This book provides a closely argued and detailed ethnographic account of why young people in high schools succeed in learning a foreign language, English in Taiwan and Chinese in the UK. Through extensive classroom observations and interviews it provides fascinating insights into culture and contributes to scholarship that charts the ever-increasing divide between the highly paid global players and those who remain tied to local jobs and relative poverty. * Gabrielle Ivinson, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK * Lins important book draws on Vygotskian sociocultural theory to compare the dynamics and challenges of language learning in secondary schools English in Taiwans multilingual context, and Chinese in the UK. Students language choices and experiences offer crucial insights on language learning social inequalities in these two contexts. Essential reading for educationalists, policymakers, and scholars! * Prue Holmes, Durham University, UK *