Hualien’s 2025 English Empowerment Program Delivers Strong Results: From Startups to Hospitality, Telling Hualien’s Story in English

(中央社訊息服務20251105 11:56:57)As global tourism rebounds and industries embrace digital transformation, the Hualien County Government launched its 2025 English Empowerment Program. The initiative was tailored for startups and hospitality businesses, with three key components: publishing a business English learning book, offering in-person and online English courses, and producing a bilingual podcast series. The program aims to boost industry-wide English skills and promote a more bilingual-friendly environment throughout the county.

To meet real-world business needs, the government designed the courses with practical scenarios such as brand introductions, order negotiation, guest reception, customer service, and trade show presentations. These lessons helped participants strengthen communication, sharpen marketing strategies, and prepare for global outreach. Over 100 business owners and frontline staff from across Hualien took part. Led by professional instructors in small groups, they gradually gained confidence and began applying their new skills in the workplace.

To make learning resources more widely available, the County also published a book titled Business English for Hualien. The book is structured around four main themes: Starting a Business, Product Positioning, Proposal & Presentation, and Market Expansion. It includes over 200 practical sentence patterns and scenario modules, with native-speaker audio accessible via QR codes. The first 3,500 copies have been distributed to startups and tourism-related businesses, helping more people share Hualien’s brand stories in English.

The County also teamed up with the popular podcast “English Listen Up” to produce a 15-episode bilingual series called “Hear Hualien: English and Travel in Sound.” The episodes explore Hualien’s festivals, food, nature, markets, and Indigenous culture, featuring stories from local youth and international residents. After launching for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, the show received strong positive feedback. In addition, the County launched a “One Sentence a Day” English segment on the News Radio to bring English learning into the daily lives of Hualien residents.

According to the Hualien County Government, every step of progress—from pronunciation drills in class, to friendly greetings at markets, to product presentation practice—shows that Hualien’s industries are becoming more confident on the global stage. Many participants said they used to be afraid of speaking English. Now, they are welcoming international visitors, designing bilingual signage, and building English websites. Some have become “seed teachers” at work, sharing what they learned with their teams. Others formed peer study groups using “BBC Learning English” resources introduced in the course. These changes reflect not only hard work, but also mutual support and encouragement.

English is not just a language. It is a bridge that connects people. Hualien County Government will continue offering training programs and working with local businesses to build an international-friendly environment that welcomes visitors worldwide.