RIYADH: Arabic remains a fundamental language skill in the Middle East business community, even as demand for English proficiency grows, an industry expert said.
The comments from Anil Singh, chief business officer for Saudi Arabia at TASC Outsourcing, came after a new study found that nine in 10 human resources decision-makers across 17 countries believe English-language proficiency is critical to organizational success.
The findings, published in ETS’ — the US-based educational assessment and testing organization formerly known as Educational Testing Service — Test of English for International Communication Global English Skills Report, included respondents from Saudi Arabia, with 92 percent saying English proficiency among employees is more important now than it was five years ago.
Singh told Arab News that organizations are becoming increasingly global, digitally connected, and cross-functional, prompting employers to place greater emphasis on communication skills as teams work across multiple markets, cultures, and time zones.
He noted, however, that “this should not be viewed as English replacing or diminishing the importance of Arabic.”
