English Language is the global lingua franca. People who are able to master English as a second language would stand a good chance of excelling in any area they choose to do, be it in Malaysia or abroad. Being a Malaysian, to be able to master English Language as a second language is actually A BONUS! And I'm saying this from my personal experience. And NO, it does NOT make you ANY LESS Malaysian and Malay/Chinese/Indian/other races.
As globalisation is the way to move forward, being able to master English Language would be an advantage, especially when it is not the first language; as in the case of all Malaysians. Malaysia, being a multi-racial country, Malaysians would usually learn many languages while growing up. Like myself - Hokkien is actually my mother tongue but I am able to speak Bahasa Malaysia, English, Hokkien, Cantonese and a smattering of Mandarin. All in all I could speak FIVE languages; with the ability to master both English and Bahasa Malaysia! Being a Malaysian has allowed me to be a multilingual person in a very unique way without being ANY LESS Malaysian and Chinese. I am still VERY MUCH a Malaysian and Chinese since the day I was born.
I am actually very grateful that I was able to be extremely fluent in English Language as it actually piquéd my curiousity to acquire more knowledge to add to the wealth of knowledge I already have. And this was done NOT at the expense of being fluent in Bahasa Malaysia and Hokkien.
From my own experience, having an excellent command English Language DOES really matter, especially if you are looking at the option of developing your career in a global environment. It is NOT a waste to know how to speak more than one language, and it's NEVER at the expense of the national language, no matter from which country you are from that doesn't use English as her first language.
Mastering the English Language like any other language requires a lengthy commitment if you want to be excellent in it. My own experience saw me took up to at least TEN years to master English Language. In the early years of learning the language I had to carry a dictionary everywhere I go with the reading material I carried with me at all times. I neither complained nor whined about it, and when I went to Australia to further my studies I was complimented for my excellent command in English. The Australian accent and slang never intimidated me as I had the reasonable knowledge and capacity to comprehend it. And it actually allowed me to communicate well with people from different cultures and backgrounds.
Thus, to all my fellow Malaysians, please have the courage to acquire an excellent command in English Language. No, I'm not asking you to glorify it but to acquire a reasonable level of competency of the language so as not to lose out to other countries that are surging forward to be the best in their own areas of expertise. And why should Malaysia should lose out to them?
I believe in speaking English as a Second Language the day I decided I wanted to further my studies and I was armed with knowledge and wealth while reading as many books as I can borrowed from the National Library.I was a staunch reader at a young age of a teenager.That and my school's upbringing brought me the bonus acquired.But I told my mom the day I was leaving for higher studies that I would be looking for a native or a typical chinese because my Dad only believed in cleanliness!!!
ReplyDelete