Thanks for everyone who has responded. From the responses so far, there are two main viewpoints as I understand it. The first view point, which I tend to agree with, is that English texts are useful for some fields that use a lot of English nouns and vocabulary, such as history or pharmacology. While there are the translations for these nouns, there are also plenty of instances where you need to know and use the English version, therefore it is helpful to study from the English text. To paraphrase one response, English serves as a "framework" to teach the material. However, I feel that I must offer a counter argument to this claim. Could it be true that studying a vocabulary list would suffice for these words, or rather just place the translations next to the Chinese words in the book. For instance 巴黎鐵塔(Eiffel Tower). This could save time by not requiring the translation of words not directly related to the material of interest. The second viewpoint, to which I mostly disagree with, is that studying from English textbooks will help with communicating with foreingers in the future. By far, the spoken language is the most important way to communicate with anyone, especially in a business setting. To commit oneself to the illusion that by studying from textbooks one is preparing oneself to communicate with native speakers of that language is a fallacy that could lead to problems down the road. Reading textbooks, while useful in itself to a degree, does not develop the listening and speaking skills required for effective communication. Finally, regarding the lack of competitive edge resulting from not studying from English books in college, I would like to ask clarification as exactly what is meant by "competitive edge". Does this mean high scores on English proficiency tests leading to better jobs? Or does this mean the ability to communicate in the English speaking world. If it is the latter, then I would have to disagree. As for the proficiency tests, this is an incentive structure set up by the Taiwanese government that students have no choice but to follow. It is also something I could argue against, but I will leave for another discussion. To take this idea of "competitive edge" a bit further, has anyone considered the disadvantage to the academic competitive edge of Taiwanese students and professors, who often find themselves having to write and study in a non-native language? I would argue that for the average Taiwanese college student studying from an English textbook would require twice or more the amount of time required by a native speaker. The time saved by the native speaker is used to partake in extracurricular activities or study more material. I feel that this time saved gives an academic advantage to native English speaking countries. Perhaps this advantage contributes to allowing western countries like the United States to stay on top of the academic rankings and have more publications published in journals. Simply stated, by researching and studying in your native language, you are afforded a time advantage against those who must use a non-native langage. Does anyone have any more viewpoints? I would love to continue this discussion. --

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