Why English, Not Mandarin, Is the Language of Innovation

30 January, 2015 / Articles

Last October, Mark Zuckerberg shocked the world when he addressed a group of students at Tsinghua University in Beijing completely in Mandarin. Media praised or lampooned his elementary grasp; some even called it mind-blowing.

The story reignited a decades-old debate: Will Mandarin overtake English as the global language?

For Zuckerberg, it’s certainly proven effective – prompting China’s Minister of Cyberspace Administration Liu Wei to visit for a meeting at Zuckerberg’s own desk in December.

César Hidalgo and his team at MIT Media Lab, however, would still argue for the preeminence of English. They published a study in late December that identifies English as the most influential language in the world. Their data are illustrated in “The Global Language Network,” an interactive model they produced showing English to be the largest hub of information. Hidalgo says the model suggests not a bias toward English itself, but that English, through its relevance as the dominant language of the internet, is able to connect people across languages.

Still, it’s true that China’s economy today is undergoing rapid change: the middle class is expanding, purchasing power is increasing, and with loosening regulation, China is becoming a fertile new market for global companies. In addition, native Chinese tech companies such as Alibaba, Weibo, and Momo are having some of the most successful IPOs in U.S. history.

But even despite China’s impressive growth, it seems clear that English – not Mandarin – is and will remain the language of innovation. Why?

From how we code to how we type, much of the world’s biggest advancements were developed with the English-speaking market in mind. Standard QWERTY keyboards are designed for the Roman alphabet and can’t accommodate the 2,000+ Chinese characters considered necessary to achieve even basic literacy in Mandarin.

The popularity of the QWERTY keyboard means programming languages typically use the Roman alphabet as well. In fact, the top 10 programming languages in the world are English-based. Two of these, Python and Ruby, were actually created by native Dutch- and Japanese-speakers, respectively, which shows that nonnative English speakers adapt to learn and use English when trying to accomplish broad goals.

English’s importance in the early development of modern technology has cemented its global importance today. Fifty-six percent of all online content in the world is in English. Accessing this content and drawing revenue from it requires English skills, which businesses and consumers alike are eager to acquire.

According to the annual EF English Proficiency Index for companies, English is a top priority for the world’s fastest-growing markets because it’s the common language that diverse and international companies use to communicate. The necessity of speaking English in the workplace has therefore increased the number of individuals looking to showcase their English skills for potential employers.

Global estimates figure more than 1.5 billion people around the world are trying to learn English. The sheer diversity of this population – culturally, economically, geographically – has heightened the demand for English training tools that can be accessed easily and inexpensively. As a result, we are seeing a surge in demand for standardized English proficiency exams such as the TOEFL, IELTS, and now the EFSET.

It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean English will replace local languages. Companies still need to serve markets locally; with globalization comes an increased need for localization.

The challenge for companies is to create cohesion between culturally distinct workforces. English, often considered a relatively neutral language, acts as a bridge that connects employees across countries and cultures, providing a pathway for innovation.

And the best tool of innovation? Collaboration. Companies whose employees can work together in a common language are more effective, efficient, and better able to work together.

As a result, companies around the world are choosing English as their official corporate language. European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is one example, as is Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten, French automotive company Renault, and Korean electronics firm Samsung. Smaller companies looking to expand into the global economy are also investing in English. These companies are even offering language training tools for their employees.

In a survey conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit, 90% of executives at companies around the world report that if cross-border communication improved at their company, then profit, revenue, and market share would increase significantly. This, in turn, would set them up for better expansion opportunities and fewer lost sales opportunities. Nearly half of the survey respondents acknowledge that basic misunderstandings stood in the way of major international business deals.

What does this all mean? English facilitates the innovation economy because it allows individuals and companies around the world to communicate, and therefore collaborate toward a common vision or goal. Imagine if Yahoo’s founder, Jerry Yang, never learned more than “shoe.” Or if Mike Krieger, Sao Paulo native and founder of Instagram, never learned English to attend college in the U.S.? Going back a few years, a man named Andy Grove, a native of Hungary, escaped WWII and went on to found Intel. What if language barriers stood in the way of these technologies?

When asked about how he sees Facebook developing in the next 10 years, Zuckerberg has said his first priority is to connect the entire world.

I’m with him. And having common ways to communicate and collaborate is a good start.

FUENTE