Why do English teachers have to be native speakers? | The Japan Times

Why do English teachers have to be native speakers? | The Japan Times

Mark Shrosbree, the former vice-chair of the Foreign Language Center at Tokai University in Kanagawa, points out that, in business, education and travel, Japanese people are far more likely to encounter non-Western, non-native speakers. In his 2004 book “The Language Revolution,” British linguist David Crystal estimated that non-native speakers of English outnumber native speakers three to one.