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In Asia, English tongues still tied

DECADES after the Australian rock group Men at Work asked "Do you speak-a my language?", the likely answer Down Under is no.

Australia is the third most monolingual nation in the world, a report by the Griffith Asia Institute says. Three-quarters of the population speak only English.

Within 30 years half of Australia must be fluent in an Asian language or risk falling further behind other countries, says the report, Building An Asia-Literate Australia: An Australian Strategy For Asian Language Proficiency.

Its lead author, Michael Wesley, director of the Griffith Asia Institute, said the country was suffering from a less well-known skills shortage: the ability to operate in different cultures and languages.

"As China's and India's influence spreads, and Japan and Indonesia become major players, our region will increasingly conduct its business in the languages of the big Asian powers, and be shaped by their mindsets and preferences," the report said.

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Date: 11 Jun 2009

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