Mon, May 27, 2002 page4

• Improving nation's English skills no easy task

  Premier Yu Shyi-kun has vowed to make English the nation's `semi-official' language within the next six years. But while many laud the goal, scholars say much work needs to be done before it can be reached. To understand more about the issue, the `Taipei Times' in a round-table discussion sat down with Professor Lee Chang-kuei, president of the `Taipei Times'; Shih Yu-hwei, a professor of the Department of English at National Taiwan Normal University; Emily Tsoung, managing director of Merica Group; and Henry Chang, CEO of the Chinese Education Development and Cooperation Association

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  Professor Lee Chang-kuei (李長貴):

  Early this month, Premier Yu Shyi-kun pledged to make English Taiwan's semi-official language within the next six years and indicated that a preliminary English-as-second-language plan has been mapped out and included in the country's six-year national development plan under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education.

  

  PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

  Taiwan has entered the WTO, the gateway to the world market. Taiwan's economic development and political stability depends upon its international competitiveness. That is, being connected with the global village's economic system.

  

  PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

  English is the tool of communication with which one reaches out to the economy, politics, technology, business and academia in today's world.

  If one does not possess sufficient English proficiency, then when visiting the British Museum, one will not be able to appreciate the historical significance of objects on display. On the contrary, sufficient bilingual ability will open the door to more knowledge, wealth and joy in life.

  

  PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

  Sufficient English proficiency will lead our country, society, economy and knowledge to a higher level and I think this is the rationale behind Premier Yu's policy statement.

  

  PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

  The current English proficiency of the people of Taiwan is in a worrying state. Taiwanese students' average TOEFL results ranked 20th among 24 Asian countries, while that of their Chinese counterparts ranked seventh. The percentage of universities and university graduates in Taiwan tops the world, but peoples' English proficiency is not as impressive.

  The Taipei Times, as the leading English-language newspaper in Taiwan, hopes to play a useful role in improving the English education in Taiwan. With this symposium we hope to shed some light on how to improve people's English proficiency and the challenges and prospects in making English the semi-official language in Taiwan.

  Professor Shih Yu-hwei (施玉惠):

  I totally agree with Professor Lee that English education is very important and that English proficiency is vital to Taiwan's survival and international competitiveness.

  But I am not sure if there is such a thing as a "semi-official" language. Many countries have their official language, first or second official language, but not a "semi-official" language. Is the word "semi" used just to show the importance of the language? Or does "semi-official" entail that in the future, teachers will be required to instruct in English, all the government's official documents and the road signs will all be bilingual, and even the courthouse and the legislature will use English?

  Take Switzerland for example. It has three official languages. All public employees are required to speak at least two official languages; all senior government officials are fluent in all three languages while the people just need to speak one of the three languages.

  So if we are really serious about making English the official language, all the public employees, government officials and lawmakers will have to be ready for it before this policy goes down to the general public.

  So, I think we need more deliberation and preparation before rushing to make such a vital change in language policy.

  One possible downside of this policy that comes to my mind is that it may create a two-tier society, just like Hong Kong, where those who can speak English are in the upper station of society while those who can't speak English are in the lower station.

  We now see many parents spending a lot of money for their preschool children to learn English, but for those children, whose parents cannot afford to do the same, they will find themselves in the "inferior" position their first day in school.

  Those senior citizens who cannot speak English may also become "outsiders" in the society, and their self-confidence will be weakened. We also wouldn't want to see the elevation of the status of English having an impact on the learning of the mother tongue that we have been pushing for years.

  Another problem is that a country's citizens may not take pride in their mother tongue. Rather, they are proud of being able to speak English. This happened in Singapore after English became one of the official languages. Now they are refocusing on the education of mother tongues in order to restore the lost pride in their traditions and lost cultural identity.

  Another problem we should avoid is people speaking broken English or Taiwanese English, or "Singlish" as it is called in Singapore.

  As a professor in English, I'd really like to see more attention and resources being devoted to English education. But without a clear definition of a "semi-official language" -- and trying to define it will be a time-consuming process -- we might as well consider making English "the second language" or the "first official language."

  But even the term "the second language" could be problematic because that's where the indigenous languages -- and, very likely, political sensitivities -- come in. I would suggest that we brush aside the war of words over definitions of terms and get down to business that will make a substantial contribution to the enhancement of peoples' English proficiency.

  A number of things can be done to that effect. First, increase the number of instruction hours of English in school. English is now taught in the elementary school, but only one to two instruction hours per week.

  In junior high, it's three hours. In senior high, there used to be five hours of English lessons per week, plus some optional courses. But now they are cut down to three to four hours without optional courses.

  In the university curriculum, students used to take eight compulsory credit hours in English, but now credits for foreign languages are cut down to six or even four, and students are free to take another foreign language instead of English.

  So despite the talk of the importance of English education, the decrease in instruction hours for English in schools in reality is an alarming irony. And this is the first problem we should address when it comes to upgrading students' English proficiency.

  Second, English instructors should adopt a more communicative approach to English teaching.

  Third, English tests should put as much emphasis on listening comprehension and speaking ability as on reading and writing. One major failure of the English test in the Joint Entrance Examination to Colleges was that only reading and writing were tested. Many universities in Taiwan now ask their students to take and pass the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT, 全民英檢) before they can graduate from university. This will certainly enhance the incentive for students to learn English.

  Fourth, local radio and TV stations should produce more English-speaking programs. Currently we don't have any English talk shows or variety shows. A more English-friendly media will help people improve English skills in their day-to-day life.

  Fifth, we should have more English summer camps within Taiwan. Many young people now spend a lot of money going to English-speaking countries for a month or two in order to stay in an English-only environment. Why not have more of those camps in Taiwan? They can also be combined with, say, computer-skills training, and participants can improve their English oral presentation skills in specific areas. "English for specific purposes" (ESP) is becoming more and more popular because the various simulations it provides are useful and practical in real life.

  I also want to add that we should put much more emphasis on improving university students' English proficiency than on younger children. The last year in senior high school is the period when students' English abilities peak. But many university students just forget about learning English once they get into college and don't have to be tested in it. On the contrary, Chinese university students have to take compulsory English courses in their first and second year and pass the proficiency test -- the Band 4 or Band 6 exam -- before they graduate. This is why they catch up and do better on the TOEFL.

  Today in China, students believe that they can go just about anywhere in the world if they possess sufficient English proficiency and computer skills. So they have a very strong motivation to master them.

  So I'd suggest that English should become a compulsory course in the first and second year in university. English education in high schools is also important and much can be done to improve it. But I am concerned that our preschool and elementary school kids are overburdened with learning English, Mandarin and other mother tongues at the same time.

  Emily Tsoung (叢蓓明):

  There are couple things I would like to say with regard to the report that Professor Lee has just mentioned. Though the report stated that Taiwanese students' TOEFL performance ranks 20th among 24 Asian countries, through my work and frequent contacts with students, I must say that Taiwan students' English skills actually have been improving and not backsliding. I personally think that Taiwanese students' English ability nowadays is actually a lot better compared to that of students 20 years ago.

  Though the report said that our students' TOEFL performance is lagging behind that of Chinese students, yet through my observation of both Chinese and Taiwanese students, I have noticed that our students, in general, do possess a greater international perspective and thus come across more confident in English-speaking settings than Chinese students. I think such improvement ought to be recognized; a TOEFL score is not the sole element that judges an individual's English competency. Other elements such as integration into an English-speaking culture, oral and listening comprehension and the overall ability and confidence to put the language into live usage are important. Looking from that perspective, I really think that our students have been improving a lot over these years.

  I attribute such improvement to the fact that in recent years, there's an increasing frequency in our students visiting abroad in terms of travel or short-term schooling, and therefore, rich experience abroad has helped them to develop a greater international perspective and more confidence to express themselves in foreign settings.

  In addition, there are a couple reasons why our students' TOEFL performance comes out to be poorer than that of Chinese students. One reason is that because the testing fee is not a cost issue to many of Taiwan's TOEFL takers, many of our students actually take the TOEFL to gain experience rather than to test their English ability.

  Also, while most of the TOEFL takers in China are colleges students and adults who are generally serious in giving a "once-and-for-all" try to test their English ability, here in Taiwan TOEFL takers are people across age lines who mostly just want to try their hand at the TOEFL for experience and think that "I will try again next time and do better."

  Thus, it is no surprise that our TOEFL scores appear lower than that of China's since our average TOEFL score has been watered down due to these reasons.

  In general, I am optimistic about Premier Yu's plan in making English the "semi-official language." However, one reservation I have in regard to this proposed policy is the ambiguity of the term "semi-official language." What does it mean by "semi-official language?" I agree with what Professor Shih mentioned earlier, that before such a notion and policy are to be promoted, the government ought to first state a clear position for the policy.

  In addition, there is a certain issue that I think needs to be ironed out before such policy can be effectively implemented, our pinyin system. As of now, the government has yet to have an uniform system concerning our pinyin system. Look at our road signs, they are comprised of inconsistent pinyin. It is not only confusing to our own general public but to foreign visitors as well. If the government wishes to make English as our "semi-official language," the government needs to, first of all, create an "English-friendly" environment for people.

  Due to its own needs and interest, the private sector has high energy in promoting the usage of English language. And through competition among the private establishments in providing the best services to their customers, the general public will ultimately benefit. Thus, I think the government ought to incorporate the private sector into its efforts in implementing this policy. Many shops, restaurants and boutiques we see nowadays on the street and at shopping malls all have English names, logos and alike, which I think all serve in helping our general public to be more familiar with the English language day in and day out in our everyday life.

  Newspapers, TV channels and radio programs are also an effective way to help develop and introduce the use of English to the public. For example, to attract people into developing an interest in learning English, an English-language newspaper can publish bilingual sections to cover topics that are of interest to the public such as fashion and entertainment news.

  So while enjoying reading about their favorite interests, readers can simultaneously refer back and forth both the Chinese and English paragraphs to strengthen their English ability. It is important, however, to note that such articles should be written in an easy-to-understand English, so that readers are not being taken aback and then lose interest in the English language.

  Henry Chang (張恆瑞):

  When we judge our students' English ability, I think we should do so using two different angles: one is the technical aspect and the other is daily usage readiness.

  In order to effectively implement Premier Yu's proposed policy, I think it is important to, first of all, get rid of the impression that we have been feeding to our school kids that English language is just a curriculum subject.

  For a long time our in school we have not clearly stressed and separated those two perspectives of English learning; many of our students have come to harbor the attitude that English learning is just a curriculum that weighs a few hours a week on their school schedule and not a language that they can use practically in daily life.

  Thus, I earnestly agree with what Ms. Tsoung said earlier in regard to an "English-friendly environment."

  If the government would like the general public to start using English as a language in everyday life, then the government ought to promote an environment that is English-friendly.

  Take for example road signs, shops and places that we come in contact with day in and day out. If places we go and stuff we see are in English, then unobtrusively and imperceptibly, people will be changed and influenced to speak English.

  If English-learners realize that English is a language that they can use and speak in daily life, then they will be more inclined to learning the language and not just view it as merely a school subject to get a passing grade.

  Lack of a sufficient English vocabulary is one issue I think is often faced by our students. To my understanding, an average Taiwanese junior high schooler possesses an English vocabulary bank of roughly 800 words. That's way too little, I think. The more vocabulary one knows, the more one can express oneself. So to enhance our students' English ability, vocabulary enrichment is one key area that our students need to work on.

  Teacher qualification plays an important role, too, in regard to enhancing overall English ability. If we can incorporate teachers of both local and foreign nationals to take part in our English teaching, I think the result can be quite effective.

  For the local teachers, teach in Chinese; they can concentrate on teaching students grammar and writing while foreign nationals, who are of native speakers, can work with the students on polishing a student's speaking and listening comprehension.

  My suggestion to the government is that, instead of harboring an attitude of "no encouragement, no support and no advice" in regard to private sector work, the government ought to work hand in hand with the private sector in order so to effectively introduce and promote English among the public.

  Many private establishments have had organized events involving foreign nationals. I suggest that the government should draft up measures to further encourage exchange-student programs in college settings as well as support the private sector's efforts in organizing exchange events.

  Let's say, for instance, we periodically invite groups of US students to Taiwan for short-term visits, at which the visitors can engage in events with our local students or English-learners for language enrichment and cultural integration. Through events like that, I think they can really greatly attract our students' and the general public's participation, and thus light up their interest in learning English.

  Translated by Wu Pei-shih and Sandy Huang
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