The dangers of dubbing

The inhabitants of countries which broadcast movies and other TV programs directly in English (e.g., Scandinavian countries, Holland, Portugal) tend to speak and understand English much better than those countries where movies are dubbed (France, Germany, Italy).

In the 1930s and 1940s Germany, Italy and Spain dubbed British and US movies (i.e. replaced the English audio with that of their own language) to defend their national language and as a form of censorship to protect their regimes.

… Read the rest

Which is the ‘best’ form of English?

There are over 50 countries where English is an official language and is the language of instruction in higher education. Approximately two billion people study English, and three billion people speak it. Around a billion people travel across borders every year, 75% of whom move from one non-English speaking country to another non-English speaking, yet communicate in English while they are there.

… Read the rest