Impact of English on educationand cross-cultural understanding
A LANGUAGE has two principal functions: Documenting history of a nation and facilitating communication. It is a primary tool for communication, involving feelings, ideas and information. However, correct and functional communication remains the most problematic issue that constantly emerges as the source of misunderstanding between persons and even between nations.
Presently, English is spoken in Western countries, which are the most advanced nations in human history and their achievements have impacted almost every single person in the world.
English is also the international language that is spoken by people of different nationalities and languages. It is the reference language for almost every scientific, literary and philosophical modern terminology. An English dictionary provides a precise concept and meaning of a confusing term thus solving a problem convincingly and decisively. Therefore, those English-speaking nations provide the entire world with words and terms that convey their own specific meanings of ideas and thoughts, acts and events. Consequently, those nations determine the direction that the entire world takes or even aspires to take, according to their own understanding.
A person's language in terms of its style of expression can describe his status. In essence, a language describes a person's ethnicity, education, intelligence and socio-economic situation. People also assign a particular meaning to a person according to his/her quality of language. This assigned meaning can be either positive or negative.
In a nutshell, the English language embodies the culture of the most achieved nations, their communication tool and shows their frame of mind. Those who don't have good command over English, regardless of their profession would be at a disadvantage. They would find it difficult to express their ideas meaningfully, and as a result, they are most liable to be misunderstood.
For example, a birth date has cultural and formal significance in Western countries. In the United States, family members, relatives and friends celebrate their birthdays by holding parties and giving presents. Also, dates of birth are primary information in all personal papers, involving passports, driving licenses, bank accounts, social security numbers and the likes.
During my first week in the United States, I applied for a driving license. Because I was born in one of Aramco's hospitals in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, I knew my exact birth date and wrote it in the application. But, the birth date in my passport and the identification card given to me by the Saudi Cultural Attaché was different.
I sat down in the hall waiting to be called. While I was reading a newspaper with my head down, I saw feet of two men on the floor, standing right in front of me. As I raised my head one of them called my name, and I saw two of them in civilian clothes with hands on their guns. They asked me to explain why there were different birth dates in my driving license application and in my passport. They were appalled that birth dates has no significance in Saudi Arabia. I explained to them that my status in the United States is legal and they could verify my statements by contacting the Saudi Cultural Attaché. They were convinced and allowed me to go.
This incident reminded me of a Saudi young man who was surrounded by security officers on his arrival at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. Using a sign language he was trying to explain to them that the powder-like substance they found in his luggage is used to make soup. He was almost imprisoned and deported. His inability to speak English had landed him in trouble.
In response to my last article, about some Saudi students lacking command over English language and their plight in foreign universities, Dr. Annette S. McDevitt, a professor at the University of Memphis, wrote to me: "It's not just an issue with Saudi students — last year we had a very bright student from South Korea. She was admitted to a Ph.D. program in the business college. She did extremely well on her math portion and not so well on verbal. She had to return home after the first semester, as she did not have the language skills to pass her courses." Indeed, the command over the English language makes a big difference in education and in cross-cultural understanding.
Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Zuhayyan is a Saudi academician based in Riyadh.
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