Text Complexity of English International Newspapers in a World  Preparing for College and Career 

English is the unofficial technical and business language of the world. Estimates suggest that more than 1 billion people worldwide use English to varying degrees of understanding and expression. A common second language like English enables the internet to function as a digital passport allowing those whose first language might be Russian, Arabic, Cantonese, French, Spanish, or Hindi to cross international borders and share understanding of local, national, and international events and cultures. The purpose of this study was to investigate the text complexity of online English language newspapers sampled from around the world. The results of this study suggest that the text complexity of online English newspapers is commensurate with the complexity of text encountered by readers in two and four year universities, colleges and the workplace and is slightly higher than the text demands of domestic newspapers. Text at this high level may prove to be a barrier to understanding across borders and cultures. But, the level of text complexity sets an implicit aspirational goal for those who desire to be educated in or work in the United States. Our goal is not to advocate for lowering the text complexity of online English newspapers, but to enhance the reading ability of all English language learners who desire to access the information and knowledge contained in college and career texts.