英语圈实力不减:唱衰英语者醒醒吧

In countries lacking an adequate intellectual property rights protection regime, for example, companies will not invest the huge sums required to develop big new high-tech products. The current estimated average investment in R & D to develop a major new pharmaceutical product is in the range of US$1 billion.
例如，在缺乏适当知识产权保护的国家，企业不会投巨资开发大型高新科技产品。目前开发一剂重点新药的平均投资预计应在10亿美元左右。

The article also states that some 40% of Europeans speak English versus 19% who speak French; while pointing out that English has been formally or informally embraced as an important language of business and science in many developing countries, including India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. Obviously this phenomenon is rooted in large part to a legacy of the colonial era, but English has survived the test of time for practical reasons. That is unlikely to change any time soon.
文章还指出，欧洲人中有40%会讲英语，但只有19%会说法语；同时还指出，在包括印度、马来西亚、巴基斯坦、孟加拉、尼日利亚、肯尼亚、南非在内的一些发展中国家，英语在商务和科学领域中被正式或非正式地作为重要语言。当然，这种现象很大程度上带有殖民时代的烙印，但英语凭借其实用性还是经历住了时间的考验，而且这种状况在短时间内不会有所改变。

One other factor which the authors cite as a positive force for relative Anglosphere economic growth is demographics. Between 2000 and 2050, the US workforce is projected to grow by 37%. During the same time frame, due to aging, China’s workforce is projected to shrink by 10%, and Japan’s by 40%.
作者提到另一个促进英语圈经济增长的积极因素是人口。从2000年至2050年，美国的劳动力预计将增长37%，而同期中国的劳动力将减少10%，日本将减少40%。

Immigration trends are also a contributing factor, During the past ten years, 14 million people immigrated legally to the Anglosphere. In 2005 alone, among the top ten countries around the world in terms of immigrant arrivals, the US accepted more new immigrants than the next nine countries combined.
个中缘由少不了提到移民潮。过去十年，前往英语圈的合法移民达到1,400万人。2005年在全世界接纳移民最多的十个国家中，美国接纳的移民数量超过了另外九个国家的总和。

The moral of the story is that for young people in China considering their career plans, good abilities in both English and Chinese language will be extremely valuable assets no matter which direction they want to go.
由此可见，对那些正在规划职业道路的中国年轻人来说，无论朝哪个方向发展，良好的中、英文语言能力都极具价值。

One more word of advice to my younger friends: first and second language studies do not end with graduation. That’s really where they begin. So, study hard, and be prepared to keep it up for your whole lifetime. The time and effort invested will produce some of the best dividends you can imagine.
我还要多劝年轻朋友们一句：学习母语也好，外语也好，都不能以毕业作为终点，其实那只是起点而已。要时刻努力，并作好终身学习的准备。你投入的时间和精力会为你带来可以想见的最好的回报。