According to The Wall Street Journal:

When Swedish air-traffic controllers speak to Italian pilots they speak English. When Dutch importers do business with Chinese manufacturers, they use English. Ditto for Russians trading with Indians and Taiwanese selling in Bangladesh.

Now Chile has begun a nationwide educational program to ensure that all graduating high school students are fluent in the globe's international language. "We know our lives are linked more than ever to an international presence, and if you can't speak English, you can't sell and you can't learn," Chile's minister of education told the New York Times this week.