August 28, 2015 – Tainan City, Taiwan – For a small island, Taiwan attracts its fair share of international visitors. According to the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, in 2014, there were 4,687,048 foreign visitors to Taiwan, accounting for 47% of approximately 10 million tourists that visited that year. Aside from visitors, over 500,000 foreign nationals live in Taiwan according to the Ministry of Interior statistics, and many of these people are native English speakers. So, it’s easy to see why English language is important to the Taiwanese people. Besides improved English oral and visual communication, improved cultural understanding between Taiwanese residents and foreigners would also improve relations between them and ease the challenges they face in dealing with one another.
A new book released at the end of August 2015, directly addresses the issue of improving cross-cultural communications, and is a resource for both Taiwanese residents and English-speaking foreigners in Taiwan. The book’s Mandarin title, “遇到老外英語這樣說”can be translated in English to, “Conversation Guide Book for Encounters with Foreigners.” The author, Tony Coolidge, provides simple, English-language instruction for practical situations, combined with cultural lessons from an American perspective.
“For communication to be effective, language knowledge is not enough,” says Coolidge, “One also needs a good understanding of the other person’s cultural perspective to avoid misunderstandings.”
Tony Coolidge moved to Taiwan from Orlando, Florida, USA in 2009, and is currently an lecturer, writer and journalist. He has written English language instruction books for Taiwanese publishing companies. As an enthusiastic adventurer and observer of the culture in Taiwan, he shares what he experiences for newspapers and magazines in Taiwan and abroad. With this combination of experiences, along with the challenges he faced getting adjusted to life in Taiwan, Coolidge compiled the content of the book to smoothen the path of communication for others.
This book is published by Morning Star Publishing Inc (晨星出版社). (http://www.morningstar.com.tw) Copies of the book can be found in bookstores in Taiwan or can be ordered online at: http://www.morningstar.com.tw/bookcomment-2.aspx?BOKNO=0103353
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