Not to mention that pitching a language that is believed (wrongly, perhaps) to be Eurocentric to the developing world might be seen as yet another vestige of colonialism. "Come learn this other language, just for those of you who are in the developing world." The implication could well be, "since you don't/can't/won't learn English." Now, I'm fully aware that folks don't believe that. However, when have facts ever gotten in the way of a good narrative?

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As to the pending Star Trek like translation power of Google (or some other company that doesn't exist yet):
Most folks are not going to have any incentive to learn a foreign language. Between bilingual guides and signs as well as translation apps that are "good enough" folks have never had less reason to learn a language.

So, I'm with Sudanglo on this one, play up the understanding culture aspects and the ability to communicate equally well (some might not understand why this is important) or just the joy of learning aspects.

EDIT: I've used the app in Japan and China. It's helpful; however, it is NOT ready for prime time yet.

ludomastro:Not to mention that pitching a language that is believed (wrongly, perhaps) to be Eurocentric to the developing world might be seen as yet another vestige of colonialism. "Come learn this other language, just for those of you who are in the developing world."

Language politics are complicated and localized. Esperanto is obviously Eurocentric in design but this isn't necessarily a bad thing for an international language. For good or for ill, a legacy of colonialism is that European languages are widely spoken as a first or second language on nearly every continent, and an international language based on European roots is not a terrible choice.

I can imagine that in some places where people feel English-speaking countries have too much power, they might say "Esperanto is great, anything but English". The anti-English sentiment is not always as strong as you might think, however. Local politics can trump that, depending on the local situation.

Though the Indian government likes to promote Hindi as a unifying language for the nation, I saw almost no Hindi in Tamil Nadu, a southern state, other than on buildings of government institutions. People there seemed to feel that English was preferable because it was neutral and put all Indians on an equal basis, whereas Hindi felt to them like North India was trying to come and impose their own culture on the south. It was a noticeable contrast from when I visited Andhra Pradesh, another southern state without the same anti-Hindi sentiment; there, and I saw Hindi on far more signage.

erinja:Language politics are complicated and localized. Esperanto is obviously Eurocentric in design but this isn't necessarily a bad thing for an international language. For good or for ill, a legacy of colonialism is that European languages are widely spoken as a first or second language on nearly every continent, and an international language based on European roots is not a terrible choice.

No argument from me. Sorry if I gave an impression to the contrary.

erinja:I can imagine that in some places where people feel English-speaking countries have too much power, they might say "Esperanto is great, anything but English". The anti-English sentiment is not always as strong as you might think, however. Local politics can trump that, depending on the local situation.

Though the Indian government likes to promote Hindi as a unifying language for the nation, I saw almost no Hindi in Tamil Nadu, a southern state, other than on buildings of government institutions. People there seemed to feel that English was preferable because it was neutral and put all Indians on an equal basis, whereas Hindi felt to them like North India was trying to come and impose their own culture on the south. It was a noticeable contrast from when I visited Andhra Pradesh, another southern state without the same anti-Hindi sentiment; there, and I saw Hindi on far more signage.

As you noted, language politics are complicated. Regional difference in the US about what to call carbonated beverages sweetened with flavored syrup can mark you as an outsider so I can imagine that granting official status to a language is even more important.

What struck me as eye-opening was my experience in Japan where I was the foreigner. All the signs were in Japanese and although folks I met were very polite and tried to be helpful my lack of Japanese was a serious blow to communication. The few that tried to speak my native tongue had a very difficult time expressing themselves in spoken English. Translation apps for things like, "Salmon sushi, please." work fine. It's the nuances that get lost.

sudanglo:Perhaps 'Esperanto the easiest foreign language', or 'Esperanto, it's educational'.

Thats just casual way of 'smartness'/'early adopter' advertisment. It are detailed features itselves which have to prove that it facilitate life of people. Its competition of features in daily life, smartness is short-lived only.

sudanglo:
The real message here is that Esperanto needs to change its narrative. Rather than selling it as the international language or the solution to the Babel problem, we need to find another way.

Perhaps 'Esperanto the easiest foreign language', or 'Esperanto, it's educational'.

Sex sells, everything from clothing to insurance, so why not an international language.

"Edzperanto, the language for picking up hot chicks."
And for the ladies: "Edzperanto, the language for picking up hot guys."

It doesn't matter if it's currently true or not, publicise it enough and it will become true.

Bemused:"Edzperanto, the language for ...

Sorry, that looks like AIDSperanto.