This paper is concerned with the relationship between the English language and globalization, stressing that the primacy of English has been established by the economic and political power of native English-speaking countries, especially that of the United States. However, the price of this development is that the native speakers of English are no longer the sole owners of the language who determine how to use it. The success of communication depends on pragmatic effectiveness, which can well be achieved by alternating the languages available to the speaker. This new approach may have a significant influence on language teaching methods. After a discussion of the state of foreign language education in Hungary, the paper ends by describing the possible scenarios concerning the future of English, as well as the factors leading to multilingualism.