- 28 Aug 2021
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Good English skills in the digital age
With more than 360 million native speakers and over 600 million second-language speakers, English is still one of the most important languages in the world. Added to this are further people who speak English as a third, fourth or additional language. Even more native speakers speak Spanish, and Mandarin is among the most spoken languages in the world with more than 1 billion native speakers. In a digitised, globally active world, good English skills are fundamental. The Swiss Language Academy Basel offers an English course in Basel.
Speaking English is one of the important key competences
In the digital age, key skills are the buzzword in the labour market. Skills that will be in demand in the future include creativity, social intelligence, mathematical and technical skills, and language proficiency. In the professional world, companies are constantly communicating with customers, branches and partners at home and abroad. International conferences are set up and people communicate with each other in English.
Whether by email, telephone or video conference – anyone in the digital age who lacks a good command of English will find it difficult in the workplace. Furthermore, the software, programmes and technologies used often cannot be utilised effectively without a sufficient command of English. On top of that, just under 80 % of academic publications are published in English.
A language level of B1 is required in the working world
Your own English skills can be divided into various proficiency levels. For the working world, English B1 Intermediate, B2 Upper Intermediate, up to C1 Business English are frequently required. Anyone who has mastered English at the B2 level can understand complex texts and abstract topics. Subject-specific discussions with native speakers can be conducted without major effort.
In addition, detailed texts on specific topics can be written. The next level, C1, builds on this, enabling longer, more demanding texts to be understood and fluent conversations to be held. Complex topics can be analysed in structured texts.
If you are interested in learning English, you can take a Language course in Basel at the Swiss Language Academy Basel occupy.