Response to Traves’s Essay: Teaching EFL is Teaching Culture

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English Language Imperialism
Traves seems to be entering the conversation that teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) is equivalent to teaching western culture to foreigners. The problem is that the EFL teachers' approach disregards the foreigners' cultures such that simple expressions in English must be accompanied by contexts applicable to western cultures. As a result, EFL is likened to a new form of imperialism, which has worked in such places as India with Indian middlemen sympathetic to the British interest (Traves 22). English language imperialism is also manifested by the millions of people worldwide clamoring for English training. Today, the English language is used as a tool for filling multinational offices since the language is a critical requirement in modern employment. Overall, the article responds to the question of what it is like to teach EFL to foreigners, for which the answer provided is that teaching EFL means teaching culture.
Traves’ article seems more subjective since it seeks to illustrate the author’s point of view. Despite the statistics used to illustrate key points, the article remains argumentative. Overall, the article raises awareness that the growing clamor for English training could lead to a new form of imperialism where an individual’s life and well-being can be dictated by English proficiency. Similarly, the article seeks to warn that English training does not necessarily seek positive interests. The case of India’s English-proficient middlemen f...