There is growing research aimed at understanding the challenges international graduate students (IGSs) face in learning English and applying it to their academic studies in the United States. Most studies, however, focus solely on IGSs and English in the context of U.S. higher education, giving less attention to their experiences prior to entering U.S. institutions. Considering research on English-language learning globally, which points to worldwide expansions of English in media and schooling, it seems likely that IGSs carry a history of interactions with the language. To explore this, I conducted a qualitative study on IGSs' relationships to and values of English language knowledge. Research was conducted at a Research I public institution, interviewing four IGSs from different countries and academic programs. The study's framework combined Bourdieu's ideas on language with theories of globalization, in which English is understood as the language of the global market and necessary for participation in dominant political and economic systems. The framework assumes IGSs will carry similar ideas around English informed by globalization, and differences because of their particular sociocultural contexts. Findings reveal that participants encountered English and pressures to learn throughout formal education, professional environments, and community settings. IGSs named English as a powerful tool for professional advancement and connecting to other cultures. Interestingly, they rarely questioned the dominance of English, despite sharing frustrations with the language on occasion. Ultimately, we see how relationships to English are a key factor in how IGSs make sense of the world and their futures. This study contributes to research by showing how an exploration of English reveals IGSs to be complex actors navigating a globalized world. The study also demonstrates the importance of globalization frameworks in understanding the realities of many IGSs. [An earlier version of this article was published "NAFSA Research Symposium Series" v2 p46-59 2018.]