TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2008 • TAIPEI TIMES

community compass P A G E 4

co m m co mu es. nity@taipeitim

Pigeon post

Discovery Travel, Living Channel looking for TV host

Attention all aspiring TV show hosts! The Discovery MEDIA Travel and Living Channel are looking for a co-host to join Janet Hsieh, the host of Fun Taiwan, to explore the country for one episode. The program is available all over Asia. People of all nationalities, professions and ages are welcome to apply. Mandarin proficiency is beneficial, but not necessary. The episodes may be filmed anywhere in Taiwan and the filming could take five to seven days. Interested candidates can e-mail a brief personal biography to [email protected].

Foreign assistance center opens in Hsinchu The country’s first local government-run foreign as- opening sistance center was inaugurated on Dec. 17 in Hsinchu City, offering consultancy services to foreign visitors and residents. At the inauguration ceremony, Hsinchu Mayor Lin Junq-tzer (林政則) expressed his gratitude to the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC), which of- fered financial and manpower support for the center. He also thanked Hsinchu-based National Tsinghua University for allow- ing its students to volunteer at the center to help foreigners with information about sightseeing, residency and investment, medical treatment, traffic, cultural activities and education in Taiwan. Lin said he hoped the new facility would become a model for other cities and counties, while RDEC Minister Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) said at the opening ceremony that other cities and counties had shown interest in establishing centers of their own. Rowena Lines, principal at the Hsinchu Holland International School, praised Hsinchu as the most foreigner-friendly city in Taiwan and thanked PI N GTU N G P O S S E P O SE the mayor for his efforts to build a bilingual living environment. Students from the Kaohsiung American School pose for photographs during a field trip at an Aboriginal village in Pingtung County on Dec. 21. PHOTO: HOU CHIEN-CHUAN, TAIPEI TIMES STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA Taipei City’s English services lack luster SAY WHAT? Some blame limited budgets for the failure of the city to make itself Information and Tourism, sought failure to address foreign visitors’ English-language information of- fully English-friendly. Others claim the practice of farming out is the real problem to attract local and foreign tour- needs by providing English-language fered by the city government is ists to Taipei and encourage them information, adding that the depart- insufficient and has promised to to spend the nights at hotels. Vari- ment would expand the scale of the demand that all departments pro- By Mo Yan-chih foreign community. information, Chiang Yi-hua (江宜 ous promotional activities, includ- festival next year and offer English vide more English information to Reverend Robert Crawford, left, receives Staff Reporter The latest event organized ear- 樺), a division chief at the office, ing discounts of as much as 55 information to foreigners. meet foreigners’ needs. Hau also a certificate from Nantou County Com- As Taiwan’s capital and an inter- lier this month by Taipei City’s said the office was not responsible percent at more than 30 hotels, “It’s true that we did not adver- promised to improve the quality of missioner Lee Chao-ching in Nantou national metropolis, Taipei City Commerce Office, for example, for putting together the content of were offered during the month- tise the event to the foreign com- its English Web site by recruiting County last Wednesday. PHOTO: CNA provides better English-language promoted the food service indus- the Web site. long event. However, no English munity [living] in Taiwan or foreign more staff to manage it. service than most places in Taiwan try in the city and launched a Web “I am not clear about the Eng- versions of the promotional bro- visitors. We mainly targeted local Chen Chun-nan (陳俊男), a divi- and enhancing the bilingual envi- site containing basic information lish version of the Web site. We chures or coupon booklets were residents this year because of a sion chief at Taipei City’s Depart- ronment has been a major goal of on more than 500 restaurants, in- contracted out the Web site and offered. limited budget,” he said. ment of Information Technology, US priest receives the Taipei City Government. cluding addresses, directions and you should therefore ask the com- Asked for comment, Chen said the city said the English Web site is main- Efforts to improve the city’s maps — all in Chinese. pany about it,” she told the Taipei Chinese Nationalist Party government should not tained by two English editors and English environment over the past “The Web site is a huge data- Times. (KMT) Taipei City Coun- blame the budget. The carries two stories daily. honorary citizenship several years included synchroniz- base of great restaurants in the The contractor, Corporate Syn- cilor Chen Yu-mei (陳玉梅) department’s bad habit Chen said the department was ing English street names and road city and allows locals and for- ergy Development Center, said criticized the department of contracting out activi- focusing its efforts on avoiding for decades of work signs and relaunching its official eigners to obtain information on the English-language information for its limited approach. ties to private companies, grammatical errors, adding that English Web site (english.taipei.gov. delicious food in the city in a would soon be available. “How many Taipei City she said, was the reason with an annual budget of NT$2.2 Staff Writer, with CNA tw) in 2003 under then-mayor Ma convenient way,” office director Another event held by the city or Taipei County residents would behind the poorly designed events. million (US$66,500), it was difficult Seventy-four-year-old US Catho- Ying-jeou (馬英九) to provide infor- Liu Chia-chun (劉佳均) said. government in September also go spend a night in a hotel in Taipei She urged the city government to to increase or ameliorate the ser- lic priest Robert Crawford was mation to the expatriate community The office said that the - data targeting local and foreign tour- City? Targeting only the local mar- put greater effort into promoting vice. The department will seek to granted honorary citizenship by in Taipei. base was in Chinese and English. ists, the Taipei Hotel Festival, was ket and ignoring foreign visitors is the city to the foreign community create a support team to improve Nantou County last Wednesday A closer look at recent ac- However, no English-language in- another example of the city’s ig- a total waste of money,” she said. by improving its English-language the quality of the Web site and de- in recognition of his decades of tivities held to promote tourism, formation can be found on the site noriong of foreign visitors and ex- Huang Chiu-chuan (黃修全), a environment. mand that all departments provide work to provide care and ser- however, found a lack of Eng- (www.foodintaipei.com.tw). Asked patriates. The festival, organized division chief at the department, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝 English-language press releases for vices for mentally and physically lish-language information for the about the lack of English-language by Taipei City’s Department of acknowledged the department’s 龍斌) has acknowledged that the the Web site. challenged people. Nantou County Commissioner Lee Chao-ching (李朝卿) presented the honorary citizenship certificate to Crawford at county hall, citing Foreign ‘white collar workers’ grade life in Taiwan the priest’s devotion to equipping disabled young people with basic TELL US: Despite a need for improvement in a number of sectors, the satisfaction as the quality of service at fire living skills. level of of foreigners living in Taiwan continues to grow, reaching 49 percent this year departments and police stations. Crawford first came to Tai- Asked whether they adapted wan in 1961 as a missionary, well to Taiwan, respondents gave and since then has been devot- By Shih Hsiu-chuan to attract more international tal- for “overall satisfaction with emer- an average of 82 points. ing his efforts to social welfare Staff reporter ent,” he said. “Foreigners working gency assistance information,” 67.2 “While there results show that work. A government-commissioned sur- on construction sites or working for “overall satisfaction with ser- Taiwan receives high marks for In 1988, Crawford joined ef- vey released last week showed that as housemaids come to Taiwan vice facilities for foreigners,” 87 for friendliness toward foreigners, it forts to establish an educational foreign nationals in Taiwan gave through specific channels and their “overall satisfaction with Taiwan- also shows there is still plenty of center in Changhua County for the nation a score of 87 for overall opinion is solicited by the Coun- ese friendliness toward foreigners” room for improvement when it people with mental disabilities, satisfaction with Taiwanese hospi- cil of Labor Affairs from time to and 82.2 for “overall satisfaction comes to bilingual facilities and and in 1992 founded a similar tality, the highest score in the 36 time.” with social cohesion.” communication abilities,” Sung facility in Puli Township (埔里), items examining the country’s liv- Government statistics showed Respondents found bilingual said. Nantou County. ing environment for foreigners. that 373,190 foreign workers were Web sites and bilingual signage Regarding service quality pro- In 2004, the priest established A lower score was given to the employed in the country by the end most unsatisfactory. vided by the government, the a training center for persons bilingual signs category, with over- of October, while the commission For bilingual signage, the high- Information for Foreigners Web with multiple disabilities at the all satisfaction for bilingual mark- said the population of white-collar est score (66.1 points) was given to site (iff.immigration.gov.tw) and Holy Rosary Church in Nantou’s ings on the packaging of various foreign workers was estimated at hospitals and clinics, followed by the 24-hour hotline (0800-024- Chushan Township (竹山). He products receiving the lowest score, 18,645. financial institutions, government 111) received an average satisfac- started a daycare service, basic at 58 points, the survey showed. Sung said that regardless of agencies and department stores, as tion score of 71 points, but more living skills training and home The survey polled what it which groups were targeted in the well as schools, hotels, restaurants than 50 percent of respondents education for mentally and phys- called “white-collar foreign work- survey, foreign nationals’ overall and sightseeing spots. A road sign that translates “White Goose Village” as just “Village” is pictured on Provincial said they were “completely un- ically challenged youth over the ers” living in the country, a bit of satisfaction with the country’s liv- Lung Wen-bin (龍文斌), a coun- Highway No. 9 in Ilan County on Dec. 3. PHOTO: KUO YEN-HUI, TAIEPI TIMES aware of the [existence of those] age of 15. a departure from past surveys, ing environment continued to in- selor at Shih Hsin University com- services.” Crawford, also known by the which polled foreigners coming crease, from 39 percent in 2006, 40 missioned by the commission to the adoption of different Chinese government. The DPP government Sung said the hotline service, Chinese name Yu Jen-teh (游仁 to Taiwan for travel, study or percent last year and 49 percent conduct the survey, said the lack Romanization was expected to enacted a guideline in 2002 stipu- which provides foreigners 24-hour, 德), said his efforts to establish business. this year. of bilingual markings on food be resolved as the Ministry of lating that the official Romaniza- toll-free service, was offered in and operate educational facili- Asked why this year’s survey From a maximum of 100 points, products, inadequate descriptions Education has recently drawn up tion system in the country was Chinese, English and Japanese, ties for people with mental dis- limited itself to “white-collar for- the overall satisfaction rate this on the country of origin and con- plans to replace Tongyong Pinyin Tongyong Pinyin. to help them resolve problems in abilities was inspired by his own eign workers,” Sung Yu-hsieh (宋 year was 67.9 points, he said. tents of food products or Chinese with Hanyu Pinyin, starting next Also receiving low scores in areas such as medical treatment, brother who suffers from Down 餘俠), deputy minister of the Re- The survey comprised seven markings covering other markings year. the survey were items under the visas, housing, employment, taxa- Syndrome. search, Development and Evalua- categories. An average score of on imported food items were most On Dec 18, Premier Liu Chao- “emergency assistance informa- tion and insurance. As special education pro- tion Commission, said the survey 69.1 was received for the “satis- troubling. shiuan (劉兆玄) approved the tion” category. The survey was conducted in grams in Taiwan cater mainly to would serve as a reference for the faction with overall government Respondents gave 58 points amendment to the Guidelines of Respondents gave less than 65 person between Aug. 8 and Sept. teenagers and children, Craw- government to bring the living en- performance” category, 66.1 for to bilingual markings on food Chinese Phonetic Spelling Usage points to English signage at police 9, Sung said. A total of 1,088 valid ford said, he founded the Rosary vironment for foreigners in line “overall satisfaction with bilingual products. (中文譯音使用原則), reversing a pol- stations, the English proficiency samples were received with a con- training center to help those who with international standards. signage,” 65.8 for “overall satisfac- Sung said different spellings on icy adopted by the former Demo- of foreign affairs police and emer- fidence level of 95 percent and a 3 are older but could not manage “The purpose of the survey was tion with bilingual Web sites,” 64.9 various road signs resulting from cratic Progressive Party (DPP) gency medical personnel, as well percent margin of error. their daily routines.

TT-971230-P04-IB.indd 1 2008/12/29 10:12:14