Disadvantaged by Having English as a Mother Tongue

You would think that being born into an English-speaking culture gave us huge advantages. We speak the tongue that everyone else has to learn to get somewhere in the world. But this is not necessarily so.
In fact, only one quarter of the world’s population speak English either as first language or first foreign language. Granted, it is important in certain significant areas of life – aviation, law and medicine for example –I’ve been told never to trust a doctor who can’t speak English, for instance.
But one of the main disadvantages of being a native English-speaker is that we give ourselves every reason not to bother learning other languages, I always maintain learning languages isn’t difficult, but it is hard work and it does require commitment. Because we are not forced to do it, not that many of us experience learning another culture through its language and as we get to know that culture, finding that learning its language becomes easier. Those people who speak out language have had that experience which many of us deny ourselves.
In addition, native-speakers of other languages revere English-speaking cultures and much which is written in English is translated into other languages. Far less is translated from those languages into English, so we are denied the riches of those other cultures. I can name a few books we are missing out on:
Adam, Olivier. On Ira Voir la Mer. Paris: Médium, 2002,
Cerdá, Alfredo Gómez. Noche de Alacranes. Madrid: SM, 2005
Feth, Monika. Das Mädchenmaler. Munich: CBT, 2005.
Kerner, Charlotte. Blueprint Blaupause. Berlin: Beltz & Gelberg, 1999.
Laborit, Emmanuelle. Le Cri de la Mouette, 1993. Paris: Robert Laffont, 2003.
Richter, Hans Peter. Damals war es Freidrich. Munich: DTV Junior, 2003.
- to name but half a dozen.