Before I became a diplomat I was a professor of Linguistics and English for seventeen years. As a graduate student and professor I worked with students from all over the world who were learning English as a Second Language(ESL), and with teachers who taught ESL. I was especially struck by the ways in which English is an essential tool to so many people worldwide.
Nowadays knowing English is an essential first step in pursuing advanced knowledge in a wide range of fields, and an essential step to sharing what you know and have discovered. Scientists need English to learn the latest research in their academic specialty and if they do not speak and write in good English their own research remains largely unknown and their significant breakthroughs remain unrecognized. Engineers need to be able to study the most recent textbooks and scientific articles and discover new developments – and need English. What holds true at the highest levels of Science holds equally true as we move down the ladder. English is more and more an essential tool in many areas of work – because it has become the common shared language of the world for commerce, science, and technical fields.
Beyond that, I have seen that just as my study of French, German, and Azerbaijani enriched my own life and opened up new doors of understanding and showed me a new and wider world, English is a language that can greatly enrich our lives and connect us to a broader cultural experience.
For that reason, we are proud to host this week our second annual English Language Week and we have prepared a rich program for students, teachers, and lovers of English. We hope that you will all take advantage of the great opportunities to learn this week and we look forward to seeing you at all our events.
Stephen A. Guice
Public Affairs Officer
U.S. Embassy Baku
U.S. Embassy Baku Blog 