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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGES
1.0 INTRODUCTION

2.0 ROLES OF ENGLISH AMONG MALAYSIANS

AT WORKPLACE

3.0 REASONS OF LACK USAGE OF ENGLISH

AT WORKPLACE AMONG MALAYSIANS

4.0 SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE ENGLISH USAGE

AT WORKPLACE

5.0 CONCLUSIONS

60 REFERENCES

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
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. 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;
then that would be a great disadvantage. It is, because our friendliness can be expressed
through some actions, but a little conversation can make a difference.

2.0 ROLES OF ENGLISH AMONG MALAYSIANS AT WORKPLACE

There is a dichotomy in views whether English can become a unifying language in
Malaysia. One side believes that English has already become an important part of
Malaysian identity, particularly due to its colonial past and its current status of one of the
languages of instruction in primary, secondary and tertiary education and also the status
of "business language". There is another view, mainly held by the Malay nationalists,
opposed to such opinions due to the fact that there is a huge gap in the English language
proficiency between people from the urban and rural areas.
It is concluded that English can be a unifying language in Malaysia. The conclusion
drawn is based on the fact that English plays an important role in the lives of Malaysians,
private sectors and education in Malaysia. Most importantly, English is also regarded as a
language that integrates all Malaysians by the non-Malays.
English had been the official language of the Straits Settlements, the Federated Malay
States and the Unfederated Malay States since the 1800s during the occupation of Great
Britain and also served as the official language of Malaysia for a decade after the nation's
independence in 1957. However, in order to promote "national unity" and increase the
participation of Bumiputra (Malay-ethnic and indigenous people) in tertiary education,
the Malaysian government removed English from its official role and promoted the use of
Bahasa Malaysia (Malaysian or Malay language) in 1967.
According to Braj Kachru's three-circle model of World Englishes that categorizes World
Englishes into three concentric circles, which include Inner Circle representing the
traditional base of English; Outer Circle that representing countries where English is not
an official language but plays an important role; and Expanding Circle, including
countries that employ it as a foreign language and for only limited purposes, Malaysia is
listed under the Outer Circle. This model indicates that there are a sizeable amount of
people who use English as a first language. According to Azirah Hashim, a Professor of
Linguistics in University of Malaya, English "is used for a variety of functions in
professional and social transactions not only with the international community but also
within the society". The quote tells us that Malaysians do not only use it as an
international language, but some perceive English as a local language as well.

Hashim's view is not her own wishful thinking. It is evident everywhere in Malaysia, in
both the Malaysian education and lives of Malaysia citizens. 'Broken English' is very
commonly used by taxi drivers, pedestrian pedlars, food hawkers, gardeners,
garbologists, florists and food caterers. For instance, phrases such as 'Buy 1 Free 1' or
'RM 5 for 2' are always visible in Malaysia's local supermarkets, departmental stores and
pasar malam a Malay word for 'night market'. It indicates that even for those who are
not highly educated, they all have the enthusiasm to speak English because the degree of
international integration is simply moving in leaps and bounds and man-on-the-street has
to survive.
According to a well-known Malaysian Indian journalist and politician, the late MGG
Pillai, those who know English are better positioned for jobs than those without. That was
his comment regards the importance of English in his article written in 1994. His
assessment was right spot on in today's world. In major companies in Malaysia, the only
language used in a company meeting is English. Meanwhile, some meetings in
governmental departments are conducted in English as well, but mostly depending on the
language preferred by the head of the department. Reports such as annual reports or
financial reports are either in English or in both English and Malay.
For example, Malaysia Airlines, the national carrier of Malaysia, presents its financial
reports to their staff only in English . Meanwhile, it is known that the language a flight
attendant When a pilot or co-pilot announces the latest information about the flight,
English is always preferred for both domestic and international flights. If private
companies prefer English and English language is also widely used in governmental
departments although Malay is supposed to be the language of instruction, it tells us that
English does play an equally important role in today's Malaysia. Moreover, English is no
longer seen as a competitive advantage but a basic requirement for job-seekers.

3.0 REASONS OF LACK USAGE OF ENGLISH AT WORKPLACE AMONG

MALAYSIANS
English is now a global language. All over the globe including France and Germany,
people are clamoring to learn English. Academics have no dispute with the view that
English Language is related to success in career. Mahmoud A. Al-Khatib, (2005) from the
University of Auckland, New Zealand has studied the use of English by tourism and
banking personnel and attempted to examine the communication needs of the personnel
in the workplace by seeking their opinions on their perception of what constituted English
which is deemed adequate to the workplace. Another author Shanta Nair-Venugopal
(2000), in an article titled, English, identity and the Malaysian workplace has found out
that English is increasingly important in the workplace. According to Chowdhury (2005),
Quality is defined by the customers. In this case, the customers are the work sector and
are the appropriate party to assess the quality of the English of the new graduates. Ball
and Chik (2001), stated that successful school leavers upon completing their higher
learning session, would seek various employment opportunity in the job market. They
found a significant relationship between income levels and gender, duration of
employment, self-esteem, ownership, academic major and "English proficiency".
Long before the diversification in degree programs that we see now, an English
qualification was the most assured ticket of success at the workplace. The importance of
cognitive, affective, instructional, curricular, and school-based factors which are vital for
English speaking and reading skills. However, they stressed the need for curriculum to
take into account the vital requirements when designing curriculum.
the new graduates in Malaysia are not proficient in English Language. They are still not
widely marketable in the job market due to a lack of English proficiency and this is
costing the nation a great deal of money. Money save on retraining programs can be
utilized elsewhere like upgrading libraries around the country. Graduates with good
English proficiency are vital manpower in the nations quest to create a K-economy
where the knowledge of the populace would be a pulling factor in attracting foreign direct
investment.

Malaysia would be hard put to compete with more advanced and well established
manufacturing industries in a liberalized economy which frowns on trade protectionism.
The best alternative would be to fortify a knowledge based service industry and this
requires a sound knowledge of English. Thus, it can be seen the learning of English in not
merely for the sake of social vanity, it is related to our economic survival in the post 2000
era of globalization.
The education system should take serious steps to improve the soft skills of the students.
According to newspaper reports, employers frequently lament that many recent graduates
lack vital soft skills such as interpersonal skills, communicating skills, negotiating skills,
persuading skills and other vital skills inherent in communication. Curriculum designers
and policy planners should review the current syllabus which emphasizes on work book
drilling to master grammatical accuracy.
As a result of this mode of learning, students are at the loss when it comes to real world
communication. There is a need to improve students fluency by a curriculum which
gives ample opportunities for a student to develop interpersonal and presentation skills.
The education system should emphasize fluency over accuracy and provide students with
plenty opportunities to do presentations and role plays. Exercises of this sort would
remove the speaking inhibition and increase the students level of fluency, which would
stand him in good stead when he enters the job sector. Accuracy of language and
grammar should be introduced inductively by greater exposure to listening and reading.
Consistent reading can improve grammar inductively.
This was shown by Elley, W. B. (1991) in his book flood studies. There is a need for
policy planners and curriculum designers to go back to the drawing board. We may be
producing graduates who are sufficiently knowledgeable in their area of study but
inadequate in English Language proficiency and the soft skills which depend on sound
English proficiency.

4.0 SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE ENGLISH USAGE AT WORKPLACE

The importance of the English language cannot be overemphasized. Comfort with
English is almost a prerequisite for success in the world today. Regardless of the industry,
proficiency in English is an important factor in both hiring and promotion decisions.
A lot of people have studied English in school and are fairly comfortable with reading
and writing. However, they hesitate while speaking because they feel that they lack the
fluency and may make grammatical mistakes. They are afraid of speaking English in
formal situations and we are quick to switch to our native language once they are in the
company of their family and friends. There is no quick fix when it comes to improving
their command over a particular language. It always requires a lot of time and effort.
Communicative and whole language instructional approaches promote integration of
speaking, listening, reading, and writing in ways that reflect natural language use. But
opportunities for speaking and listening require structure and planning if they are to
support language development. This digest describes what speaking involves and what
good speakers do in the process of expressing themselves. It also presents an outline for
creating an effective speaking lesson and for assessing learners' speaking skills.
Outside formal learning processes, listening is used twice as often as speaking, which in
turn is used twice as much as reading and writing (Rivers, 1981). Inside the classroom,
speaking and listening are the most often used skills (Brown, 1994). They are recognized
as critical for functioning in an English language context, both by teachers and by
learners. These skills are also logical instructional starting points when learners have low
literacy levels (in English or their native language) or limited formal education, or when
they come from language backgrounds with a non-Roman script or a predominantly oral
tradition. Further, with the drive to incorporate workforce readiness skills into adult ESL
instruction, practice time is being devoted to such speaking skills as reporting,
negotiating, clarifying, and problem solving (Grognet, 1997).

Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producingand

receiving and processing information . Its form and meaning are dependent on the context
in which it occurs, including the participants themselves, their collective experiences, the
physical environment, and the purposes for speaking. It is often spontaneous, open-ended,
and evolving. However, speech is not always unpredictable. Language functions or
patterns that tend to recur in certain discourse situations
A speaker's skills and speech habits have an impact on the success of any exchange (Van
Duzer, 1997). Speakers must be able to anticipate and then produce the expected patterns
of specific discourse situations. They must also manage discrete elements such as turntaking, rephrasing, providing feedback, or redirecting (Burns & Joyce, 1997). For
example, a learner involved in the exchange with the salesperson described previously
must know the usual pattern that such an interaction follows and access that knowledge
as the exchange progresses. The learner must also choose the correct vocabulary to
describe the item sought, rephrase or emphasize words to clarify the description if the
clerk does not understand, and use appropriate facial expressions to indicate satisfaction
or dissatisfaction with the service.

5.0 CONCLUSIONS
English is an important language in both the past and current society of Malaysia.
Competence in English as a compulsory condition for employees in most private sectors
and some governmental departments has emphasized the increasing prominence of
English in the country. the debates among professionals and ordinary Malaysians regards
the reversal of the policy also reveals how significant the language is for the people. In
addition, the dominance of English books and magazines in bookstores of Malaysia
indicates that there is a huge market for English books in Malaysia.
However, some Malaysians, particularly the Malays, believe the only language that can
unify all Malaysians is the Malay language. The lack of qualified teachers with fluent
English is a reason why English is not a unifying language. Meanwhile, the inequality of
English proficiency between students from urban areas and rural areas proves that
English is not commonly understood by all Malaysians and hence it will not create
national unity. Besides the proficiency of the teachers and students, the rather low
percentage of English speakers also reveals the same problem in making English the
unifying language in Malaysia.
All in all, even though this issue is still rather debatable, the conclusion drawn is that
English can be a unifying language in Malaysia to some extent. English plays an
important role in the lives of ordinary Malaysians, private sectors and education in
Malaysia. However, the usage of Malay language is encouraged in public sectors. The
overturn of PPSMI policy in July 2009 has put the status of English in the country into
doubt. Moreover, Malays believe their language should be the tool to unite the whole
nation but the Indians and/or Chinese believe Malay language will create division among
all Malaysians. They believe that we should emulate the model of Singapore since
English is a neutral language between all the different ethnicity as it does not identify any
of the races in Malaysia and thus it will create an equal society.

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6.0 REFERENCES
Bailey, K.M., & Savage, L. (1994). New ways in teaching speaking. Alexandria, VA:
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.
Brown, H.D. (1994). Teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language
pedagogy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents.
Burns, A., & Joyce, H. (1997). Focus on speaking. Sydney: National Center for English
Language Teaching and Research.
Carter, R. & McCarthy, M. (1995). Grammar and spoken language. Applied Linguistics,
Cohen, A. (1996). Developing the ability to perform speech acts. Studies in Second
Language Acquisition, .
Grognet, A.G. (1997). Integrating employment skills into adult ESL instruction. ERIC
Digest. Washington, DC: National Center for ESL Literacy Education.
Lewis, M. (Ed.) (1997). New ways in teaching adults. Alexandria, VA: Teachers of
English to Speakers of Other Languages.
O'Malley, M., & Pierce, L.V. (1996). Authentic assessment for English language learners:
Practical approaches for teachers. New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing.
Rivers, W.M. (1981). Teaching foreign language skills (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of
Chicago Press.
Van Duzer, C. (1997). Improving ESL learners' listening skills: At the workplace and
beyond. Washington, DC: Project in Adult Immigrant Education and National Center for
ESL Literacy Education.