Why The English Language Is Important: A Malaysian Perspective

Photo by Eliott Reyna

Are you a student who is wondering why the English language is important? Or perhaps a parent who has been asked this question by your child?  A common reaction to this question would be to say “so you can get a good job next time” or “because you need it in working life”, which is true, but it can be difficult for someone years away from working life to understand this properly.

There are better reasons you can use to highlight why English is important in our life to anyone at all who is sceptical that we need to learn it in a country like Malaysia where the national language is not English. Here, we highlight some of those reasons. 

Why The English Language Is Important To Students

For teens, it’s good to understand why the English language is important at their current level. Besides the obvious, namely, them needing to pass the English paper in the exams, teens will also need to be adept in English so that they can get information more easily on the Internet. While there is some information that is available in languages like Malay, Chinese, or Tamil, it’s undeniable that most information is more easily attainable in English, especially when it relates to the sciences, world affairs, or pop culture.

With more than 60% of the Internet’s top 10 million websites using English as their main language, it would be a lot more challenging to navigate the Internet for information and even entertainment if one was not at least somewhat fluent in the English language. Access to as much information as possible is important not just when teens are studying, but later on when they go into working life as well. 

Another reason why the English language is important for secondary school students is for them to broaden their horizons more effortlessly. It helps them to connect with other Malaysians and international friends more easily, especially since not everyone is very adept in the Malay language perhaps due to a lack of exposure to the national language. Speaking in a neutral third-party language can help to bridge communication gaps and form friendships more quickly, as well as open up opportunities for international travel, exchange programs, and so on. 

Photo by Pawan Yadav

Why The English Language Is Important In Our Lives

Whether you are a student or beyond that phase, mastery of the English language is crucial for major aspects of life. Not only does it make it easier to gather information online and communicate with others, but being at least decently fluent in the English language in both written and spoken forms is necessary for going into university, getting a job, and even thriving in a job. Sure, one can choose to work for local SMEs who communicate mainly in Bahasa Melayu, but opportunities would be limited and career progression may quickly come to a standstill with this route. 

Not only that, if you choose to become an entrepreneur, having mastered the English language can open up opportunities for you to expand your business outside of Malaysia, be it to the Asian continent or even to North America and Europe. With the availability of the Internet now, there are almost no barriers to getting international clients/customers for certain entrepreneurial efforts, especially in the services sector. However, this will require good knowledge of a global language, which is why the English language is important (though Mandarin is catching up quickly as a global language too!). 

Knowing a global language is also important in the effort of upskilling yourself since information on new research, techniques, and products is often first released in the English language. By mastering English, you’ll have a leg up over others in obtaining this information to use it for your own growth and progress. If you are only good at your native language, you will need to wait for the information to be translated before you get access to it. This is one of the biggest reasons why the English language is important!

How To Improve Your English Language Skills

Photo by Marques Kaspbrak

Now that you know why the English language is important, you may wonder how you can help improve your English. A lot of the time, expecting to pick up English fluently by depending on school alone will not be enough; English is a language that cannot be “memorised” through rote learning. Some ways you can polish up your English abilities include:

• Watch more media in English, be it YouTube videos, Netflix movies, books, newspapers, or even social media content. 

• Practise speaking English. Don’t feel embarrassed if you make mistakes or when others correct you because this is a learning opportunity. 

• Keep a journal or personal blogging site where you can practise writing in English. For better learning, use online software like Grammarly with your journal entries or posts which will highlight errors for you to learn from.

• Be proactive in expanding your vocabulary. See some words you don’t understand? Look them up online or in a physical dictionary. 

• Get paid help. Attending structured English lessons can help you gain knowledge and receive feedback that will assist you in your English language mastery.