‘We’re a multilingual lot’
“I speak English, Malay, Mandarin and
Hokkien. Being multilingual has really benefited me as it helps me to quickly adapt to new surroundings and stay competitive. For example, my housemate at my college hostel is from China. There would hardly have been any conversation between us, had I not been able to communicate fluently in Mandarin and have ample cultural understanding. We have since become best friends. As a student, grasping more than one language is extremely vital. If a student is only capable of speaking his mother tongue, he will face difficulties in comprehending subjects taught in another language.” – June Yee, 20
“I consider English to be my first language and Malay my second. Being proficient in more than one language can land you various opportunities, from new friends to job offers. This is because you can communicate with more people and you can also help bridge language barriers as a translator. Being bilingual makes it easier for me to learn a third language because it helps me understand the translation aspect between two languages – something a monolingual might find hard to grasp. For instance, some beginner speakers’ English comes out so odd and broken due to direct translation.” –
Lilyana Rizal, 18
“Being a multilingual Malaysian who is fluent in English, Malay and Tamil, and understands a certain amount of Mandarin, has given me many benefits. For instance, it breaks the language barrier when buying goods from a vendor and visiting an interior village comprising people who only speak their respective native languages. I’ve noticed that people who speak the same language often feel more comfortable carrying out a friendly conversation with each other. Through meaningful conversations with friends who share the same language fluency as me, I’ve been able to educate myself on their various cultures and traditions. This has definitely helped me build strong bonds with them. It’s always an asset to be multilingual when looking for job offers. As a part-time worker at a food and beverage outlet, I’ve been able to have a smooth flow of conversations with customers. It gives me a little boost of confidence and a sense of kinship when conversing with them.” – Sindhu Segar, 18
“One of the perks of being a Malaysian is that you have access to a variety of languages and dialects from a very young age. Though the majority of the population are either bilingual or multilingual, I can’t confidently say I am one of them. I developed an interest in reading English novels during my primary school days. So naturally, I became mainly fluent in the English language. I only found friends in people who spoke
English just like me. My family, acquaintances and even tutors had to adjust to speaking English to me because they knew I’d understand better that way. Soon, I became so woefully dependent on the language that I had to transfer out of a Chinese vernacular school to an international one, which placed a heavy burden on my parents’ finances. I never took the initiative to expose myself to other languages, thinking I would be able to get by with just one medium of communication. Now as I am older, I can see the many advantages of being able to speak more than one language. It is a powerful skill that can prove useful when you least expect it. It’s a shame that I realised this so much later in life. But I also know it’s never too late to try and learn another language. I’ve recently decided to get better at the Malay language, at least until I can hold a proper conversation in it.” – Alyson Wong, 16
“I speak English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil fluently. I attended a Chinese vernacular primary school and after joining a national secondary school, I realised most people speak in several languages and that it is extremely useful to know all four of the main Malaysian languages. I strongly believe that having the ability to converse in various languages helps us to communicate better with one another regardless of race, ethnicity and nationality. During my trip to China at the age of five, I was the sole translator between my family and everyone else who spoke Mandarin. I felt powerful that I was the middle person between my family and the whole of China, and it encouraged me to keep learning Mandarin.” – Sarvendra Tarun Sures, 15
All students featured here are participants of the BRATS Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-education (Star-nie) team.