Lingua Franca
Humankind is rich with linguistic diversity. The widespread use of particular languages throughout the globe is attributed to several factors. Two of the most important are colonialism and international economic/political power. The dominance of English and Spanish colonial powers attribute to the linguistic formation of most of the Western Hemisphere. Imagine a world where the Axis of Evil triumphed during World War II. German, Italian and Japanese would likely be more prominent tongues on a global scale. The United States and United Kingdom have been high on the economic leaderboards for centuries, thus English has become a language of opportunity for people worldwide. Language on a global scale is an unseen, but well heard, struggle for power. Language is more than a means of verbal communication. A language can serve as a cultural vehicle that displays the global influence of a territory. Even it is possible for a language to carry multiple identities especially in context where people have social and cultural values they themselves create and at the same time are exposed to those social and cultural values they have no choice to avoid and; consequently become part of their identity (Dastgoshadeh, A., & Jalilzadeh, K, 2011). To most, learning English as an international language for the purpose of fulfilling communicative needs is a big threat to national, cultural and even religious identities as learning an international language causes people to lose their own language which is the carrier of all their cultural values, in essence their identity. The spread of English as an international language all across the globe has raised issues that need to be taken into account seriously as they affect all aspects of human activity from language in education to international relations (Dastgoshadeh, A., & Jalilzadeh, K. 2011). Is the world in consensus with the establishment of English as the lingua franca?

Side A
The United Nations can be considered to be one of the most important organizations concerning international relations. With 192 member states, nearly every country in the world has some level of presence in the organization. English, Spanish, French, Russian, Mandarin and Arabic are the six languages deemed official by the United Nations. Can this be taken to mean that these are the most important languages in the world? Every country has presence in the organization but everyone is not equally represented. It is also important to note that the United States has strong influence on the original and future policies of the United Nations because of their role as founders of the organization. Extensive review of official documents and academic opinion will reveal if international consensus is moving toward a single language or set of languages that will be essential on a global scale, or if linguistic diversity is genuinely appreciated in terms of international relations. Charter 65/311 is a United Nations charter that discusses multilingualism. According to the document, “the United Nations pursues multilingualism as a means of promoting, protecting and preserving diversity of languages and cultures globally (A/RES/65/311, 1). Showing concern for linguistic diversity is a gesture of respect to the home country of the language. As visible on the website of the organization, all data is made available in the six languages deemed official by the UN. It would be nearly impossible to provide all documents in all the language of every country, so the “big six” languages serve as a way to give diplomats options if their home country does not speak one of the six. If a case deals with a country that is not a part of the “big six” then the document will be translated into the language for that particular case, but otherwise it is necessary for a translator to assist with the interpretation of the given document or charter. The Secretary-General is listed as being responsible for the translation of all important older United Nations documents onto the United Nations website in all six official languages on a priority basis, so that those archives are also available to Member States through that medium (A/RES/65/311, 2). The charter goes on to detail that there need be proper procedures and staff in place to insure that the efficiency of the translation and interpretation process is up to par with the needs of all parties, for every document. The multilingualism charter shows that the United Nations has an appreciation for languages apart from, but still including, English.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is an organization consisting of 10 countries in Southeast Asia, dedicated to strengthening prosperous and peaceful relationships between South East Asian nations (Kirkpatrick, 2010). Member countries include Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos and Burma, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Brunei. Countries where English has been traditionally spoken as the major language are classified as ‘inner circle countries’. These include countries such as Britain, the United States and Australia. Countries which were British or American colonies and where English plays an institutional role are classified as ‘outer circle’ countries. Because of their colonial past, English continues to play major institutional roles, and where it is possible to talk about local varieties of English, such as Singaporean and Filipino English. Burma seems to fit this category in the sense that it was once a British colony and where English played a major role (Kirkpatrick, 2010). The use of the English language as the working language of ASEAN produced an unintended outcome. There is a multiplicity of grammatical and spelling preferences originating from the peculiar usage of English in each member state. Possible explanations for the ‘natural’ adoption of English as the working language include the view that it represented the language of modernization and advancement on the one hand, and the language of democratically supported power on the other, a particularly important motivation given the Vietnam War and the anticommunist stance of the ASEAN states.
Side B While a universal language would be helpful in terms of international relations, the eastern hemisphere has a rich language diversity that would be stifled by the promotion of a worldwide lingua franca. However before journeying into Asia, a look into Spain can provide insight as to the Spanish perception of English as the lingua franca. An article in the Atlantis database provided a look into the telecommunications sector of Spain and discussed what role English plays from a broadcast standpoint and in terms of professionalism. The construction of English as a democratizing lingua franca for intercultural communication and business in the Spanish telecommunications sector is an unseen struggle for cultural priority and linguistic dominance (Dalmua, 2012). English has become a “pragmatic cover-up term” for making claims of ‘multilingual competence’, but it is actually unsystematically offered only by key multinationals in specific spaces and far less so by start-up operators. Overall, the sociolinguistic regime of the Spanish telecommunications sector fosters a Spanish regimented market where English ends up serving the needs of an already connected dominant tech literate elite, while those who do not have access to English or Spanish remain underserved and are forced to navigate society through these institutionalized language barriers (Dalmua, 2012). In Spain, the telecommunications sector is one of the most powerful segments of the private market targeting migrant customers and managing the linguistic diversity that they bring with them. This sector today presents English as a lingua franca with added value for intercultural communication in a growingly multilingual society and business within the global marketplace in times of serious economic crisis. In other words, English is presented as a necessity to survive in the global market because of the strong network of established English speaking business leaders and organizations. For Spaniards, English is a necessary evil. The language we speak helps define who we are. The many languages spoken by the 500 million citizens of the European Union spread across the continent in a vast mosaic pattern. The EU recognizes this right to identity and actively promotes our freedom to speak and write our own language, while it continues to pursue its goal of closer integration among its member countries. The EU goes further, encouraging its citizens to learn languages. To know another language, or maybe several, makes it possible to move and find a job in another country. There are 23 official EU languages. When a new country becomes a member of the EU, the national language of that country normally becomes an official EU language. The decision on this is taken by the EU Council of Ministers. This ensures that individual EU citizens are able to use the same language in any contacts with the EU and its institutions as they do when dealing with their national authorities at home. By the same token, all new legislation adopted by the EU is translated into all official languages so that any interested citizens across the Union know immediately what the new law is about and how it affects them. All language versions of an EU law have the same legal value. In this way, the EU ensures that there is no discrimination between citizens whose languages are spoken by a large number of people and others using less widely spoken ones. In the European Parliament, for example, members are free to address the assembly in the language of the people they represent. Slovenian members are just as entitled as German ones to speak the language of those who voted for them.
Conclusion
I believe multilingualism should be promoted in all countries. The issue is which languages should be learned because there is an uber-plethora of languages that exist in the world. English is the primary candidate for the global lingua franca because of its spread through colonialism and strong presence in high power countries like the United States and Britain. The European Union has a solid policy that is inclusive of the diverse population of the continent, but does not strongly consider the rest of the world, which is not necessarily problematic. The United States, on the other hand, has a relatively homogenous linguistic population, although with many “sub-secondary” languages because of the diverse population of the country and increasingly large Hispanic population. Establishing an official world language is difficult because language contains culture and identity for the mother nation/territory of the language. When a language begins to fade, the culture associated with that language is weakened. As with Spain, there is reluctance to represent a non-English speaking country in its media and politics because they are internal affairs that affect the Spanish population every day. The Spanish identity is being compromised little by little in order to extend their international appeal. On the other hand, some countries, like ASEAN member states, seek to establish English as a primary second language, and the official operating language of the organization. Despite the efforts, issues arise with unanimous interpretations of the language in documentation because of ineffective English educational efforts. The best route to travel would be to either establish a universal language, like Esperanto, so as to not show favoritism for a particular country, or select a definite set of languages the world should know, perhaps English, Arabic and Mandarin for example. Over time, we are likely to witness English continue to rise as the “official” language of the world, if America does not decline in power economically and politically.

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