English fluency and alligator pits   When I used to teach
English at university, I was sure to leave an impression on my
students on their first day of class. I’d tell them that as
Japanese speakers, they could only speak with a mere 130 million
people. But if they could learn English, they would be able to
communicate with 500 million to 1 billion people. This is why
you need to learn English, I told them. Heads invariably nodded,
and students turned to each other and exclaimed “naruhodo!”
(Indeed!). I had caught their attention.  Of course, nothing
could be further from the truth. The average person could never
communicate with 130 million people, let alone 1 billion. Most
people have meaningful interaction with only a few hundred.
Perhaps thousands in an entire lifetime. You may reach millions
via media such as TV or Twitter, but if one-way communication is
all you’re after, you could get a translator to do that for you.
Even Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Che Guevara had people
translating their messa