Who speaks English?

[missAmeno]

If person wants to have access to the wealth of information available in English and communicate with foreign people from many cultures, s/he has to learn English, regardless of how well developed the person's non - english language is.  That is why - to have access to the wealth of information and to communicate with foreign people.

Now, the easiest way to learn other language is to watch programs on TV or Internet in the language and without translation.

All of this is correct but is based on if.
If person wants to learn English.

I doubt majority of FSUW population wants to learn English and therefore broadcasting subtitled movies will be only of interest to limited audience.

I do watch time to time subtitled movies. In most cases it is because that particular movie or documentary not available in English/Russian/Ukrainian. But also time to time I on purpose select Italian movies with English subtitles or other way around as I feel my basic Italian due to not being used for over 8 years is deteriorating.

[Shadow]

Didn't know you were in Holland))))))
Translation in what language? Russian?
But why? They are Russians with (again) very well developed language.

How will you communicate with people outside of Russia if you have just a single language?

[Anotherkiwi]

How will you communicate with people outside of Russia if you have just a single language?

Simple - tell them that they must learn Russian!  Doh! 

[Anotherkiwi]

There is no law that says Australia has an official language but the language of public communication is English of course (not my mother tongue either mind you). Even in dealing with many parts of Australian bureaucracy you can organise interpreters and information in over 20 languages, including Russian. Shops can have signs in any languages they want to.  Its a very linguistically tolerant country.

New Zealand, on the other hand, has three official languages - English, Maori and New Zealand Sign Language - as well as many others used widely (Samoan, Tongan, Hindi and Chinese being the most prevalent, whereas Australia would have far more Greek, Italian and Vietnamese speakers than here).  Although many countries recognise sign language in their laws or constitution, it appears from what I've read that only New Zealand (the first to do so) and Spain have formally adopted it as an official language (in Spain it applies to both Spanish and Catalan sign language).

[Ooooops]

I doubt majority of FSUW population wants to learn English and therefore broadcasting subtitled movies will be only of interest to limited audience.

What for?  Majority of US population doesn't speak another world wide common language.   Or majority of China.  Or majority of any other large country bound by the same language. 

[Ooooops]

Whether people like it or not, English has become the global lingua franca. Today, if you ever want to travel abroad you need some English language proficiency.

Depends where you go.  Most of places in Europe cater to German or Italian tourists.  If you go to Africa then French comes handy in many places. 

[missAmeno]

What for?   

What you mean by 'what for?' To provide reassurance for English speaking contries population they do not have to bother learn any other language/s 

[Isthmus]

Depends where you go.  Most of places in Europe cater to German or Italian tourists.  If you go to Africa then French comes handy in many places.

I holiday in Europe every northern summer. Use of German and Italian as secondary languages are experiencing erosion. Most Germans speak some English, most Italians don't though. English is the primary global language, no other languages come close. Its a pattern that is only accelerating IMHO.

[Ooooops]

What you mean by 'what for?' To provide reassurance for English speaking contries population they do not have to bother learn any other language/s 

Oh yeah, that.  Sorry!  My bad!   

[Ooooops]

I holiday in Europe every northern summer. Use of German and Italian as secondary languages are experiencing erosion.

We just spent 2 months in Greece, Croatia and Slovenia.  German was THE most common language.  Italian comes second, English comes third in those parts.  It all depends on the number of particular language tourists, that's all.   If you go to Bali then yes, English will be the most common foreign language because it's full of Ozzies.   


I'm taking about the general population, of course, not the top business layer. 

[Isthmus]

We just spent 2 months in Greece, Croatia and Slovenia.  German was THE most common language.  Italian comes second, English comes third in those parts.  It all depends on the number of particular language tourists, that's all.   If you go to Bali then yes, English will be the most common foreign language because it's full of Ozzies.   


I'm taking about the general population, of course, not the top business layer.

I have never been to Bali but have been to Croatia and Slovenia over a dozen times and was there as recently as September.  I can tell you that the uptake of Italian as a second language is in total freefall and German is in a slow but steady decline as a second language. English is the preferred second language of today's youth (by a huge margin). Last summer I even witnessed the amusing situation of a Croatian bartender ridiculing an obnoxiously difficult German customer for not being able to speak English.

[Ooooops]

I have never been to Bali but have been to Croatia and Slovenia over a dozen times and was there as recently as September. 

I guess we went to different places.      We were RVing through those countries and got stuck with that crowd most of the times.  But even in shop and restaurants English was not the first preference when people were addressing us.  May be it's our tallness and blondness.   

[Ooooops]

Last summer I even witnessed the amusing situation of a Croatian bartender ridiculing an obnoxiously difficult German customer for not being able to speak English.

I guess those Croatians still have to learn simple English phrase - "Customer is always right".   

[Ooooops]

I have never been to Bali ...

You are from Down Under and never been to Bali???   How come?    

[Anotherkiwi]

You are from Down Under and never been to Bali???   How come?   

He has more sense.  The surfing is better in New Zealand. 
 
FWIW, I've never been to Bali, either.  Maybe one of these days...

[Ooooops]

I thought that Bali was for Australians like the Caribbean to US ppl...

[JayH]

You are from Down Under and never been to Bali???   How come?   

Bali is so full of embarrassing  bogan Australians   it is a potential nightmare!!  I fly over it to somewhere I want to be !!


ps   there are some nice places  but I prefer other places  .

[southernX]

Bali is so full of embarrassing  bogan Australians   it is a potential nightmare!!  I fly over it to somewhere I want to be !!


ps   there are some nice places  but I prefer other places  .

iv been to bali quite a bit over 20 years , it isnt that exciting , it is however pretty cheap and close to australia , so it tends to attract alot of the same type of people who behave in the same way imho

europe is a much better destination , east or west  '

SX

[Ooooops]

iv been to bali quite a bit over 20 years , it isnt that exciting

Not true.   Bali has wonderfully rich culture, but I guess it's not what lost of ppl go there for...

[JayH]

Not true.   Bali has wonderfully rich culture, but I guess it's not what lost of ppl go there for...

Where are Australian yobbo bogans go you will only see the lowest form of "culture" and it will not be Balinese!!

[Aloe]

I think broadcasting all originally english films and shows in english with russian subtitles would be beneficial on several levels. Because there is no other alternative, people WILL watch these movies and shows with subtitles, so
1. They will increase their russian literacy and learn to spell russian better, because they are constantly forced to read. Cuz right now if you open any russian forums, the illiteracy is striking. Many russians can't spell russian very well. So many very very basic mistakes.
2. They will increase their english proficiency, because they constantly hear english
3. The movies are just way better in the original rather than the usually bland russian dubbing. I find most of those dubbing people very weak compared to original voicing.

[Flashback]

While English has expanded rapidly in the last 50 years, the real concern for other languages is NOT English. Spanish and Chinese are going to the next two champs competing on the global scale. I often wonder that if it were not for Brazil, would Portuguese still be around.

[SANDRO43]

I often wonder that if it were not for Brazil, would Portuguese still be around.

There are other, albeit smaller, former colonies where Portuguese is an official language:

 Mozambique: 24,096,669   
 Angola:   18,565,269   
 Guinea-Bissau: 1,660,870   
 East Timor: 1,172,390   
 Macau: 583,003   
 Cape Verde: 531,046
 São Tomé and Príncipe: 186,817
 Equatorial Guinea: 736,296

Totalling some 36 million speakers, in addition to the 200 million in Brazil and the 10 million in Portugal.

[Ooooops]

Spanish and Chinese are going to the next two champs competing on the global scale.

Chinese will not.  Most of educated Chinese speak other languages and business is done in mostly in English.

[Anotherkiwi]

There are other, albeit smaller, former colonies where Portuguese is an official language:

 ...

Totalling some 36 million speakers, in addition to the 200 million in Brazil and the 10 million in Portugal.

Sandro, having recently seen a couple of BBC documentaries on Brazil (hosted by Michael Palin and Jonathan Dimbleby respectively), it's quite obvious that the majority of the native Indian tribes do NOT speak Portuguese.  I don't know what proportion of the total population they comprise.