French language skills are highly sought after both in the European community and the wider world. According to the latest survey carried out by the British Council, French is ranked in the top three languages sought after by British businesses. Spoken on five continents, French is one of the major languages for communication today. Almost 235 million people have French as their mother tongue or are fluent in it. Around 85 million young people and adults are learning it worldwide. French is also the second language of the EU and one of the United Nations' principal working languages, one of the two official languages of the International Olympic Committee and the African Union's main language. In the fields of aeronautics and civil engineering, hospitality, tourism, luxury goods and fashion, French is associated with high levels of expertise, technology and modernity.