English proficiency in the world
A new report says English proficiency is improving in many parts of the world.
一份最新報告稱，世界上許多地區的英語水平都在不斷提高。
The study found that proficiency test results from 26 countries improved by a significant, or large, amount, while only seven countries had large drops.
研究發現，有26個國家的英語水平測試結果顯著大幅提高，而只有7個國家的測試結果大幅下降。
The Netherlands had the highest level of English proficiency, while Tajikistan had the lowest.
荷蘭的英語水平最高，塔吉克斯坦最低。
Europe
歐洲
Europe had the highest proficiency scores of any region. Within the continent, northern European countries had the best ratings, with the Netherlands, Denmark, and Finland at the top. The report notes that schools in northern Europe have high levels of English proficiency for several reasons. They include early attention to communication skills, daily speaking and listening in English, and career-targeted language teaching.
在所有地區中，歐洲的英語熟練程度得分最高。在歐洲，北歐國家的評分最高，其中荷蘭、丹麥和芬蘭名列前茅。報告指出，北歐的學校英語水平高有幾個原因，包括早期注意溝通技巧練習、日常英語口語和聽力練習，以及以職業為目標的語言教學。
The report notes that not all countries have the same proficiency levels. France, Spain, and Italy still fall behind most other European Union states. However, English proficiency levels in France have improved over the past three years.
該報告指出，並非所有國家都有相同的熟練程度。法國、西班牙和義大利仍然落後於其他大多數歐盟國家。然而，法國人的英語水平在過去三年都有所提高。
In Turkey, proficiency levels improved a little compared to one year earlier, although they have dropped from five years ago. The report suggests that Turkish schools spend too much time on English grammar and translation rather than useful communication skills.
在土耳其，儘管與五年前相比英語水平有所下降，但與一年前相比略有提高。該報告指出，土耳其的學校在英語語法和翻譯上花費了太多的時間，他們不太注重實用的交流技能。
Asia
亞洲
Asia had the second-highest regional score, behind Europe. But the report notes that Asia has room for improvement.
亞洲僅次於歐洲，排名第二。但報告指出，亞洲還有提高的空間。
"Despite major investments in English education, the average English proficiency score in Asia has remained stable for the past five years," the report said.
報告稱：「儘管在英語教育上投入了大量資金，但亞洲的平均英語水平在過去五年沒有任何變化。」
Asia has the widest differences in English proficiency levels. Singapore had the highest score among Asian countries, coming in at number 10 in the world. Yet several Central Asian countries were toward the bottom of the list. Their low rating, the report suggests, is partly because Russian is the second language that is most commonly taught in schools.
亞洲國家的英語熟練程度差異最大。新加坡在亞洲國家中得分最高，且在全球排名第十。然而，幾個中亞國家排在名單的末尾。報告指出，他們的英語水平較低的其中一個原因是俄語是其學校裡最普遍教授的第二語言。
Africa
非洲
Africa came in third in regional scores, with South Africa in the lead. The report notes that proficiency test results across Africa were uneven. Kenya and Nigeria were also in the upper part of the list, while other African countries were much lower.
非洲地區排名第三，其中南非領先。報告指出，非洲各地的英語水平測試結果參差不齊。肯亞和奈及利亞排名靠前，而其他非洲國家則低得多。
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