Are there any parts of Asia where English is commonly spoken?
I want to teach English for a year somewhere in Asia. I want to live somewhere where at least a small percentage of the population speaks English, but I can't figure out where to go. I am considering Japan and Indonesia because English is spoken in those places on occasion. Is there any Asian country, or maybe just a part of a country, where English is more common?
Languages - 8 Answers
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1 :
Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India... those are my best guesses.
2 :
Hong Kong and Singapore. There are are also lots of English speakers in Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai.
3 :
Hong Kong
4 :
In the major cities of India, English is understood by many people. They won't normally speak to each other in English unless there is a foreigner present who might not understand their native language, but if you step into a crowd on the streets of Mumbai or Delhi and ask "Does anyone here speak English?" you will get lots of responses.
5 :
Hong Kong and Singapore, I would think. I can't really speak for Singapore, but since I live in Hong Kong, I can tell you that Hong Kong has a lot of English; the roads all have English names, the subway stops are in English, etc. etc. It has a lot more English than Japan (having been to both Tokyo and Osaka as a tourist), I can guarantee you that. Also, most of the people in Hong Kong can speak a dabble of English. It mostly depends on what area you want to live/work in; there are a lot of expats who live in Sai Kung or Discovery Bay. I've known people who live in Hong Kong for decades and can't speak a word of Cantonese; you can get by on just English in Hong Kong.
6 :
...To be honest, if English was more "common" in a certain area of Asia, then people would have already hired teachers to teach that language. If you want to teach there and live there without learning that country's language...here is some info: Your best teaching opportunity would probably be in China. Since they don't have English teachers already, I'm pretty sure that they would love to have a teacher teach there. On top of that, they are currently developing (which means economy=good). As for Hong Kong, English teachers wouldn't really be needed for everyday lessons; they'd only be necessary for tutoring. As for Korea and Japan, schools should already have English teachers. For living, Japan would not be the best place to live if you don't understand any Japanese. The best places to live without having to learn a foreign language would be Singapore. Most of the people there can speak and understand English. hope that helped :D
7 :
I know Hong Kong for sure
8 :
- singapore. there are only two languages spoken in singapore: chinese and english. most people there speak both fluently. - beijing+shanghai. nearly all of the newer generations can have at least a simple conversation in english.
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