An overview of the Blueprint

The Blueprint of Developing Taiwan into a Bilingual Nation by 2030, issued both in Mandarin Chinese and in English, lays out a twelve-year, stage-by-stage plan to bilingualize Taiwan in official and public domains. The bilingual nation policy is taken as a preparation stage for promoting English as a second official language. As the foreword of the Blueprint notes,

至於推動英語成為第二官方語言，則於 2030 年後，視雙語政策推動成果 之執行檢討，再行研議。

(the Executive Yuan 2018, 2).

[Promoting English as the nation‘s second official language] would be studied and discussed again after 2030, in light of the executive review of the results of the bilingual policy‘s implementation.

(the Executive Yuan 2018, 8).

The Blueprint covers six sections, including Forward, Promotion Rationale, Targets, Strategies, Implementing Agency and Budge, and Key Performance Indicators. Each section is summarized below.

The Foreword introduces the motivations to enhance English proficiency and to develop Taiwan into a bilingual nation. The Blueprint relates the mastery in English to global competitiveness and describes English competence as essential for all non-English-speaking countries. This bilingual policy is suggested to be built on the positive results of three previous English-related language policies, i.e. the Action Plan for Creating an English-friendly Environment (2002-2007), the Plan for Creating an International Living Environment (2008-2009) and the Plan for Enhancing National English Proficiency

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(2010-2012). These three English-related language policies are noted to have focused on bilingual infrastructure. Different from previous three policies‘ emphases on bilingual

infrastructure, the Blueprint aims at what it terms as 軟實力 ruan shili ‗soft power.‘

To promote Taiwan as a bilingual nation, National Development Council outlines 4 rationales in the Blueprint. They include

從需求端全面強化國人英語力 以數位科技縮短城鄉資源落差 兼顧雙語政策及母語文化發展 打造年輕世代的人才競逐優勢

(the Executive Yuan 2018, 2-4) strengthening people‘s English proficiency from the demand side

reducing urban-rural divide with digital technology bilingual policy and native language policy run in parallel forging competitive advantage for young talents

(the Executive Yuan 2018, 4-6) The first rationale, ―從需求端全面強化國人英語力‖ cong xuqiu duan quanmian qianghua

guoren yingyu li ―strengthening people‘s English proficiency from the demand side,‖ expects

citizens to actively engage in boosting the national English competence. The second rationale,

―以數位科技縮短城鄉資源落差 ‖ yi shuwei keji suoduan chengxiang ziyuan luocha

―reducing urban-rural divide with digital technology,‖ acknowledges the difficulty of

nationwide competence because of unequal resource allocation. The Blueprint proposes to alleviate the urban-rural division with digitalized learning. The third rationale, ―兼顧雙語政 策及母語文化發展‖ jian gu shuangyu zhengce ji muyu wenhua fazhan ―bilingual policy and native language policy run in parallel,‖ states the government‘s determination to promote

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both English and local languages. The rationale clarifies that English is promoted alongside, not at the risk of, the promotion of native languages and culture. The last rationale, ―打造年 輕 世 代 的 人 才 競 逐 優 勢‖ dazao nianqing shidai de rencai jingzhu youshi ―forging competitive advantage for young talents,‖ connects English competence to competitiveness

and career development. It reasons that better English proficiency brings quality occupation opportunities. Countries such as Singapore, India and Romania are described in the Blueprint to have advanced rapidly owing to their English proficiency.

The four rationales lead to two targets of developing Taiwan into a bilingual nation.

The bilingual policy is aimed at, first, ―厚植國人英語力‖ hou zhi guoren yingyu li

―cultivating people‘s English proficiency‖ and, second, ―提升國家競爭力‖ tisheng guojia

jingzheng li ―elevating national competitiveness.‖ The two targets outline two types of 力 li

‗power.‘ The 英語力 yingyu li ‗English proficiency‘ is the first goal, and invites the reading

that it leads to 競爭力 jingzheng li ‗competitiveness,‘ which is the second goal. English

competence is constructed as prerequisite to competitiveness. The graphic presentation of the two goals in the Blueprint places yingyu li as the foundation of jingzheng li, as shown in Figure 12. An arrow pointing from yingyu li to jingzheng li also invites a sequential, causal reading, as will be further discussed in Section 5.5.

164 Figure 12. The targets of the Blueprint (Executive Yuan 2018: 4)

The two objectives are materialized into 8 common strategies and 16 individual strategies. The eight common strategies devote to making English available in public sectors.

The eight common strategies are:

推動各部會官網全面雙語化 與外國人相關文書雙語化

公共服務場域第一線服務雙語化 落實政府公開資訊雙語化

與外國人相關法規雙語化 推升文教場館之雙語服務 培育公務人員英語溝通力

全國技術士技能檢定考試及證照雙語化

(the Executive Yuan 2018, 5-7) promoting all bilingual websites of central government agencies,

bilingualizing documents relevant to foreigners,

bilingualizing front-line services at public service venues, implementing bilingual government information,

bilingualizing laws and regulations relevant to foreigners,

promoting bilingual services at cultural and educational facilities and venues, cultivating English proficiency of government officials,

bilingualizing the examination and certification of National Skill Test

(the Executive Yuan 2018, 9-11)

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The 16 individual strategies demand each ministry, agency and commission to work collaboratively to put forth bilingualization. The 16 individual strategies include:

全面啟動教育體系的雙語活化、培養臺灣走向世界的雙語人才(教育部、

外交部、僑委會、經濟部、科技部、通傳會、各地方政府)

implementing in full scale the bilingualization of Taiwan‘s educational system, cultivating bilingual talents and international perspective (Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Overseas Community Affairs Council, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Science and Technology, National Communications Commission, local governments),

推動設立全英語電視臺頻道及鼓勵公廣集團製播英語節目(文化部、通傳 會)

promoting the establishment of all English TV channels and encouraging Taiwan Broad casting System to produce and broadcast English programs (Ministry of Culture, National Communications Commission),

增加廣播電臺(如教育、警廣)之英語節目(教育部、內政部、交通部) increasing English programs of broadcasting radio stations (such as National Education Radio and Police Broadcasting Service) (Ministry of Education, Ministry of the Interior, National Communications Commission),

政府採購文件雙語化(工程會、各部會、地方政府)

bilingualizing government procurement documents (Public Construction Commission, ministries and commissions, local governments),

鼓勵促參案件雙語化(財政部)

encouraging bilingualization of PPIP cases (Ministry of Finance),

營造友善雙語觀光環境(交通部、內政部、原民會、客委會、農委會、地 方政府)

cultivating friendly bilingual tourism environment (Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Ministry of the Interior, Council of Indigenous Peoples, Hakka Affairs Council, Council of Agriculture, local governments),

重大案件與涉在臺外國人或外商之起訴書，提供英文摘要內容；另建議司 法院對重大判決摘要英譯(法務部、司法院)

providing English digest of indictments for significant cases and relevant to foreigners or foreign businesses in Taiwan; and also suggesting the Judicial Yuan to provide English digest for significant judgments (Ministry of Justice, Judicial Yuan),

建置科學園區及產業園區雙語友善投資環境(科技部、經濟部、地方政府) creating bilingual friendly investment environment for science parks and

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industrial parks, (Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs, local Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs, local governments), 強化醫療院所及社福團體英語力(衛福部)

strengthening English proficiency of hospitals and social welfare groups, 提升金融機構從業人員英語力，營造友善雙語金融服務環境(金管會) elevating English proficiency of financial institution practitioners, cultivating friendly bilingual financial service environment (Financial Supervisory Commission),

鼓勵企業提升英語力(經濟部)

encouraging enterprises to enhance English capabilities (Ministry of Economic Affairs),

提升勞工英語力(勞動部)

elevating English proficiency of labor force (Ministry of Labor), 提升農漁業產銷雙語力(農委會)

elevating bilingual production and marketing capabilities of agricultural &

fishery sectors (Council of Agriculture),

推動青年及文化活動進行雙語交流(外交部、教育部)

promoting bilingual youth and cultural exchange activities (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education),

協調跨軍種雙語教育政策，提升國軍人員軍事英語能力(國防部)

coordinating cross military bilingual education policies, elevating English proficiency of the nations military force (Ministry of National Defense), 提高新進涉外事務人員相關特考(如外領、商務)之英文科目比重(外交部、 bilingualism indicates a perceived association between parallel language ideologies and language competence.

The fifth section of the Blueprint illuminates the implementing agencies and budget

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allocation in developing Taiwan as a bilingual nation. The Blueprint ends with seven Key Performance Indicators for 2019. The 7 KPIs are:

建置整合式英語資料庫帄臺網站

establishment of an integrated English database platform portal

鬆綁「國民教育法」、「高級中等教育法」及「私立學校法」等及其子法

relaxation of the Primary and Junior High School Act , Senior High School Education Act, Private School Law , and the associated sub laws and regulations

各部會官網全面雙語化比率

the ratio of all bilingual official websites of central government agencies 與外國人相關文書、證照等雙語化比率

the ratio of bilingual documents and credentials relevant to foreigners 公共服務場域第一線服務櫃檯提供雙語諮詢服務比率

the ratio of bilingual consultation service provision at the front line 政府招標文件內重要名詞標準化英譯

standard English translation of important terminologies in government procurement documents of public service venues

與外國人相關法規雙語化比率

the Ratio of bilingual laws and regulations relevant to foreigners

(the Executive Yuan 2018, 13, 23) The Blueprint defines English in the Taiwanese context by overtly telling speakers how English competence should be achieved and what English competence can achieve. The Blueprint can be seen as a stretch of discourse which is both a product of the ideologizing process and input discourse for further ideologizing process, as shown in the ideologization web in Figure 13.

168 Figure 13. The Blueprint in the ideologization web

The next section will discuss the ideologizing process of English in the Blueprint.