RIYADH, 27 May 2005 — The English language is constantly evolving, and with its colorful array of words and phrases, it is the most widely spoken language in the world. Today, about 470 million people speak English. In Saudi Arabia, English is widely spoken among the educated and particularly among foreign university graduates. It has become an asset for those seeking a better job as well as for those seeking higher education overseas. Since more people in the world speak English than any other language, it also serves as a valuable medium for cultural exchange.
“It goes without saying that English is the foreign language of choice, the language of the world, the language of globalization. The main reason for it is, of course, its accessibility,” said Dr. Hoda Al-Helaissi, vice-chairperson of the Women’s College of Languages and Translation at King Saud University. “Speaking English today goes beyond learning the language. It is the window to the rest of the world, to different cultures, to accessing and understanding information where English is the language of communication.” Today, more than 50 percent of the world’s technical and scientific periodicals are in English, 75 percent of the world’s mail, telexes and cables, and 80 percent of information stored in the computers is in English. English is also an official language in 45 nations.”
Dr. Al-Helaissi teaches English and French. She believes that schools play a major role in language acquisition and that the younger children are quicker at learning a foreign language. “On the one hand, by starting earlier, the child will have more years for learning. On the other, it is well known that the capacities of a young child to absorb a language are greater than one learning later in life. Personally, I would like to see languages taught earlier to our children, and I have done this with my own children who now speak three languages. I myself grew up with four different languages and am more or less comfortable in all of them. Skills that are learnt at a young age are skills that tend to evolve and develop with time if properly nurtured.”
Barira Shahid is an English teacher in a language institute in Riyadh. She teaches mostly adult students from a broad range of backgrounds. According to her, more women than men are enrolled in English language programs, largely because more women are now entering the job market.
“A lot of our young women graduates have been successfully employed. The obvious choices are schools. Others are hospital translators while some go into banking and still others are employed in various ministries,” Dr. Al-Helaissi pointed out.
Anwar Ali Khan is a language instructor at the Men’s College of Languages and Translation at King Saud University and has been teaching English for the past 27 years. He believes teaching English to adult students who have had little or no exposure to the language before is often “too little too late.” The students, he said, have considerable trouble understanding spoken English, thereby requiring the instructor to use Arabic in order to explain the meaning. In such cases, non-native English speakers can sometimes be more effective in teaching English than native speakers, he added.
Dr. Al-Helaissi thinks the view that only native speakers of English can become effective English teachers is outdated and no longer applicable. “This view is ‘traditional’ and was very popular at a time when, in our case, Arab educators were not up to the standard required to teach English as a foreign language. However, although we are still paving the road to fluency, there is a marked improvement in our Saudi teachers. Native speakers will always be in demand but we must not dismiss the fact that Saudis are rapidly becoming more fluent.”
Like Khan, Dr. Al-Helaissi believes that a native speaker does not necessarily make a teacher. “The issue here should be more the role of qualifications and training,” she said.
She added that Saudis are exposed to English largely through international media, which has wielded an “extraordinary” influence on both language and culture.
