Taxi drivers in Singapore whose standard of English is not acceptable have to undergo English lessons. Many of them are older men who have been driving taxis for at least 20 years. The younger ones are usually retrenched white-collar workers who were unable to find jobs similar to their previous one or decided to change career in mid-life. The older drivers had chosen to make taxi-driving a lifelong career, at a time when tourists were far fewer.
Learning any language at an older age can be daunting, especially for someone who does not have high levels of education. English is no different. For many, English pronunciation is difficult. Either the listener does not understand what we are saying, or they laugh at us in the face. Taxi drivers were initially fearful of going to class. They had obviously tried for years to learn some simple English phrases but never seemed to remember them, or just tried to avoid lessons altogether. Running away does not solve the problem.
Enter the government with heavily subsidised fees for basic conversational English classes tailored specially for taxi drivers in Singapore. At the end of the class, all the drivers were so pleased with themselves. They can now express themselves fairly confidently, especially with non-Singaporeans. Overall, the programme has been a great success. Not only have taxi drivers learned something, service standards of taxi drivers has gone up. Tourists no longer need to be afraid of rogue taxi drivers taking them for a ride just to rack up the meter.
Are you afraid of learning a new language? It does take courage to open your mouth in a new language, especially when just starting out to learn. Once you get the hang of it, it will get to be lots of fun! A little bit of effort will go a long way to making new friends and learning about a new culture.
Enrich your life today! Learn a new language!
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