Putonghua, English grow in importance

Written English perceived as most vital language skill at work

Written English and Putonghua have become more important in the workplace since the handover, a survey has found.

In the Polytechnic University survey of 2,030 professionals, more than half said written English and Putonghua had become more important since they started work.

Written English was perceived as the most vital language skill in the professional world, with respondents giving it an average 5.08 on a six-point scale. This was followed by Cantonese, spoken English, written Chinese and Putonghua. More than 90 per cent said written and spoken English were as important as ever, while 70 per cent said Putonghua had become more important since the handover.

Department of English assistant professor Stephen Evans said the survey findings indicated that English continued to be the default medium of written communication in the workplace.

'English is still the usual language of written communication in the business and professional world,' said Dr Evans.

The increasing use of e-mail and globalisation had raised the importance of English. 'Hong Kong is always an external-oriented economy,' said Dr Evans, who noted people needed to write in English for external communications.