The hotline for foreigners 0800-024-111. which offers 24-hour toll-free service in Chinese, English and Japanese. http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=821009&lang=eng_news Survey of foreign residents shows room for improvement, but top marks for friendliness Dr. Frank Sung, center, of RDEC and Dr. Peter Lin, 3rd right, and Wen Pin Lung, 2nd right, of Shih Hsin University with other members of the survey team. Provider The average level of satisfaction improved to 67.9 out of a possible 100 points in a survey of white-collar foreigners in Taiwan on their opinion of the English environment on the island. The survey, carried out by Shih Hsin University on behalf of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission of the Executive Yuan, canvassed more than a thousand samples to determine their impression of the English they encounter in their everyday lives. According to Professor Peter Lin and Consultant Wen Pin Lung of Shih Hsin, the survey covered seven areas and revealed that the highest level of satisfaction was in "Overall Satisfaction with Taiwanese Friendly Attitudes towards Foreigner" at 87.0 and "Overall Satisfaction with Social Cohesion" at 82.2., while the other categories dealing with "Overall Government Performance", "Bilingual Signage:, Bilingual Websites", "Emergency Assistance Information" and "Service Facilities for Foreigners" all scored in the 60s. The survey showed that one area needing improvement is insufficient labeling on imported items such as foodstuffs where the country of origin is not indicated in English or where a Chinese-language sticker has been pasted over the original English label. Based on the findings of the survey, RDEC recommends that a better environment for learning English be created in Taiwan so that local citizens will be better prepared to interact and communicate with foreigners. Another step is to ensure that more government employees are able to speak English as well as other non-Chinese languages to provide more service windows to foreigners who deal with government agencies. The survey revealed a need for closer attention to English ability, signage, information and other aspects in medical facilities throughout Taiwan as well as a need for overall improvement in the English-language environment in southern Taiwan At the same time, the commission recommends the development of more opportunities for foreigners to study Chinese and Taiwanese even as the people of Taiwan seek to know more about foreign cultures and people. Also needed are more bilingual websites and more information on laws and regulations that may affect foreigners in their daily lives in Taiwan. Dr. Frank Sung, Chief Secretary of RDEC, emphasized that one of the most important tools for foreigners in coping with language problems and other issues is the hotline that has been set up to handle calls from foreigners. The hotline scored high in the survey at 71 points but many foreigners are still unaware of the service, which offers 24-hour toll-free service in Chinese, English and Japanese on 0800-024-111. ※ 编辑: hisunshine 来自: 118.166.11.204 (12/27 19:24) ※ 编辑: hisunshine 来自: 118.166.11.204 (12/27 19:25)