Singaporeans speak English, don't they?

If you think all Singaporeans speak English, think again.  Singaporeans are not known to speak English, but Singlish - our very own version of English.  It is a mixture of words from all the commonly spoken languages in Singapore, with an Asian grammar structure.  Often, sentences are formed based on literal translations from the home language of speaker.  If you've grown up in Singapore, speaking Singlish is a norm.  If you didn't grow up here, we'll know you're trying hard, but it just doesn't work.

So our government has embarked on a Speak Good English campaign for the last few years, in an effort to improve the standard and quality of English spoken and written in Singapore.  This year's campaign consists of activities and language games.

Really what we need is a culture of speaking proper English so that we can compete on the global stage in business and other platforms.  Singapore has done very well so far, but the younger generations often do not speak proper English.  They don't even know the difference!

Communication in Singapore among Singaporeans is fine.  But these Singlish-speaking people cannot communicate with those of another English-speaking culture.  Communication is not complete until the hearer fully understands what is spoken - meaning and nuances included.  This year's campaign focuses on communication.  And rightly so.  Do we really get the message across?  If the answer is "no", then we've failed miserably.

"Lost in translation" is not funny.  Let's do our best to learn English well.  Speak it properly.  Write simply and clearly.  Use short sentences.  Enough said.

Here's to speaking Good English!