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MP: SGs let down by their standard of spoken English
April 4th, 2014 |
Author: Editorial
MP Hri Kumar Nair
MP of Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Hri Kumar posted a note on his Facebook page [Link]
yesterday (3 Apr) saying that Singaporeans are often let down by their “standard
of spoken English”.
He also added that Singaporeans lack confidence to “persuade or articulate
their views on their feet”.
Of course, persuading and articulating well in English on one’s feet is
nothing new to Mr Hri Kumar since he has been a lawyer with Drew & Napier
for some 20 years.
Presumably, from his viewpoint as a lawyer, Singaporeans’ spoken English is
simply a “let down”.
Mr Kumar put up the Facebook post after PISA ranked Singaporean teens top in
the world in a problem solving test. He cautioned that PISA does not test one’s
speaking and presentation skills.
He said:
I have been a working professional for over 20 years, and have interacted
with many Singaporeans at all levels of the employment ladder. While there are
always black sheep, the Singaporeans I have dealt with are hardworking,
knowledgeable and have a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to their
work. But they are often let down by their standard of spoken English
and a lack of confidence to persuade or articulate their views on their
feet. Many employers I know share this view.
I say this not to criticise Singaporeans, but to highlight that we are paying
a high price for this deficit. However skilled you are at problem-solving and
however many hours you spend at your desk, you will not likely make a strong
impression in the business world if you are unable to communicate your thoughts
and ideas effectively. I have lost count of the number of times I have attended
meetings where Singaporeans keep silent while others dominate the discussion,
thus giving the impression that the latter are more knowledgeable or capable. If
you say nothing, people will assume that you have nothing to contribute. That is
a serious disadvantage if you are competing for a job, a promotion or a
project.
To be clear, I am not saying that we should be all talk and no action. To put
it simply, it is important to have the substance, but you need to demonstrate
the form as well because, like it or not, you will be judged on
that.
When it comes to competing for a job, promotion or project, an assessor
usually looks at results more than at the person’s ability to speak and present
himself. In sales and marketing for example, although the ability to speak and
present well is an undoubted plus, what is more important is the person’s
ability and record in closing deals, which ultimately matters to the company’s
bottomline.
Take 2 persons – one speaking Queen’s English or better still, Hri Kumar’s
English, but another Singlish. The person who speaks lofty Queen’s (or Hri
Kumar’s) English over the heads of customers and suppliers and only rings in 10%
of sales will be less well regarded by the company than the Beng speaking
Singlish who accounts for 50% of sales, because he can communicate better with
everyone.
If the company’s management is so shallow as to judge the former better and,
therefore, promote him, the Beng will eventually see his future elsewhere and
leave the company. The company’s sales will suffer and the shareholders ought to
fire the manager.
However, in Singapore these days, a new culture is emerging as far as
competing for a job, promotion or project is concerned. It is gradually
destroying the very fabric of Singapore, after decades of hard work and hard
drive by our ancestors who have industriously built up Singapore. It is called
“looking after your own kind”.
If hirers want to employ “their own kind” i.e. foreign human resource
managers hiring their own countrymen, it does not matter how perfect a
Singaporean’s spoken and written English is. He/she will still lose out to a
so-called “foreign talent”. Now what is MP Hri Kumar going to do about this
situation, where despite speaking Queen’s English, a Singaporean is passed over
in favour of a “cheaper, better, faster foreign
talent”?
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Posted in Editorial
MP Hri Kumar Nair
MP of Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Hri Kumar posted a note on his Facebook page [Link]
yesterday (3 Apr) saying that Singaporeans are often let down by their “standard
of spoken English”.
He also added that Singaporeans lack confidence to “persuade or articulate
their views on their feet”.
Of course, persuading and articulating well in English on one’s feet is
nothing new to Mr Hri Kumar since he has been a lawyer with Drew & Napier
for some 20 years.
Presumably, from his viewpoint as a lawyer, Singaporeans’ spoken English is
simply a “let down”.
Mr Kumar put up the Facebook post after PISA ranked Singaporean teens top in
the world in a problem solving test. He cautioned that PISA does not test one’s
speaking and presentation skills.
He said:
I have been a working professional for over 20 years, and have interacted
with many Singaporeans at all levels of the employment ladder. While there are
always black sheep, the Singaporeans I have dealt with are hardworking,
knowledgeable and have a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to their
work. But they are often let down by their standard of spoken English
and a lack of confidence to persuade or articulate their views on their
feet. Many employers I know share this view.
I say this not to criticise Singaporeans, but to highlight that we are paying
a high price for this deficit. However skilled you are at problem-solving and
however many hours you spend at your desk, you will not likely make a strong
impression in the business world if you are unable to communicate your thoughts
and ideas effectively. I have lost count of the number of times I have attended
meetings where Singaporeans keep silent while others dominate the discussion,
thus giving the impression that the latter are more knowledgeable or capable. If
you say nothing, people will assume that you have nothing to contribute. That is
a serious disadvantage if you are competing for a job, a promotion or a
project.
To be clear, I am not saying that we should be all talk and no action. To put
it simply, it is important to have the substance, but you need to demonstrate
the form as well because, like it or not, you will be judged on
that.
usually looks at results more than at the person’s ability to speak and present
himself. In sales and marketing for example, although the ability to speak and
present well is an undoubted plus, what is more important is the person’s
ability and record in closing deals, which ultimately matters to the company’s
bottomline.
Take 2 persons – one speaking Queen’s English or better still, Hri Kumar’s
English, but another Singlish. The person who speaks lofty Queen’s (or Hri
Kumar’s) English over the heads of customers and suppliers and only rings in 10%
of sales will be less well regarded by the company than the Beng speaking
Singlish who accounts for 50% of sales, because he can communicate better with
everyone.
If the company’s management is so shallow as to judge the former better and,
therefore, promote him, the Beng will eventually see his future elsewhere and
leave the company. The company’s sales will suffer and the shareholders ought to
fire the manager.
However, in Singapore these days, a new culture is emerging as far as
competing for a job, promotion or project is concerned. It is gradually
destroying the very fabric of Singapore, after decades of hard work and hard
drive by our ancestors who have industriously built up Singapore. It is called
“looking after your own kind”.
If hirers want to employ “their own kind” i.e. foreign human resource
managers hiring their own countrymen, it does not matter how perfect a
Singaporean’s spoken and written English is. He/she will still lose out to a
so-called “foreign talent”. Now what is MP Hri Kumar going to do about this
situation, where despite speaking Queen’s English, a Singaporean is passed over
in favour of a “cheaper, better, faster foreign
talent”?
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