Why is the English standard in Hong Kong so low? · Jun 11, 08:55 AM

Hong Kong has been called an “international city” and the range on nationalities here is diverse. It also has two official languages: Chinese and English. So then why is the level of English in Hong Kong so poor?

There are many reasons, but perhaps the most important is the lack of opportunity to practice English in Hong Kong.

It starts with the schools. Although English is taught in schools from kindergarten level, its only for a couple of hours a day at most. Outside the classroom English is almost never spoken, and even in the classroom mostly Cantonese is used for extra explanation.

In the workplace English is used for written communication but meetings are usually held in Chinese. Most staff will communicate between themselves in Cantonese for day to day communication.

At home the language is 99.9999% Cantonese. And even the English TV channels have Chinese subtitles, so there is little opportunity to practice English this way either. It’s the same in the cinema.

No wonder most Hong Kong people find the thought of communicating in English so daunting. The problem is that Hong Kong is now a service industry orientated economy; 90 percent of Hong Kong businesses are in the services sector. You are going to have to communicate in English at some time, and for some this can make or break your career. You might get promoted and suddenly have an expatriate boss. Or you may be at the top of the career ladder and have to socialise with your foreign counterparts. Being able to communicate well and with ease can make your life so much easier and more enjoyable.

So how can you improve your English? You could ask your friends and family to talk in English, but that will usually last only a few minutes before reverting into Cantonese. The fact is that speaking in Cantonese is so easy but speaking in English takes effort. Its natural! If you have your own DVD player then you can turn off the subtitles whilst you watch English movies or even documentaries. Perhaps one day even the cable TV companies will build in this facility.

You can also use English when you go to restaurants or shops. But its better to practice first to make sure you can order effectively and get the dishes you actually want!

Perhaps the best way is to find a qualified, experienced private English tutor so that you can spend an hour or so each week communicating entirely in English with instant feedback on your grammar and pronunciation errors. They can guide you and help you more than your friends or family can.

HKEnglish.Com provides the highest quality English tuition in Hong Kong and all its tutors are qualified, experienced native speakers. All of them are foreigners!

— Charles

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