For higher education, two recent changes in world language practices are crucial: the emergence of English as the default language of international communication, and the technology of the Internet. The first appears to have contributed to problems of motivation for English-speaking learners of foreign languages. Information is provided about responses in England to a crisis in recruitment that is shared by other English-speaking countries, and suggestions are made about how higher education might respond. The second raises more general cultural issues, and this article briefly explores some concerns about the concept of plagiarism and the way universities react to it. Both these issues reflect the interplay between language use, cultural norms, power, and educational values.