A Study on the Implementation of the English Services Emblem in the Greater Taipei Area

Sia-Sing Guo ； Rong-Chung Su

《Taiwan International ESP Journal》 6卷1期 (2014/06) Pp. 53-75

https://doi.org/10.6706/TIESPJ.2014.6.1.3

並列摘要

In recent years, the need for Taiwanese to speak the English language has increased its importance in tandem with an increase of foreign tourists to Taiwan. Thus, local businesses will need to improve the English communication skills of their staffs. With an increase of enterprises located in Taiwan and the growing number of foreign travelers, the demand on English proficiency has seen a corresponding spike. According to Lin (2003), the Taiwan government implemented several projects to create a tourist-friendly environment that will increase the nation's visibility and competitiveness. One of the projects was the awarding of English Service Emblems, launched by the former Research Development Evaluation Center (RDEC) of the Taiwan Executive Yuan. The emblems are awarded to qualifying businesses to ensure that correct English is spoken with foreigners. Since the launch of the project, the emblems have been awarded to thousands of service providers. However, although applicants were evaluated before being assigned the emblem, in addition to the evaluation for the emblem award applications, follow-up verifications of service quality have not been adequate. This study investigates the English services provided at emblem stores in the Greater Taipei Area. The results found that, in the area studied, the stores with a gold emblem were able to provide adequate English services. However, most stores with a silver emblem failed to provide the necessary services to foreigners. The government and business sectors should continue to invest in English training for the improvement of labor forces and service quality.

並列關鍵字

English service ； English emblem ； Globalization

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