The Philippines as an English Speaking Nation

[amigo32]

daming kulang sa baybayin

mukhang di puede, manghihiram ka ng 75% o mag imbento

[Mercato]

Originally Posted by kiretoce

The Philippines: World's Best Country in Business English

Well, people will now have to think twice before mocking Pinoys' use of the English language.

The Philippines was named the world’s best country in business English proficiency, even beating the United States, according to a recent study by GlobalEnglish Corporation.

GlobalEnglish has released early this month the results of its annual Business English Index (BEI), the only index that measures business English proficiency in the workplace.

For 2012, results showed that from 76 represented countries worldwide, only the Philippines attained a score above 7.0, "a BEI level within range of a high proficiency that indicates an ability to take an active role in business discussions and perform relatively complex tasks."

“This is particularly interesting because the Philippines, a country with one-tenth of the population of India, recently overtook India as a hub for call centers. Over 400,000 Filipinos are now employed in call centers, roughly 50,000 more than in India,” the study said.

The Philippines, which scored 7.11 and the lone country in the intermediate level, were joined by Norway (6.54), Estonia (6.45), Serbia (6.38) and Slovenia (6.19) in the top five.

GlobalEnglish noted that a country’s business English capability is an indicator of its economic growth and business success.

“It is not surprising that both the Philippines and Norway—the only two countries in the top five in both 2011 and 2012—are improving their economies, based on the latest GDP data from the World Bank,” it added.

Meanwhile, struggling economic powers (Japan, Italy and Mexico) and fast-growth emerging markets (Brazil, Columbia and Chile) scored below a 4.0 in business English proficiency, placing them at a disadvantage when competing in a global marketplace, the study said.

It also pointed out that shifts in global talent have put even English-speaking countries at risk.

“Surprisingly the BEI score for global workers in the U.S. declined from 6.9 to 5.09 since the original 2011 BEI benchmark, which is attributed to a majority of test takers being foreign-born engineers and scientists,” the report said.

Rest of the world ranked beginner and basic level

Based on a scale of 1-10, the average 2012 BEI score across 108,000 test takers around the world is 4.15 which is lower than last year’s 4.46.

Nearly four out of 10 (38.2 percent) global workers from 76 countries were ranked as business English beginners, meaning that, on average, they can’t understand or communicate basic information during virtual or in-person meetings, read or write professional emails in English or deal with complexity and rapid change in a global business environment, the study said.

Meanwhile, the majority of global workers (60.5 percent) from the represented countries scored between a 4.0 and 7.0, below an intermediate level, indicating an inability to take an active role in business discussions or perform relatively complex tasks such as presentation development and customer or partner negotiations, it added.

GlobalEnglish stressed that the 2012 BEI which showed a lack of business English proficiency is threatening the productivity of companies, industries and country-specific economies this year.

“Poor Business English skills are bad for global businesses and this year’s Business English Index suggests that many companies will be hard-pressed to achieve their desired performance goals during 2012,” said Tom Kahl, GlobalEnglish President.

“Addressing English skills gaps and ensuring that employees can immediately perform at the necessary proficiency level should be viewed as a strategic imperative for multinational businesses, as Enterprise Fluency, the ability to seamlessly communicate and collaborate within global organizations, can deliver significant financial upside,” Kahl added.

Headquartered in Brisbane, California, GlobalEnglish works with multinational companies – including Cisco, Procter and Gamble, HSBC, Phzer – to support performance in business English across the workforce around the world.

Here's the list of the 10 best and worst countries in the world for business English proficiency based on GlobalEnglish's 2012 BEI:

10 Best Countries:
Philippines
Norway
Serbia
Slovenia
Australia
Malaysia
India
Lithuania
Singapore
Canada

10 Worst Countries:
Armenia
Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Taiwan
Honduras
Columbia
Chile
El Salvador
Saudi Arabia
Israel
Brazil

OMG, seriously, is this thread still even alive? I would've thought it dead and buried in redundancy and anachronism.

Oh well, the motherhood statements in the above article are nice to read howbeit I wouldn't know if 'tis reflective of reality yonder, or is it?



oh puh-leeeaaazzze, spare me the English Hallelujahs already. for herein is the most favoured language in the land. The main proponents of course being the Jejemon Rat Brigade, what else?????

We wish the main anti-Jejemon crusader @skyion would return someday and carry on the crusade, whilst we and @bosnyboy play the backup singers.

[amigo32]

ngek, business english nga eh, hindi kasama ang mga jejemon dyan

[Manila-X]

We should train ourselves to speak straight English or straight Filipino. Even Chinese-Filipinos here will mix some Hokkien in their Tagalog sentences.

[calaguyo]

So what happened to the petition that we should be exempted from IELTS?

Was able to read few pages of this thread and as expected and most us do not believe that Filipinos is an english speaking nation.

I have travelled in so many countries and was able to work with different ethnics and nationalities. In the Philippines, even an entry level employee can have a good grasp of good english but in some non-english countries, mostly CEO, Directors or VP are the only ones who can speak english.

[MatudNilaBaby]

Originally Posted by calaguyo

So what happened to the petition that we should be exempted from IELTS?

Was able to read few pages of this thread and as expected and most us do not believe that Filipinos is an english speaking nation.

I have travelled in so many countries and was able to work with different ethnics and nationalities. In the Philippines, even an entry level employee can have a good grasp of good english but in some non-english countries, mostly CEO, Directors or VP are the only ones who can speak english.

in general, filipinos can understand simple english but only very few have the mastery of the english language even among professionals. native speakers of english like the us, uk, canada, australia, nz dont really consider the philippines as an english speaking country because we opted for filipino as the national language in lieu of english. thats why ielts or tesl are required among filipinos when they go immigrate, work or study abroad where the official language is english.

those politicians saying that we are the 3rd or whatever english speaking country in the world is totally false. yes, if we talked about those filipinos whose teachers were the americans. they had good education. even a 3rd grade nanay or tatay after the war, talonin pa niya ang mga college students sa english speaking niyang pa american accent pa ang pronunciation.

[calaguyo]

Originally Posted by MatudNilaBaby

in general, filipinos can understand simple english but only very few have the mastery of the english language even among professionals. native speakers of english like the us, uk, canada, australia, nz dont really consider the philippines as an english speaking country because we opted for filipino as the national language in lieu of english. thats why ielts or tesl are required among filipinos when they go immigrate, work or study abroad where the official language is english.

those politicians saying that we are the 3rd or whatever english speaking country in the world is totally false. yes, if we talked about those filipinos whose teachers were the americans. they had good education. even a 3rd grade nanay or tatay after the war, talonin pa niya ang mga college students sa english speaking niyang pa american accent pa ang pronunciation.

I don't think politicians has something to do such perception. There are international assessment bodies who came up with such conclusion.

In my opinion, main reasons are:
1. The booming call center industry
2. Education is in english curriculum at all levels.


As for IELTS and other proficiency tests, even Brits and Americans cannot easily pass such exams.

English whether simple or complicated doesn't matter, it is still English. Like in America, they have their own idioms which only understands by themselves, same as Brits and Aussie. We don not expect Filipinos or even Norsk to understand those idioms since it varies from country to country.

In Business English, the simpler the english, the more business-friendly unless you are working in creative media, PR or publishing. Like for my job, it is very essential to speak simple english to my clients and suppliers from all around the world. One miscommunication may lead to huge profit loss.

I don't see any problems with simple English. Only in the Philippines that english is much much better if you use idioms or hyfallutin words.

[Manila-X]

3 PH universities among world’s best English-teaching schools
By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
1:01 pm | Saturday, June 30th, 2012

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/422...aching-schools

MANILA, Philippines – Three Philippine Universities are among the top 50 universities in the world when it comes to teaching English according to a new survey by the London-based research and ratings firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

In a statement sent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, QS said the country’s “specialist strength” in the English language was affirmed in results of its latest World University Rankings by Subject, an index that rates universities across 29 disciplines.

Ateneo de Manila University posted the highest rating of all Philippine schools, ranking 24th in English language and literature. University of the Philippines ranked 32 while De La Salle University ranked 44th.

World-renowned universities in the United Kingdom and the United States took the top five spots (in this order): Cambridge, Harvard, Oxford, Yale and University of California Berkeley.

“The specialist strengths of Philippine universities in English language and literature are clearly shown in these rankings. The country should be proud of their achievements,” Ben Sowter, QS research chief, said in the statement sent to the Inquirer.

The Philippines rated in only one other discipline, with UP placing within the 101-150 bracket in Geography.

QS ranked schools on 29 subjects “based on academic reputation, employer reputation, and citations per paper,” QS said.

Amid strong showing in English, Philippine universities have been slipping in world rankings in the past few years.

[Mercato]

I guess the coast is clear. Once upon a time, English poetry was deemed anathema to this our English thread. In dedication to all Philippine cities and towns whose symbol is the rose.

TO THE ROSE UPON THE ROOD OF TIME

by: William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)

RED Rose, proud Rose, sad Rose of all my days!
Come near me, while I sing the ancient ways:
Cuchulain battling with the bitter tide;
The Druid, grey, wood-nurtured, quiet eyed,
Who cast round Fergus dreams, and ruin untold;
And thine own sadness, whereof stars, grown old
In dancing silver-sandalled on the sea,
Sing in their high and lonely melody.
Come near, that no more blinded by man's fate,
I find under the boughs of love and hate,
In all poor foolish things that live a day,
Eternal beauty wandering on her way.

Come near, come near, come near -- Ah, leave me still
A little space for the rose-breath to fill!
Lest I no more hear common things that crave;
The weak worm hiding down in its small cave,
The field-mouse running by me in the grass,
And heavy mortal hopes that toil and pass;
But seek alone to hear the strange things said
By God to the bright hearts of those long dead,
And learn to chaunt a tongue men do not know
Come near; I would, before my time to go,
Sing of old Eire and the ancient ways:
Red Rose, proud Rose, sad Rose of all my days.

"To the Rose Upon the Rood of Time" is reprinted from The Rose. W.B. Yeats. 1893.
http://www.poetry-archive.com/y/to_t...d_of_time.html

[MatudNilaBaby]

Originally Posted by Manila-X

3 PH universities among world’s best English-teaching schools
By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
1:01 pm | Saturday, June 30th, 2012

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/422...aching-schools

MANILA, Philippines – Three Philippine Universities are among the top 50 universities in the world when it comes to teaching English according to a new survey by the London-based research and ratings firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

In a statement sent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, QS said the country’s “specialist strength” in the English language was affirmed in results of its latest World University Rankings by Subject, an index that rates universities across 29 disciplines.

Ateneo de Manila University posted the highest rating of all Philippine schools, ranking 24th in English language and literature. University of the Philippines ranked 32 while De La Salle University ranked 44th.

World-renowned universities in the United Kingdom and the United States took the top five spots (in this order): Cambridge, Harvard, Oxford, Yale and University of California Berkeley.

“The specialist strengths of Philippine universities in English language and literature are clearly shown in these rankings. The country should be proud of their achievements,” Ben Sowter, QS research chief, said in the statement sent to the Inquirer.

The Philippines rated in only one other discipline, with UP placing within the 101-150 bracket in Geography.

QS ranked schools on 29 subjects “based on academic reputation, employer reputation, and citations per paper,” QS said.

Amid strong showing in English, Philippine universities have been slipping in world rankings in the past few years.

if this is so true, why are friends of mine coming from the schools mentioned above armed with masters of arts in english still have to pass the test of english as a second language to enter into the phd program here? double standards?

[Planning Democracy]

Do you guys listen to radio commercials these days?

"...Have a dinner with friends..."

"...Me, and Big Mac meal..."

What kind of a barok jolog english is that?? Do the ad executives even notice the bad grammar? Ang sakit sa tenga eh.

Anyway, in terms of accent, we can be understood more compared to Indian or Singaporean accents.

I think this study is good for whatever PR reasons it may serve, it will help in attracting more BPO companies and create jobs.

In terms of that IELTS thing, well, the Philippines suffers from bad PR, some people think we all live in slums and eat coconuts. I remember during my stint in a call center years ago, a caller from NZ asked my seatmate "Ugh, are you from the Phillipines? Ok, do you know what an ATM is?"

Sheesh dude, do you think we just pick up the phone somewhere on an island?

[eonynx]

Originally Posted by Manila-X

3 PH universities among world’s best English-teaching schools
By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
1:01 pm | Saturday, June 30th, 2012

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/422...aching-schools

MANILA, Philippines – Three Philippine Universities are among the top 50 universities in the world when it comes to teaching English according to a new survey by the London-based research and ratings firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

In a statement sent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, QS said the country’s “specialist strength” in the English language was affirmed in results of its latest World University Rankings by Subject, an index that rates universities across 29 disciplines.

Ateneo de Manila University posted the highest rating of all Philippine schools, ranking 24th in English language and literature. University of the Philippines ranked 32 while De La Salle University ranked 44th.

World-renowned universities in the United Kingdom and the United States took the top five spots (in this order): Cambridge, Harvard, Oxford, Yale and University of California Berkeley.

“The specialist strengths of Philippine universities in English language and literature are clearly shown in these rankings. The country should be proud of their achievements,” Ben Sowter, QS research chief, said in the statement sent to the Inquirer.

The Philippines rated in only one other discipline, with UP placing within the 101-150 bracket in Geography.

QS ranked schools on 29 subjects “based on academic reputation, employer reputation, and citations per paper,” QS said.

Amid strong showing in English, Philippine universities have been slipping in world rankings in the past few years.

cool! it's nice to see my favorite Philippine English school/university within the top 30 of the world's best English-teaching schools. i'm also glad that oble is closing in on the top 30 as well. my hope is that next year, ateneo would barge into the top 20 or even the top 15 (why not?) and oble would be within the top 30 rankings. an intensive and extensive improvement in the English teaching courses and instruction would make these possible.

[tigidig14]

kala ko mas mataas mag english mga lasallian kesa u.p

[Manila-X]

Originally Posted by Planning Democracy

Do you guys listen to radio commercials these days?

"...Have a dinner with friends..."

"...Me, and Big Mac meal..."

What kind of a barok jolog english is that?? Do the ad executives even notice the bad grammar? Ang sakit sa tenga eh.

Anyway, in terms of accent, we can be understood more compared to Indian or Singaporean accents.

I think this study is good for whatever PR reasons it may serve, it will help in attracting more BPO companies and create jobs.

In terms of that IELTS thing, well, the Philippines suffers from bad PR, some people think we all live in slums and eat coconuts. I remember during my stint in a call center years ago, a caller from NZ asked my seatmate "Ugh, are you from the Phillipines? Ok, do you know what an ATM is?"

Sheesh dude, do you think we just pick up the phone somewhere on an island?

I heard that McDonald's ad on the radio several times and she said Myself and a Big Mac meal. Her English is fine.

[onilian2727]

Originally Posted by Manila-X

At least Pacquiao's english is slowly improving.

his english is actually not that bad.his comprehension should be enhanced instead

[Nabartek]

Originally Posted by MatudNilaBaby

if this is so true, why are friends of mine coming from the schools mentioned above armed with masters of arts in english still have to pass the test of english as a second language to enter into the phd program here? double standards?

Yung 2 dyan, known to be cradle of the "conyos"

Joke.

[Nabartek]

Originally Posted by eonynx

cool! it's nice to see my favorite Philippine English school/university within the top 30 of the world's best English-teaching schools. i'm also glad that oble is closing in on the top 30 as well. my hope is that next year, ateneo would barge into the top 20 or even the top 15 (why not?) and oble would be within the top 30 rankings. an intensive and extensive improvement in the English teaching courses and instruction would make these possible.

I think we should try to get more of our schools there first before trying to climb up. I think that will really solidify our place kesa mataas pero iilan lang.

Just my dime.

[Nabartek]

Originally Posted by MatudNilaBaby

in general, filipinos can understand simple english but only very few have the mastery of the english language even among professionals. native speakers of english like the us, uk, canada, australia, nz dont really consider the philippines as an english speaking country because we opted for filipino as the national language in lieu of english. thats why ielts or tesl are required among filipinos when they go immigrate, work or study abroad where the official language is english.

those politicians saying that we are the 3rd or whatever english speaking country in the world is totally false. yes, if we talked about those filipinos whose teachers were the americans. they had good education. even a 3rd grade nanay or tatay after the war, talonin pa niya ang mga college students sa english speaking niyang pa american accent pa ang pronunciation.

Meron akong nakitang video sa youtube, magsasaka sa Ifugao, nakabahag pero pero ang ganda ng English nya. Masmagaling pa sa estudyanteng nainnterview sa kanya and he didn't have a thick accent.

The English education was probably better BEFORE. But then, we have been clouded by TAGALOG sentiments. They complain about English as MOI but then the same people do not complain how repressed non-Tagalog languages are in the national level.

[Sky Harbor]

Originally Posted by Nabartek

Meron akong nakitang video sa youtube, magsasaka sa Ifugao, nakabahag pero pero ang ganda ng English nya. Masmagaling pa sa estudyanteng nainnterview sa kanya and he didn't have a thick accent.

The English education was probably better BEFORE. But then, we have been clouded by TAGALOG sentiments. They complain about English as MOI but then the same people do not complain how repressed non-Tagalog languages are in the national level.

Hold on. How did Tagalog become the root problem of Filipinos' non-fluency in English? If there is an axe to grind with respect to this problem, it's that we have been subjected to misguided language policy, rather than language favoritism.

Misguided language policy says a lot about how Filipinos' fluency in English, Filipino and regional languages have virtually fallen since 1987, when the dual medium of instruction was first implemented. Add onto that cultural pressures such as Taglish, et al., and you have a recipe for disaster.

[watcher09]

Originally Posted by Sky Harbor

Hold on. How did Tagalog become the root problem of Filipinos' non-fluency in English? If there is an axe to grind with respect to this problem, it's that we have been subjected to misguided language policy, rather than language favoritism.

Misguided language policy says a lot about how Filipinos' fluency in English, Filipino and regional languages have virtually fallen since 1987, when the dual medium of instruction was first implemented. Add onto that cultural pressures such as Taglish, et al., and you have a recipe for disaster.

I agree. When I was in elementary, Tagalog was used only for Pilipino subjects. The rest were taught in English even Pratical Arts, Home Economics and Scouting. Also, we were allowed to speak dialect only during our Pilipino subject sessions.