Much ado about English: Adibah Noor offers to dust off teaching credentials

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysians are known to take to social media to express their opinions, with English proficiency recently becoming a hot topic.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Harun became the subject of online chatter, as did the production team of home-based education platform DidikTV.

Rina’s poor command of the English language and subpar presentation skills, as demonstrated in a speech she gave at an immigration event, saw netizens turning her into a meme.

Similarly, the host of DidikTV’s episode on reproduction was slammed due to her poor English.

These two incidents caught the attention of celebrity and former teacher Adibah Noor Mohd Omar, who is qualified to teach the language.

She has produced TikTok clips in which she corrects Rina and the TV host’s mispronunciations.

Speaking to The Vibes, Adibah Noor said watching videos of Rina’s speech and the DidikTV episode in question left her appalled.

“I expect our leaders to be impressive in their presentations, whether it is how they carry themselves or how they speak. Whether they are speaking to a local audience or on an international platform.”

saya nak offer diri kpd @KemPendidikan, utk jadi perantara yg "mengajar" bahasa inggeris kat didiktv, boleh? pic.twitter.com/ShO4QseWu7

— ADIBAH NOOR ??? (@adibahnoor) February 17, 2021

The DidikTV production team should have stepped in to ensure the “content, language, presentation and ability of the presenter” are up to par, she said.

Adibah Noor has also volunteered to “teach” English to DidikTV.

“For major presentations, like in these two instances, a team is needed to vet, coach and train before the presentation, especially when it’s a platform you are not familiar with,” she said.

As a public figure scrutinised by the nation, a team should be on board to provide coaching on “pronunciation, intonation, emotion and body language, so that the speech is delivered more successfully and impressively”, she added of Rina.

“We are not seeking to speak and sound like a native speaker. The basic standard pronunciation should suffice.”

She added that it would be better for such presentations to be made in Bahasa Malaysia, with English subtitles provided.

Adibah Noor urged Malaysians to go the extra mile to boost their English proficiency.

“Learn, and not rest on your laurels. Just imagine how far you can go if you upgrade yourself.

“We are a nation capable of many things, and self-improvement is just the tip of the iceberg, especially when it comes to giving presentations in English.” – The Vibes, February 18, 2021