COMEDIANS sometimes make fun of the name of Democratic Progressive Party leader Tsai Ing- wen, which can mean 'Lousy English' in Chinese, but there is nothing bad or 'tsai' about her command of English.
The same, however, cannot be said for most Taiwanese.
As a recent official report noted, Taiwan is mediocre in Asia's English- Language League. In 2007, it ranked No 12, behind Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and China, in average scores for Toefl, or Test Of English as a Foreign Language.
It did worse in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), also used for entry to university, finishing 18th out of 20 economies in Asia in 2007.
A Wall Street Institute School of English poll of seven Asian territories also suggested that the Taiwanese read the least in English and were generally more shy about speaking it.
Now, in a bid to get the Taiwanese to stop worrying and to love the English language, the government is setting aside NT$600 million (S$27 million) over three years on projects to enhance its use. The main plan is to provide more all- English environments in the form of mini English streets or villages. Inspired by South Korea's English village theme parks, Taiwan has been trying out its own mini-English villages in schools in various counties since 2007.
One of these is the Wun-chang English Village at Wun-chang Junior High in Taoyuan County. The authorities have turned some 10 classrooms into mock hotels, airplane cabins and restaurants to get students to practise speaking English in situations as close to real life as possible.
To make it real, the 'air cabin' has been outfitted with actual airplane seats as well as oxygen masks. A 'fashion store' displays clothes and bags.
The idea is to let students feel as if they are in an English-speaking land without having to go overseas. For this purpose, there is a mock- up of an airport departure hall, complete with security scanners and fake passports.
Groups of 11-year-old pupils from the county take turns to check into the English village for a day. There are similar villages in two other Taoyuan schools.
'We hope to use real-life scenarios to stimulate their interest and let them know that English is a useful living language,' said principal Song Ching-wei.
Perhaps the most useful 'props' in the English villages are foreign English-language teachers hired to engage students in the language.
Taiwanese English-language teachers tend to be weaker in teaching speaking skills as they may not have the right intonations, Mr Song noted.
Setting up the village costs about NT$18 million, with most of the sum coming from the government. Operating costs come up to about NT$2.5 million a year; most of this amount is covered by the fees of NT$250 per day paid by each visiting pupil.
'It's really not possible for them to learn a lot. The aim is more to inspire them to go off and learn English,' said Australian Caleb Paul, a teacher at the Wun-chang English village. But he questions the cost-effectiveness of building more such villages and argues that the money would be better spent on English books for schools.
Like him, many observers are sceptical about such villages, saying that they might become white elephants. They point out that these are not the solution because Taiwan's relatively poor performance in English stems from deeper causes, like the lack of consensus over the language policy.
While many have argued for English to be made an official language and be given more emphasis in schools and in the workplace, there has been a lack of political will to make this happen, said Mr Simon Hung, general manager of the established Studio Classroom, which sells English-language learning products.
As Mr Song, the principal, has noted, an emphasis on indigenous languages, such as Taiwanese or Hakka, has made it hard to promote the use of English in schools.
The education authorities have tried to start pupils learning English when they are young. In 2001, schools started teaching English from Grade 5. In 2005, the starting age was lowered to Grade 3. In the past, English was taught only from secondary school level onwards.
But nearly 10 years after English lessons were introduced in elementary schools, the English standards of Taiwan students have shown no marked improvement, said Professor Chen Chao- ming, director of the National Chengchi University's Centre for Public and Business Administration Education.
Perennial problems include a curriculum too focused on grammar and the lack of well-trained teachers.
Unlike in China, where learning English is like a mass campaign, the passion for learning English in Taiwan has abated since the 1980s and early 1990s, said Mr Hung. The waning interest coincides with a slide in the island's economy and the number of Taiwanese going abroad for studies.
While some go on to achieve high proficiency, like Ms Tsai, a former trade negotiator for Taiwan, observers say more could be done to raise the English level of the average student. He or she should be able to use English not only when shopping, but also during business negotiations or presentations, said Prof Chen, who advocates the learning of foreign languages.
Observers say pulling Taiwan's English-language standards up by the bootstraps is no easy task, given how hard it is to agree on any issue in the island's politically polarised environment. But the learning of foreign languages like English will have a bearing on Taiwan's pecking order in the world economic stakes.
'Taiwan must have talent who can go out of Taiwan and work overseas. It must also make foreign talent want to work in Taiwan,' Prof Chen said.
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