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SINGAPORE : "Get It Right!" is the theme of the Speak Good English Movement this year.
It aims to create a conducive environment in Singapore where standard English is spoken and heard.
The annual nationwide campaign was launched in 2000 to encourage Singaporeans to speak universally-understood English.
One may not expect good English to be heard around many coffee stalls in Singapore, but this is where Ya Kun aims to be different. The franchise is promoting the use of good English among its staff, in order to communicate effectively with its customers, who now include many foreigners seeking a uniquely Singaporean taste.
Adrin Loi, executive chairman, Ya Kun International, said: "We want to make sure that our staff are basically proficient in English and Mandarin. Most of them speak a bit of Mandarin, so we train them to speak proper English...they speak quite good English now and my plan is to send them for more training."
That is why the chain is one of the Speak Good English Movement's partners this year.
Other partners on board include the British Council, dining outlets like Kopitiam and various educational institutes. They will be supporting a slew of programmes to get the man-on-the-street to use standard English.
The campaign is targeting those who are weak in English and those who speak it well. Those who are strong in the language are invited to use proper English consistently so that others can be exposed to it and learn by example.
However, preparing a good English-speaking environment takes time.
Goh Eck Kheng, chairman, Speak Good English Movement 2010 Committee, said: "I do not think we can achieve it overnight - not just this year but certainly over the next few years or even the next decade. But the acid test will be sort of the quality of English we hear in a food court, in a marketplace, on the streets and in informal settings."
The campaign will be launched by Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on September 7. - CNA/wk/ms
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