Malaysia Wants You

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Kizmet, Mar 21, 2016.

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  1. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Here I go responding to a 2-year-old post. :)

    English is THE lingua franca of Malaysia, but most people there don't speak it as their primary language. Where I stayed, there were about an equal amount of speakers of Malay, three different dialects of Chinese, Hindu-speaking Indians and Nepali. There are dozens upon dozens of other languages, including seemingly endless native Malaysian languages of varying mutual intelligibility with a few thousand speakers each.

    My guess is that the students felt confident enough in their English from perfunctory day-to-day speaking, watching TV and casual reading to feel like they could competently grasp the academic program. Then came the fateful moment that they cracked open their textbooks and were hit with the harsh reality that most non-native speakers would face in the same situation.
     
    Maniac Craniac, Nov 25, 2019
    #21
    SteveFoerster likes this.
  2. nyvrem

    nyvrem Active Member

    i'm going malacca next week! can't wait.

    :D
     
    nyvrem, Nov 25, 2019
    #22
    SteveFoerster likes this.
  3. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Awesome!

    You're near-guaranteed to have a fantastic time. Bon voyage!!!!!
     
    Maniac Craniac, Nov 26, 2019
    #23
  4. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Kizmet, Dec 29, 2019
    #24
    Maniac Craniac likes this.
  5. Paradigm Shift

    Paradigm Shift New Member

    Was searching of things related to Malaysia and found this little nugget.

    2020 update.
    Malaysia in some sense speaks English to a decent degree where most locals would be able to understand each other。

    Manglish they call it, Malay-English.
    Having lived and mainly grew up in the states, and working here for a couple of years, it is clear that the lack of a full comprehension of the English language is many struggle with.

    Schools flip flop on whether to teach in Malay or English as their primary mode of education. Textbooks are constantly being rewritten, due to the change of "Education Ministers".
    And for most local universities here (not the foreign university branches), they require students to pass something called MUET (Malaysian University English Test).

    Any Western high-school student that sat for the SAT or equivalent can easily close one eye and take a shot in the dark and still pass with an average score or better. But its a different story here.

    If you know anything about CEFR levels. It's around a B2/C1 to pass the MUET.
    I've tutored a few students and well results shows they're around a A2/B1(at best).
    So what I'm getting at is if anyone is interested to come here, do note the challenges you may face with the English language.

    They speak English just fine as to their level and understanding of it, mixed in with some Malay and Mandarin/Cantonese.

    Their main objective really is to pass exams. Which then they can use to enter or apply to universities and jobs requiring a specific level or grade.

    Its not how well you can speak, its what's on paper.
    Hint:
    MUET
    IELTS
    TOEFL
    CEFR B2-C2
     
    Paradigm Shift, Apr 19, 2020
    #25
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