English language and its importance to Malaysia’s growth
KUALA LUMPUR: English is a language spoken and written by many people around the world. It is considered as one of the most important languages of the world. It is widely spoken across the globe, even on the internet.
English has a wider distribution compared to other spoken languages. It is an official language in 52 countries. It is the most useful language to learn for international travel and is now the de facto language of diplomacy.
The importance of the Internet grows rapidly in all fields of human life, including not only research and education but also marketing and trade as well as entertainment and hobbies. This implies that it becomes more and more important to know how to use Internet services and, as a part of this, to read and write English.
Realizing the importance of the English language, the government has begun implementing new curriculum to help boost the English language learning as a means of pushing the younger generation towards being better able to compete with the global community.
The government has begun cultivating the interest among the students to learn English language. Why are they taking effort in doing this?
One of the main reasons why English is important is because most employers prefer their staffs to be able to speak and write English fluently. Many multi-national companies in Malaysia who need Malaysian work force are on the lookout for those who are proficient in English, as they are going to deal on the international level.
In a survey done by an online recruitment company JobStreet.com, Malaysia is placed third compared to five other countries in South East Asia on the English proficiency level.
As for students most of the reference books and articles are written in English. In colleges and universities, it is important for students to look up for references.
Malaysians are known for their friendliness. But what if there is an English speaking foreign tourist asking for directions, and the person being asked is not able to help the tourist, simply because he does not understand or is not able to communicate in English; would that be a disadvantage? It is, because our friendliness can be expressed through some actions, but a little conversation can make a difference.
The Malaysian Times (TMT) today contacted Royal Prof Ungku Aziz the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malaya to get his comments on the matter.
Speaking about the English language he said that one language should be used to unite the nation. As in Malaysia, it is the Malays language. Even so, the people should also give importance to the English language.
He also added that the government should implement the teaching of English in primary school onwards. He said that English is important should a person begin working in cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh as many employers are looking for people with English proficiency.
The influential wave of globalisation and information and communication technology is a good reason for Malaysians to improve their English. It is essential to keep in mind that the English language should be used Malaysia keep Malaysia globally competitive. –TMT
From http://www.themalaysiantimes.com.my/english-language-and-its-importance-to-malaysia%E2%80%99s-growth/
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