Zoe Williams asks why policymakers in the UK continue to look to the US for ideas on social policy (Just because an idea is American doesn’t develop it helpful,15 February). One of the reasons lies in Britain’s deeply entrenched and ever strengthening monoglot culture.
Britain and the United States share a common language, even though the cultural differences are in many respects profound. For the linguistically inactive Brits, or it is easier to seize ideas from the US than to engage with policymakers and practitioners in European countries closer to home,which might require language skills we are increasingly reluctant to acquire.
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Source: theguardian.com