The Centre for Languages and Cultural Diplomacy (CLCD), IDFR carried out its second English course this year titled “Say It Right: A Course on Pronunciation” with the aim to support participants in applying the techniques of effective oral communication in their job portfolios. Among the topics covered in the course are awareness of the English Sound System, the problems in speaking English faced by Malaysians, elements influencing effective speech such as intonation, word and sentence stress and rhythm to which when combined, promote awareness and better communicative skills.
The course was attended by 23 participants from various ministries. Those among them were from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Election Commission of Malaysia, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Communications, Department of Chemistry Malaysia, Property and Land Management Division, Department of Information Malaysia, Malaysia Department of Insolvency, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Malaysia Government Call Centre, Ministry of Finance, Prime Minister’s Department, and Department of National Heritage.
The course was well-received by the participants as it encouraged them to speak in English intelligibly. It helped them to focus on the problem areas Malaysian speakers of English might encounter in pronouncing certain sounds that are not found in their native language. The instructors evaluated their speech in simulations that facilitated participants to practise the knowledge and techniques from the 3-day course, focusing on job-related scenarios at the workplace, thus inculcating confidence in speaking in English as well.
