Cao Zhen

    caozhen0806@126.com

    English proficiency on the Chinese mainland declined according to this year’s English proficiency index (EPI) published by EF Education, a global language training company.

    The mainland ranks 47th with a score of 49.41 while Taiwan ranks 31st (53.18) and Hong Kong ranks 33rd (52.70). Last year, the mainland ranked 37th. According to the index report, the reason for the Chinese mainland’s slip is due to improvement in Latin America countries.

    William Dekker, director of academics at EF Professional English, explained that Latin American countries, such as Chile, Panama, Mexico and Brazil, have put strong emphasis on English learning by launching various promoting programs.

    This year, Swedish people were the best non-native English speakers in the world, with a score of 70.94, followed by those in the Netherlands and Denmark.

    The report was based on the results of 910,000 adult test-takers sampled last year in 70 non-native English-speaking countries and regions, said Dekker at a press conference in Shenzhen last week. Some data were incorporated from the EF Standard English Test, a free standardized English test launched by EF, said Dekker.

    Within China, Shanghai and Beijing saw scores of 53.93 and 53.56, respectively, still leading the country, including Taiwan and Hong Kong. Guangdong ranks 7th with the score of 51.23.

    Dekker said Shanghai and Beijing are surpassing Hong Kong and Taiwan because more multi-national companies have entered the two mainland cities and large local companies are focusing more on English study and training for their employees.

    Dekker said that despite shifting rankings every year, the report showed that English proficiency remains a key indicator of a nation’s economic competitiveness, with strong correlations between English proficiency and quality of life, Internet connectivity and the level of innovation in their economies.

    He encouraged English learners to focus on practical communication skills and use effective English assessment tools and online learning tools.