SOWING SEEDS: As Taiwan seeks to expand its role in the global community, it needs more bilingual speakers who also have experience in negotiation, experts saidBy Rachel Lin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Government policies to turn Taiwan into a Mandarin-English bilingual nation by 2030 would be critical in developing much-needed talent for it to take a larger role in international affairs, experts said at a forum yesterday.
Government officials, experts and teachers discussed the government’s bilingual initiative and the difficulties in implementing language policies at a forum in Taipei hosted by the Professor Huang Kun-huei Education Foundation.
Taiwan External Trade Development Council Chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said that Taiwan’s efforts to take a more prominent role internationally would be aided by the government’s bilingualism policy.
Taiwan’s growing international status creates opportunities to participate in events
The thought-provoking editorial “Tackle the coronavirus now” (May 18, page 8) has prompted significant feedback at home and abroad, including penetrating coverage in a Time magazine article on Friday last week, titled “How a false sense of security, and a little secret tea, broke down Taiwan’s COVID-19 defenses.”
Analyzing “how Taiwan’s COVID-19 defenses failed,” the article implied that a series of related government malpractices and an undesirable public response should be held accountable.
The scarcity of vaccine doses made the scenario worse, the article added.
It is imperative that the government does its utmost to mend the situation and contain the