Pallay, Perry Jay I.

Article Review

English is the universal language. It helps individuals from the different parts of the
globe communicate effectively to avoid miscommunication. It is vital for any individ ua l
especially those whose jobs involve international affairs to master the English language to be
able to effectively perform the duties and responsibilities that come together with the job
requirement. In line with this, the Maritime Business is an international job that musters
different nationalities on board therefore it requires the cadets to mater the universal langua ge
for an easy and convenient flow of communication.

In the article of Li Bingbing and Du Hualiang, it stresses the need for the maritime
cadets to master English for it is now an asset in the Global Maritime Industry. The maritime
business as mentioned in the article is now getting bigger therefore the demand for
multicultural seafarers are also getting bigger. Furthermore, the demand for seafarers is
estimated at at least 1,545,000 wherein it indicates that the request for seafarer’s have increased
at around 24.1 %. It is not a secret to the world that nowadays, the Maritime Business is one
of the most sought after jobs for the younger generation especially in our country. In an article
published by the International Chamber of Shipping, Philippines is one among the estimated
five largest suppliers of seafarers. A large number of young people especially the men are
greatly interested in the maritime profession that they are doing their best to be accepted in the
Maritime Universities. This is not only in our country but also in other countries as well, the
reason for the sudden influx of the young people in the business is the fact that the pay is good
while they also get to travel around the world. This is where the issue comes in. The influx of
cadets wanting to be part of the Maritime Business is large meaning the cadets are from
different parts of the world with different ethnicity, different language and differe nt
backgrounds, in short, are diverse. This makes communication sometimes difficult. Imagine a
cadet from the Philippines paired with a cadet from India, they are both of differe nt
backgrounds, they speak different language, they are not trained and they didn’t master the
Maritime English language, right then and there, we can already tell that there will be
miscommunication and that they will not be able to effectively execute their tasks as they
cannot communicate properly with each other. This will eventually lead to an unfinis hed
business and an unfinished business is a disaster in the Maritime Industry.
 Moreover, the article did not only talk about mastering the common English Language
that we all know. This article specifically mentioned about the specific Maritime English that
the cadets should learn and master. This Maritime English is what makes a cadet more
competent in looking for a job in the globalized Maritime Industries. According to the article,
the cadets should master the specific maritime English as to communicate easily and
conveniently with each other. However, more importantly, this maritime English will help
them understand better the protocols of the business which will ensure their safety as well as
the safety of the passengers of the cruise and also safety of the environment. It is not a secret
that the Maritime Industry is a risk to all the cadets, it is not like a regular job wherein you can
just board the ship and it is guaranteed that you will make it home alive after a cruise. Accidents
in the sea may not be as frequent as any car accidents but the risk is still there, therefore an
effective communication among cadets is a need to ensure a safe sail in the seas, and effective
communication takes place when the cadets know and mastered the maritime Englis h.
Maritime English as mentioned in the article is the English jargons that cadets use, these are
the technical terms that they use when they are on board, these terms are only used by them
and that is globally used in the maritime business as to be able to conveniently communica te
amongst themselves. The maritime English are like English codes for the maritime cadets.

Another issue that was presented on the article of Li Bingbing and Du Hualiang, is the
method of teaching the maritime English to the cadets. They saw it as an issue that English in
general is not taken as seriously in the maritime institutions as they should be. They suggested
that the lecturers in the institutions should hone the communication skills of the maritime cadets
in order to make them more competent. The authors of the article also suggested that the
instructors should be more serious on teaching English to the maritime students, in terms of
listening, speaking, reading and writing. They mentioned that the lecturers should start with
listening, the instructors should start English listening activities to the students for them to start
registering the English language in their brain making it more effective for them to learn as
they are already getting used to listening to it. They also suggested that the process of teaching
English to students must also involve take home reading and activities, and also at the end of
every activity or term, they should have evaluation examinations to evaluate whether the
students were able to understand and learn something, and whether they are good with their
communication skills.

The authors suggested that instructors should give English reading materials that are
more related to their future profession such as books about the maritime business and books
that have something to do with sailing the ship or maybe books about the experiences of other
seafarers that may or may not be authored by a seafarer himself to be able to peak the interests
of the cadets and that they will be more interested in reading further and also mastering the
Maritime English language. This method of teaching English to cadets is beneficial for them
for this other reason, reading books about the experiences of other seafarer’s can become a
career coach for them. Thus, it will give them an overview of their future responsibilities and
it will guide them in their career perspective.

Another suggestion from the authors is that the lecturers will train the cadets in their
English speaking and communication skills by giving them real life situations about the
maritime business and to make them use the maritime English language by doing a role play
wherein they will exercise their speaking skills and on how they will verbally communica te
with each other using the Maritime English Language. This method of teaching will greatly
incorporate the Maritime English Language among the cadets as they are now executing their
readings, listening assignments on the Maritime English Activities as well as they are also
being evaluated on the other technical skills that they learned in their other subjects on how to
respond to situations on board.

Moreover, they also suggested that despite the possibility of the cadets having poor
writing skills, they should also be trained to at least write basic formal business letters using
the English language for them to be able to know how to write one for their future use. This
will help them a lot when they are in their chosen profession in the future.

These suggestions mentioned by the authors are things that we should consider as cadets
for it will prepare us for our future careers. Learning and Mastering English is not a want in
our course, it is a need for each and every one of us to take (Maritime) English more seriously
because in the fast changing world, one of the major competencies in our field is excelle nt
communication skills. To have an excellent communication skill, one must know how to
fluently speak and write using the universal English as well as the Maritime English langua ge.

In conclusion, the article was written by Li Bingbing and Du Hualiang as a result of an

observation of the Maritime Institutions in China. Upon their observations and researches, they
learned that the Maritime Institutions in China aren’t teaching one of the major competencies
of a Maritime cadet which is the mastery of the Maritime English vis-à-vis communica tio n
skills. Despite it being written for the Chinese Maritime Institutions, we must also take note
that this is not only for them, we should also have to learn and master the Maritime Englis h
language for us to be better in our communication skills because as a cadet, it is not only our
technical skills and out intelligence in sailing the ship but also how we communicate with
people that we may deal with in our future especially with our chosen career. We are required
to know how to communicate effectively as the globalized maritime industry is diverse, our
future colleagues may be from the different parts of the globe and we should be masters in
communicating effectively to be able to ensure a great and safe sail in the seas. We may also
visit the different parts of the world meaning we get to deal with different people and with our
mastery of the universal English language, we will be able to communicate with them
effectively and make great relationships with them. Moreover, mastering the English langua ge
can help us develop a great interpersonal skill that we need to be able to have great connections
with other people that may one way or another help in our profession and even in our personal
lives. As Farshad Asl once said, “Developing strong interpersonal relationships by creating
lasting connections instead of just passing acquaintances will take your business to a new
level.”

REFERENCES:

Maritime English Classroom Instruction in Global Maritime Context. Bingbing, Hualiang.

Global Supply and Demand for Seafarers. International Chamber of Shipping. 2019.
Retrieved from https://www.ics-shipping.org/shipping-facts/shipping-and-world-
trade/global-supply-and-demand- for-seafarers