English Proficiency

English Proficiency Gives You an Edge
By Andrew Bleak

Speaking and speaking well are two different things, with the latter undoubtedly more important. The disparity between the two is narrower among people who use only their mother tongue and broader for those wanting to speak or use a language other than their lingua franca. This principle also applies to writing.

Instinctively, people have a competent grip on the grammar of the language they first learned or acquired, or their "mother tongue." A very simple explanation for this is their early exposure that led to their acquisition of that particular language. It then served as the seed for the formation of their world views, values system, definition, and all aspects related to language use. However, a person's familiarity with his mother tongue is not a guarantee against usage flaws and grammatical error. Even the Americans speak ungrammatical English. Understandably, the perfection of grammar is not a very easy thing to accomplish even for natural speakers of a language, but much harder for those who want to learn a second language.

This struggle is felt largely among millions of non-native English speakers wanting to study, work, or live in an English-speaking country such as the United States. With vast increasing immigration movements, host countries have proficiently used their official language as a requirement for entry. Most countries use the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as a standard gauge for measuring the applicants' aptitude. This practice has been instituted to help ensure that the immigrants will not have the trouble acquiring and using the official language essential in the work and living environment in the new country.