Three short films win award for promoting English services

Taipei, Oct. 12 (CNA)
Three short films won government awards Wednesday for their role in helping to promote a friendly English-language environment for foreign nationals. The winning films were chosen from 11 entries in a competition held by the Cabinet-level Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC). The competition was aimed at promoting the "English Services Emblem," a label given to establishments that offer quality English-language services. The films, which were shown at the award ceremony in Taipei, focused on the difficulties encountered by foreign nationals in Taiwan who cannot speak Chinese and the help an English service establishment can offer in such circumstances. The top prize of NT$15,000 (US$494) went to Albert L.F. Chiu, director of the Media Center at Chia-yi Christian Hospital (CYCH) in southern Taiwan. His film clip, set to rap music, showed a native English speaker having difficulty obtaining medical help until he finds CYCH, which provides premium English services. "We also wanted to depict the lively culture at our hospital through the use of a humorous approach in the film," Chiu said. A team of four Hualien-based Tzu Chi University students won the second prize of NT$10,000, while a teacher at Yinpei Junior High School in Nantou County won the third prize of NT$5,000. The third-place clip was based on the experience of American James Miller, an English teacher at the school who struggled during his first two months in Taiwan because of his limited Chinese. One of his problems was his inability to take a bus to school. "I think the label is necessary," Miller told CNA. With the label, foreigners who cannot speak Chinese will know where to go to obtain what they need, he added. The RDEC launched the "English Services Emblem" in 2007 as part of efforts to improve and promote Taiwan's English-language services in the areas of shopping, accommodation, food and beverage, tourism, medical assistance and transportation. To date, some 4,000 establishments around the country have obtained the label.