English Language Proficiency at the Workplace: Expectations of Bank Officers in Malaysia

Abstract

It is quite common nowadays to hear employers in Malaysia complaining about the inability of their employees, especially graduates, to communicate effectively in English. In relation to the declining quality of English in the workplace, this research specifically investigates the criteria of good writing among Malaysian bank officers. Several bank officers were asked to evaluate replies to letters of complaint written by undergraduates pursuing an English for Specific Purposes course at a tertiary institution in Malaysia. The research methodology used was verbal protocols (Ericsson & Simon 1984/1993; Green 1998) and guided interviews. This paper highlights how bankers viewed the language errors in the texts they evaluated and also their views about the linguistic reality of English language proficiency of our graduates in the workplace.