checkmate
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correction and editing of English
Why English?
"THE TIMES" FRIDAY DECEMBER 23, 1994
Every child in this country grows up with a goldmine in his or her mouth. English is the mother tongue of 350 million people. Overwhelmingly it is also the globe's second language: one out of every five people now speaks English to some level of competence, and it is used as an official language in over 70 countries. The demand for the mongrel tongue of the Saxon tribes that settled in these isles 1,500 years ago is growing at a rate that even Dr Zamenhof, the inventor of Esperanto, never envisaged. By the year 2000 it is estimated that there will be one billion learners of English, hoping to use their new language for commerce, air traffic control, scientific research and even, to the chagrin of the French, for diplomacy. Already 80 percent of all electronically stored information is in English...
English is the international language, not only for commerce, entertainment and travel but also for science. Practically all international business correspondence, technical manuals and academic publications are written in English. This means that anyone whose mother tongue is not English is at a disadvantage as in addition to being an expert in their field they must also be an expert in English. Mistakes in an English text can reduce its impact, cause confusion and can cost wasted time and missed opportunities.
Checkmate resets the balance.
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