Letters to the press
01 March 2013
The Times – English language and the zeitgeist - http://thetim.es/13m8yVk (behind paywall)
28 February 2013
From Mr John Worne
A large part of its success is that English is constantly evolving through contact with other languages — it is half German anyway. The British Council will soon be hosting a major exhibition exploring the power and value of English, and a key focus will be the abundance of English words with overseas roots.
English is not a neo-colonial power tool for the UK, but a language which belongs to the world as much as to us. It opens doors and creates prosperity for people around the world. It does not seek to elbow out mother tongues, but to coexist and continue to evolve alongside other languages.
Mr Gauck should be heartened to know that we have Germany to thank for our dollars, glitz and wanderlust — three things the English language brings the UK in spades.
John Worne, Director of Strategy, British Council
Financial Times – Follow Austraila on Asia-Pacific ties
21 January 2013
From Mr John Worne
Sir, The UK has much to gain from closer co-operation with Australia (“Pact with Australia seeks to boost British influence”, January 18). Few countries “get” the UK people better or know us and love us more (except on the field of sport). But the Australians also know the economic rewards to be reaped in the Asia-Pacific region far better than we do.
Last year, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced a 25-point plan to create greater ties with Asia – including Asian language lessons for all Australian children. Despite much work by the British Council and other organisations to promote Asian languages in the UK, all the evidence suggests that the number of schools offering Mandarin, for example, is still startlingly low.
Trust, built through mutual cultural understanding, ultimately underpins trade. Let us hope that, as we collaborate more closely with Australia, their considerable efforts in the Asia-Pacific region will inspire more at our end – while we continue to whack them for six at all forms of cricket all summer long.
John Worne, Director of Strategy, British Council
