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‘Can you say that in English?’ Why a common tongue matters
When you unconsciously slip into your mother tongue in mixed company, you can inadvertently make some people feel excluded.
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Language should never be a barrier, but a bridge to connect us.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH
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In May, I walked into my daughter’s recent Parents’ Day celebration in her pre-school with one worry on my mind – that I would be the oldest parent there among those in their 20s and 30s.
However, during the course of the event, something else made me even more uncomfortable. One of the teachers kept switching between Mandarin and English when conducting an activity and interacting with parents.
