u/Sure_Distance1

According to last year's edition of Ef English Proficiency Index - https://www.ef.pl/epi/ - Poland is among the global top 15 non-Anglophone countries, squarely in the highest category (Very high proficiency), together with such unsurprising places as Netherlands, Germany, Norway, and other Germanic language countries.

Admittedly, Poland has made huge strides in this area over the last few decades or so, but nonetheless it is not exactly known for top-notch English education, nor is it particularly renowned among tourists as a place where English is universally and fluently spoken.

Thus, I was wondering if you are likewise surprised by these results and if they are consistent with your experiences, especially as compared with other countries in this ranking that achieved a surprisingly low score. And if you do believe that Poland's position is this ranking is indeed accurate, what, in your opinion, is primarily responsible for its rapid ascendancy to the "elite" category?

As a small bonus, here is a selection of Poles whose English proficiency appears close to the native level - in spite of the fact that in all those cases it was achieved past puberty - so if they do not seem to be extreme outliers, then perhaps Poland's score in the abovesaid ranking is perfectly justified and unsurprising after all 😄:

https://vimeo.com/1205985914

https://vimeo.com/1206296678

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a7-bZfjtoU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PQybp4d2Ww

Actress Violetta Arlak at 34

Mohenjo-Daro, established around 2500 BC. At its peak it might have been the largest and most populous city in the world. It featured indoor toilets, advanced sewage, trash bins, public baths, and intricate urban planning.

Memo-zagadka językowa: które z osób w poniższych klipach to stuprocentowi Polacy/Polki?

Hannah Waterman at 27 (1st photo) and 31 (2nd photo)

Mohenjo-Daro, established around 2500 BC. At its peak it might have been the largest and most populous city in the world. It featured indoor toilets, advanced sewage, trash bins, public paths, and intricate urban planning.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

All 3 individuals in the attached clips speak the same native language. Can you guess what language that is (it's not English, in case you’re wondering if it's a trick question)?

All 3 individuals in the attached clips speak the same native language. Can you guess what language that is? It's not English, in case you're wondering if it's a trick question.

If Alexander the Great, the creator of one of the largest empires in history, had died this year, he would have been born in 1994 (or in the latter part of 1993). That would have made him a peer of (for lack of more prominent people who are currently this age) Justin Bieber and Harry Styles.

Irish politician Bernadette Devlin at 38

Poland is apparently among the global top 15 non-Anglophone countries in terms of English fluency

Actress Krystyna Janda at 32

Alley Mills at 27 (left) and Suzanne Somers at 32 (right)

Danica McKellar at 50

A scene from Battlestar Galactica. The accents of the actors present here are exquisitely Shakespearean - rich, melodious, dignified, and expressive. You don’t hear that kind of masterful enunciation anywhere any more, which is a great pity, since it’s a pleasure to listen to.

Football player Ian Ure at 29

To those of you who live in non-Anglophone Europe: how would you rate the level of English fluency possessed by younger educated people living in major cities and working in positions that require regular international contact? Would you say that the girl from this video is a representative example?

Would you say that the guy from this video, who moved from Poland to the UK at 19 for university and then founded an international IT business, has attained native-level command of English, including pronunciation, so much so that he could be said to blend into British society totally convincingly?

Would you say that the guy from the linked video is representative of the level of English fluency possessed by younger educated continental Europeans living in major cities and working in managerial and specialist positions that require regular international contact?