Many Taiwanese are highly concerned about the issues relating to internationalization -- including changing worldviews, the degree to which the nation gets on track with laws and systems of the rest of the world, and so on. Meanwhile, whether or not citizens possess strong foreign language ability has become a key indicator of internationalization.
As much as 95 percent of the information on the Internet is disseminated in English, while most of the latest research on a host of topics is also published in English. I often learn a variety of interesting information from English-language television channels, but such information only surfaces on local channels days or even weeks later. In the era of a "knowledge-based economy," such a delay in knowledge is inexcusable, as it may significantly influence Taiwan's competitiveness.
The nation's translation industry is often criticized for its poor quality and lack of efficiency. It usually takes six months to one year for local publishers to come up with translations of foreign publications, not to mention the fact that the translations are still often flawed or have lost the essence of the original work. Hence, improving the English ability of people in Taiwan is a task of great urgency.
In fact, a consensus on promoting our English ability has been reached by the ruling and opposition camps. But the government has failed to fully implement related policies due to a lack of determination and resources. I suggest the government adopt the following strategies as soon as possible in promoting Taiwan's English education. Otherwise, its goals of "internationalization" and "letting Taiwan embrace the world; letting the world embrace Taiwan" will become nothing more than empty talk.
First of all, the government has to concentrate its limited resources on English education. A genuinely successful English education lies in the student's ability to use the target language. To achieve this, it is necessary to create a bilingual environment.
In order to do so, the government should establish an all-English television station which airs English programs 24 hours a day. Both international and local topics need to be covered in the programs so that a certain percentage of the programs is able to reflect the everyday lives of the people of Taiwan. Local news can be aired in English on the channel, giving the public a chance to learn how to talk about local issues in English.
We must also guide the three local English newspapers to strengthen the depth of their reports, and request each and every government and non-government organization to subscribe to them. Meanwhile, we should establish a business newspaper in English which covers both local and international issues. If the nation's English newspapers can attract more readers inside and outside Taiwan, it will certainly benefit our internationalization, and we would yield twice the result with half the effort in promoting English education.
Moreover, schools should not only include more practical English conversation and writing courses in their curriculums, but should also offer certain professional courses in English -- so that students can enjoy a better English learning environment.
The road ahead is rough, as there are enough difficulties just in cultivating qualified teachers. But it is a road that we must travel. We should also encourage local schools to enroll foreign students. What could be a better way to hasten Taiwan's pace of internationalization than attracting a great number of foreign students to local schools?
In view of limited educational resources, how can it be possible for the government to achieve its goal of internationalization if it does not allocate more resources for English education?
Edward Chow is chairman of the department of finance at National Chengchi University.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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