DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATON

SEMESTER MEI 2018

OUMH2203

ENGLISH FOR WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION

NO. MATRIKULASI : 970918036136001

NO. KAD PENGNEALAN : 970918036136
NO. TELEFON : 0179097699
E-MEL : wongpuishan0918@gmail.com

PUSAT PEMBELAJARAN : KELANTAN LEARNING SKILL

To: Sir / Madam

From: Wong Pui Shan

Date: 25 Oct 2018

Subjet: Many Malaysians have difficulty communicating in English in workplace

This course is intended for working adults who have basic knowledge of English language
and wish to improve the quality of workplace conversations. The course focuses on more
complicated workplace situations where more advanced oral communication essential for
workers to secure jobs , to be more productive and to increase chances of promotions. Since
English is the second language in Malaysia , the concentration is on generating learners with
the ability to communicate effectively in different social and professional contexts . the
importance of communication skills is significant in the management sector as stated in
different job advertisements. Without efficient communication skills in the management
sector , a manager would never achive success.

In my opinion , I do agree with the statement which state that many Malaysians have
difficuly communicating in English in the workplace , especially when it comes to business-
related matters. In recent years, the importance of equipping employers with good oral
communication skills in English has grown with the demanding nature of current workplace
communication. It is reported that employers believed that a low proficiency language skill
was a difficult factor for employment. In the workplace contexts, employees need oral
communication skills in English language to be successful in their jobs as they must carry out
different communicativetas is such as presentations, meetings and negotiations. The
challenges of having an effective communication in English language at a workplace can be a
serious obstacles in carrying out individuals responsibilities as a good worker. Each person
has nuances, intonations and facial expressions that can influence the way a message comes
across. on the challenges of effective communication in the workplace makes it even more
important to ensure verbal and written messages are delivered effectively and accurately.

Firstly, One of the primary reasons is that they lack the confidence and skills needed to
successfully speak in English. This feeling of apprehension or fear when speaking in English
has become a serious matter because it affects their employability and their self-esteem.
Workers who use English as their second language can have a fear of mispronunciation or
misinterpretation of their communications by their American counterparts. If an employee
feels he or she will be judged or made fun of for not using grammatically correct English, or
if he or she will be reprimanded for less-than-perfect written reports, there may be a
breakdown in communication. To be able to effectively work on improving English skills, the
ESL worker should feel comfortable in her work environment and not be afraid of making a
mistake in front of co-workers.

Secondly, an employer must show a legitimate, reason for denying an employment

opportunity because of an individual's accent or manner of speaking. Whether the denial is
illegal will depend on the qualifications of the person, the nature of the position, and whether
the employee's accent or manner of speaking harmed, or would harm their job performance.
Requiring employees or applicants to be fluent in English may violate Title VII if the rule is
adopted to exclude individuals of a particular national origin and is not related to job
performance. This is particularly so if the individual's accent does not impact their ability to
successfully communicate in English. If there are no opportunities to improve English skills,
the ESL worker can become stagnant in her communication skills. It's important to provide
opportunities for communication improvement, such as workshops or an ESL coach. One-on-
one training can be very effective as well, where the employee can work on improving her
communication skills without worrying about making mistakes in front of superiors or co-
workers.

Thirdly , Knowledge is power, and without the proper education you will not be able to move
forward in your career. In order to hone in on good communication and good writing it would
help to take extra courses on how to have better communication in the workplace. Training is
important. According to Embi & Mohd Amin (2010) explained that it is essential for foreign
language learners to have a wide range of vocabulary as it helps them to communicate
effectively in the target language. Having limited range of English vocabulary had caused the
students to face difficulties in acquiring the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading
and writing. Students face difficulties in understanding a conversation taken place in a target
language as it is often disregarded in the classrooms as most teachers focus more on other
skills. With all the skills affected by the limited range of vocabulary, it can be derived that the
biggest obstacle faced by the students in learning the English language is their limited
vocabulary. This finding confirms the previous study’s findings, which claims that a limited
vocabulary of the English language is the biggest difficulty for ESL learners (Mohamad Nor,
Mazlan, & Rajab, 2015) . Additionally, they also explored that learners face difficulties due
to lack of vocabulary, especially in listening and speaking skills. According to Stapa, Abu
Bakar, & Abdul Latiff (2007) besides writing skills, which are affected by limited range of
vocabulary, they also asserted that having deficient range of vocabularies causes poor written
literacy as the students face problems in details and cohesion of the ideas. It is because the
meaning is hardly conveyed due to the inaccuracy of the language used in their written task.

Firstly, The importance of the learn English in workplace is can communicate well in
business. A good knowledge of English allows you to communicate effectively with
international clients, helping them to trust you and your organisation resulting in strong and
lasting business relationships. This cultural understanding can be valuable for employers who
want to work with or sell to English speaking countries. A person is considered employable
only when he gets the necessary qualification, experience, interest, learning attitude and
expertise in the field where he wants to seek employment. The content knowledge in the area
of his choice is the primary requirement. The necessary experience, if not, the interest and the
attitude to learn the job assignments are much sought after by the employers. A person has to
remain employable through. Effective communication includes the ability to communicate
effectively in any language. Academicians and researchers are divided in their opinion on the
question; is English required for successful business communication? Is it not possible to
communication effectively in regional languages and get the work done? Those who are in
favour of English for effective communication would say that English is the official language
in most of the companies in cities these days.

Secondly, the importance of English in workplace is get better opportunities in job. Enhanced
communication skills in English can result to not only an improved social life, but also better
job opportunities in the future. From job interviews to the actual professional world,
communication skills are very crucial, and being proficient in English means being able to
communicate clearly and effectively. In job interviews, most interviewers conduct interviews
in English. Interviewers quickly make judgments and give great importance to first
impressions. Poor skills in the language can mean smaller chances of landing a job. On the
other hand, being proficient in the language can help one leave a good first impression which
means higher chances of getting the position one is applying for. English is the most
commonly used language in the business world. Most job interviews are done in English.
Most business contracts are written in English. Handling international business deals require
effective skills in English. English is the preferred business language because it is an exact
language. It allows a person to say what he or she wants to say without having to argue about
the meaning. However, using incorrect tenses, prepositions, and the like will make one’s
statement less accurate. So in order to have an increased competence in the professional
world, one should have a very good grasp of the English language.

Lastly, the importance of English in workplace is can improve English skills . Applying for
jobs in a different language from your mother tongue can be a very difficult task that requires
a good understanding of the demands in that language. Not only might the layout of a CV
(curriculum vitae) and the cover letter differ, but also the structure, terminology and writing
style. In order to successfully apply for a job in another language, you need to be aware of all
these differences. As pointed out above, English is the most commonly used language within
the international working environment and even companies located in non-English-speaking
countries might use English as their commonly shared language within the company.
Furthermore, many trade relations with companies in other countries will be conducted in
English. In order to apply for positions within such companies it is handy to have an English
CV and cover letter at hand. Learning Business English with the help of a language course
will boost your existing skills or help you build up completely new knowledge. Language
classes have the advantage of focusing on your personal needs. The learning outcome will in
most cases be much higher than when you try and improve your skills by yourself. However,
there are of course other tips and tricks that you can follow to improve your knowledge. A
combination of business English courses and these tips and tricks will most likely be the most
effective way to master English in a working environment.

In conclusion , before I end my report, I would like to stress on these important points as a
reminder to myself and anyone who read this report. based from the discussions of the
findings obtained, I can see three main conclusions which can be drawn regarding the issues
that state that many Malaysians have difficulty communicating in English in the workplace,
especially when it comes to business related matters. Business English is considered a special
branch within the general studies of English due to the use of specialised vocabulary and
jargon. A good grasp of the knowledge of English in general as well as a deep understanding
of special forms are needed to successfully build a career in an international environment.
This knowledge is important for both written and oral forms of communication, such as email,
letters, phone calls, meetings, presentations and many more. What we have seen in this
course is that the English language is and always has been a diverse entity. It has changed
dramatically over the centuries since it first arrived on the shores of Britain from the north of
Europe, and these changes mean that the language that was spoken at that time is almost
incomprehensible to us now. As the language has spread beyond Britain it has continued to
change, and to change in different ways in different contexts. It has diversified to such an
extent that some scholars suggest that it is no longer accurate to talk of a single ‘English’;
that instead there are many different English languages around the world today. At the same
time, however, English exists in the world today as a means of international communication –
as a way for people from different social groups to communicate with each other and to fulfil
this function it would seem that variation in the language needs to be curtailed to a certain
extent. That is to say, if the language becomes too diverse it will not remain mutually
comprehensible across different social groups. So we have two impulses at work that are
seemingly incompatible, or perhaps even in conflict, and the question we are faced with is
how to render them as consistent, as both being part of the existence of a single entity we call
‘English’. This is one of the central issues in English language studies today and it’s a very
modern issue because it has come about as a direct result of the unprecedented position that
English now occupies in the world: as a language with global scope which is implicated in
the history and present-day existence of societies all around the world.

(2017 words)
References

1. Amieza Amroz (Mar 07, 2016) Assignment English in Communication feedback from
https://www.scribd.com/doc/302748098/OUMH2203-Assignment-English-in-
Communication

2. Aniza Mohd Hanafiah (Apr 17, 2016) Difficulty Communicating in English in the
Workplace feedback from https://www.scribd.com/doc/309217832/Difficulty-
Communicating-in-English-in-the-Workplace

3. Anonymous (t.t) The Importance of business English and how to improve your
existing skills feedback from https://www.lingoda.com/en/english/business

4. Dr. Meenu Pandey (August 2014) Better English for Better Employment
Opportunities feedback from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264788119_Better_English_for_Better
_Employment_Opportunities

5. Jyothi (May 16, 2012) Importance of English in employment feedback from

https://www.deccanherald.com/content/249714/importance-english-
employment.html