wadays, individuals are frequently exposed to various types of language learni

Nowadays, individuals are frequently exposed to various types of language learning at an early age to chase the pace of globalization. It is argued by many linguists that people need to give the same level of attention to four skills in order to achieve proficiency in the language they are learning. However, I disagree with this viewpoint. Firstly, it is noteworthy that modern world is greatly polarized by specialization in industrial sectors. Nowadays, studies have shown that although it is invisible, an increasing number of people may only study languages for specific working purposes in narrow field. Therefore, it would be an overkill to give the same weight to these four competencies. For example, in a foreign company whose main business is mechanical engineering, contrary to public belief, many professionals do not have to speak English fluently, because being able to read designs and reply emails proficiently is enough to get the job done. This example is the illustration of the fact that spending time to improve listening or speaking may just be complementary but not materially help to advance work performance, instead, they need to put more efforts on reading and writing. Secondly, the counter-argument raised by objectors to this is that learning four skills equally is essential to certain people. For example, for those students who major in a particular foreign language, mastering all these skills is beneficial to their further researches. Similarly, for those students who plan to further education abroad, they must pick up all four skills to better live and study in a foreign country. This argument is true some degree; however, it is incomplete, what they fail to take into account is the fact that a foreign language is more applied in reading and writing for ordinary college students. In fact, they often need to read numerous foreign references and articles as well as write reports in foreign languages. Meanwhile, most students are not given opportunities to communicate with foreigners and therefore speaking and listening skills are relatively insignificant. In conclusion, while the balance of four key skills of language learning is important, it is unwise to force every single one to know all these well for reasons mentioned above.