Quick decision needed on English

Plain Speaking - A weekly column by Yap Leng Kuen

No place for ego in promoting English

TO know some of the horror stories on the deteriorating standard of English, ask any human resource manager who has to pour over application letters.
One should always look beyond the cover letters which may contain well-crafted lines but come to the impromptu essays, that’s when the true picture emerges.

Not all jobs require mastery of the English language. For technical jobs, it is more of the skills, basic knowledge of technical terms and the ability to communicate.

However, in the modern world of international business, a fluent command of English is important not just from the aspect of style but also substance. A wide vocabulary and high standard of linguistic skills can carry a person far in his career which of course, does not rely solely on the gift of the gab.

But it enables him to articulate and communicate his thoughts to another person in as vocal and as resourceful a manner that is required. Together with his deep technical knowledge, a person’s ability in this respect will help a long way in ensuring his employability.

Businessmen in emerging countries and economic powerhouses like China are taking up English lessons in a big way, reflecting the high priority they place on the language that has gone beyond the status of just mother tongue to native British speakers.

They realise there is no place for egoistic or backward thinking in promoting the vibrant use of English in everyday commerce.
For many of us who were educated solely in English, listening to the current debate on whether it should be made compulsory in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination seems rather odd. There was even an observation from someone who had lived abroad for a number of years that it is like asking if a person needed lungs to respire.

Equally strange was the idea to send teachers abroad to assimilate the language in a native-speaking country. That just means throwing away more money when the whole rigmarole of English learning can be fixed back home.

Suddenly, grammar is being singled out. The learning of a language comes in a package of skills and even if we include grammar, we still have to evaluate if that package is of sufficiently high standard to put us ahead of our competitors.

Many have wondered how some countries like Japan can be so economically advanced while sticking to the usage of their mother tongue. Perhaps it has to do with decades of intensive development or as observed by some, many Japanese actually know English well but prefer to use their mother tongue.

In many instances, it is also seen as a tactical move to confine speech and writing to a language that is not well-understood by many. But it does not mean that this group of people does not understand what the rest of the world is saying in the common language!

In our case, it may be a good idea to obtain feedback on the status of English as a core subject but frankly, that could be a waste of time. Instead, a quick decision should be made on the urgency of restoring the English language to its eminent place in the education system and allow our students maximum exposure to it via as many subjects as possible.

We should set the standards as we move forward to further transform our services sector and build linkages with the international community.

Those who cannot meet the standards should be given the tools to strive higher via intensive training programmes, which should enlist the support of professionals, retirees and even non-governmental organisations with expertise in the teaching of English.

Senior business people and ministers are all aware that problems with writing and speaking in English are not just experienced in Malaysia. There are overseas students studying in countries like Britain who have similar problems but that does not mean we can follow them and let our guard down.