THESE days, it’s common to see job postings with requirements like “must be fluent in English and another language such as Mandarin.”
Recently, a woman voiced her frustration over how companies tend to expect job candidates to speak English, sparking a discussion online.
In her post, @nienojp shared that every time she attends a job interview, she is expected to converse in English. She pointed out that job listings often emphasise fluency in English, which puts those with only basic proficiency at a disadvantage.
“Sometimes I really wonder, are we even Malaysia? Every time we go for a job interview, we’re always expected to speak in English. And the requirements say, ‘must be fluent in English.’ If you’re just so-so, then you basically have no chance. Isn’t our national language supposed to be Bahasa Melayu?”
She then compared this to European countries, where companies conduct interviews in their native language, such as German in Austria. @nienojp adds that if one is keen to work there, it is encouraged to learn their language.
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Frustrated, she argued that job interviews in Malaysia should be conducted in Bahasa Melayu and that employees can adapt and use English when necessary, such as when dealing with non-Malay speakers.
“But nooo, if you’re not fluent in English, people look down on you as if you’re stupid. Ishh... why Malaysia, why?”
Her post quickly went viral, sparking a heated debate about the role of English in the workplace.
Many Malaysians pointed out that English has been a crucial skill in the job market for decades.
“Sorry to say, but this has been the reality in Malaysia for the past 10, 20, or even 30 years. If you want to work, especially in the corporate sector, you have to be good at English. If the job requirement says ‘MUST be fluent in English,’ then chances are, the job involves a lot of communication in English,“ wrote @anati.nasir.
“So no matter what, you’ll need to learn it if you want to have an easier time finding a job. If you don’t want to, then you’ll have to look for jobs that don’t require English. Right now, people are actually debating about Mandarin instead of English because in Malaysia, the basic fluency expectation is English and Malay. Sorry to say, but there’s no escaping English in Malaysia anymore. Good luck with your job search.”
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Others highlighted Malaysia’s reliance on global industries as a key reason why English remains dominant in professional settings.
“Because we are a country that uses technology, not one that creates it. If we had major global players, then maybe we could push our language—just like how Malay was once a lingua franca back in the day,“ commented @nur_hidayah_ash_burn.
