Spain's level of English: Among the worst, but the fastest-improving
Thursday, September 24, 2015 @ 6:57 PM
SPAIN'S grasp of the English language remains among the poorest in Europe, coming 17th out of 24 countries studied and 20th out of 63 worldwide, according to research by Education First.
Expats who think they will never need to learn Spanish because 'everyone speaks English in Spain' may be in for a shock, but the country's limited grasp of the language means business opportunities for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and traders catering for English-speakers, as well as much greater choice of jobs for those who do have a good command of it – and, of course, the inability to be understood in English could be the catalyst many expats want or need to push them into learning a new language, which is proven to strengthen the grey matter and protect it against dementia.
For English-speakers living in, or holidaymakers visiting the Basque Country or Madrid, however, the problem is less marked, according to the English Proficiency Index which commissioned the research: a far higher number of their inhabitants were found to have a 'high' level of the language, meaning they were able to converse comfortably on any topic with few minor errors and no significant ones, and could hold down a job where English was the sole, dominant or an essential tongue in their role.
But in the land-locked western region of Extremadura, those who spoke any at all had a very low level, barely able to introduce themselves, order food from a restaurant or hold a very basic conversation.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com