turns out to be much easier in learning for people who know, among others, the German, Dutch or Scandinavian languages. All because of the noticeable similarity of the words that characterise this linguistic group.
First, what draws our attention and singles out English is its phonetics. The written word is usually read differently, which requires that we know the rules of correct pronunciation. We cannot forget about another crucial difference which remains both at the beginning and advancing in English – grammar. For the majority this is the most time-absorbing issue. The wide variety of grammatical structures and tenses, which do not always appear in Polish, could be a real challenge. English grammar is characterised by 4 past tenses, 4 present and 4 future tenses, and they may cause difficulties in fluent mastery of the language. A basic knowledge of grammatical structures is sufficient for everyday communication.
The English language opens up new perspectives for us; its good knowledge is a trampoline into a professional career and the opportunity to work almost all over the world. In a lot of situations it is a basic requirement to finding a job in marketing, administration or accounting, so you should not treat it neglectfully. Today, English is for the majority of people a second language, we do not realise that due to films, series or books, which we like to watch or read, we often start to think in this language. Many of us probably experienced speech deadlock, when you do not know how to say a Polish expression, but without difficulty you are able to find the equivalent in English. Without a doubt we have to contend with a language revolution, and we are curious as to which way it will go. One thing is for sure – the English language is a power, and not knowing it will be bothersome to us sooner or later.
(translation M. Z)
