Tainan Citizen English Resource Network, jointly established by Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology and Tainan City Government, was officially launched on December 26, which stood for a big step forward for the plan of Tainan City Government to promote English as the second official language and which also showed the important contribution of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology in assisting the municipal government to promote the plan.

When Prime Minister Ching-Te Lai was the mayor of Tainan City, he announced that he would promote English as the second official language of Tainan City. It is scheduled to take 10 years to build a bilingual city in Tainan, following Singapore as its model. It is hoped that the plan can bring Tainan City access to international communication and further integration with the world. Prime Minister Lai announcement made Tainan City the first city in Taiwan to move toward using English as the second official language, while Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology became the first university in the country to fully respond to the plan.

【Acting President Deng-Maw Lu of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology was having a speech】

Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, based on the spirit of social responsibility and in the belief that university should be a model for the country as a whole, became the first university to have vigorously responded to Prime Minister Lai’s plan of making English the second official language, urging the entire school system—teachers and faculties and students—to cooperate with Tainan City Government in promoting the plan. Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology thus became the most active, the most indicative, and the best-funded university for the second official language program in English. In the promotion over the past two years, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology has been very supportive of Tainan's policy of promoting English as the second official language and has been deeply involved in the various government departments and ministries. Therefore, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology is everywhere in the plan—Tainan Citizen's English Resources Network, English training for official work force, Business English menu translation, English guide volunteer training, business English promotion program, English website optimization, catering and snack industry English service promotion and marketing, English officer USR program—and has achieved remarkable results so that the construction of bilingual environment in Tainan City can gradually get into the right path and keep upgrading itself.

【Deputy Mayor Cheng-Yuan Chang of Tainan City was having a speech】

Under the supervision of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology organized a team of professionals to assist the municipal government in establishing the Tainan Citizen English Resource Network. It is a starting point to enhance the English ability of Tainan citizens, and it will be the most important resource in the future for the improvement of Tainan's English as a second official language for Tainan to be an International city in the long run. Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology is also proud of being able to build this bright resource as a feature of Tainan metropolis to benefit Tainan residents. Tainan Citizen's English Resource Network is a site belonging to all citizens. With daily living and practicability as the orientation, each course is brief and practical. Everyone can listen to it in his or her leisure time, learning English anytime and everywhere and bringing English into his or her daily life.

【Introduction of "Global English in Tainan Citizen English Resource Network" by Prof. Tai-Fu Huang, Dean the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology】

On the website, citizens can tap into the "English Menu" to create a unique bilingual menu. The website also offers the English titles for one hundred famous snacks and presents in Tainan, which can be used by the public at any time. In the “Tainan Citizen English Resource Area”, citizens are provided with common English sentences according to the categories of food, clothing, housing, transportation, education and music, so that they can step into the English learning area without any barriers. For foreigners to go to the government for consultation with government agencies, civil servants with basic English skills are also the corners of an English-friendly city. Therefore, there is also a "Civil Service English Corner" to encourage civil servants to improve their English.

【The first online production of English menu was officially launch on December 26 on Tainan Citizen English Resources Network】

In addition to the English learning resources, the site also offers a section called "Tainan Citizen Global English Tests," which allows the public to take a test in English anytime and anywhere with a mobile phone. “Tainan Citizen Global English Test” is designed in accordance with the most commonly used 4,000 word to help people familiar with frequently used English words and improve their practical ability of English as the goal of the test. Following the concept that testing can be a type of learning, it is expected that citizens can, by self-testing in English skills, citizens can continuously familiarize themselves with common English vocabulary and expressions in practice so as to improve their English ability. The subjects on the website are given as close as possible to the real-life environment in Tainan City, based on the themes of everyday living. The tests are divided into "entry level" and "advanced level."

【Press Conference for Tainan Citizens English Resource Network Launching Ceremony: Deputy Mayor Cheng-Yuan Chang of Tainan City (center), Acting President Deng-Maw Lu of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology (second from the left), and other guests】

Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology has also integrated the contents of Tainan Citizen English Resource Network into the courses of it English teaching. In recent years, the university has been adjusting its teaching modes and committed to innovative teaching, hoping to find the most effective teaching methods to help students learn English. The university said that English proficiency will become the key for the following generations of Taiwan to the world. Therefore, the plan to promote English as the second official language in Tainan City requires the entire city to move together and make the city further with international standards. It is hoped that Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology can lead the way to globalization with English, bringing the world into Tainan and carrying Tainan to the world.

【Press Conference for Tainan Citizens English Resource Network Launching Ceremony: Deputy Mayor Cheng-Yuan Chang of Tainan City (center in the back row), Acting President Deng-Maw Lu of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology (second from the left in the back row), and other guests】