This entry is in no way related to one's prepaprations for the Foreign Service Officers Exam (FSOE) but this is a little thought that I have been toying around for quite some time now as far as foreign service is concerned.
I love the fact that compared to the FSOE exams of some other countries, the Philippine FSOE has made it a point to include Foreign Language as one of the subjects in the Written Test. This highlights the importance that we place in making sure our career diplomats are able to communicate effectively with more people from around the world. Yes, English is still one of the most widely used languages the world over but English is not the only language that millions of people are using every day to talk to each other, to connect with each other.
There are severel hundred million people out there who do not understand a word of English because they only understand other major languages like Mandarin, Spanish, German, Arabic, French, or Japanese. As career diplomats, it is very important for us to take great strides in learning the mother tongue of our host country. Of any country we will ultimately be posted in.
But more than being able to forge relationships and build connnections with other countries through embracing their language, it is even more important for Filipino career diplomats to truly be able to forge strong relationships with our Overseas Filipino Workers. After all, apart from protecting our national territory and promoting economic growth, upholding the rights of our OFWs is at the heart of our duties and responsibilities as career diplomats.
If I were to add one more subject in the FSOE, I would definitely push for a written and oral exam for Mother Tongue/Local Languages simply because if we are expected to truly uphold the rights of our OFWs, we must also take it upon ourselves to help them adjust well, to help them feel at home in a country that is foreign and strange to them. Having transferred residences several times becuase of my work in a multinational company, I know how it feels to be alone in a place where everyone speaks a different language. It can get tremendously lonely such that I find myself getting all excited whenever I would hear some random stranger talk in Cebuano only because it's a much-awaited glimpse of home.
Language is that powerful because it is one of the simplest indicators that make you feel and know that you are not an outcast. That you belong to the group and this has a profound impact in helping people adjust to a new environment. Language helps people settle in and be comfortable. When you are in a foreign land, talking to someone in your mother tongue can make the loneliness and the homesickness a little bit more bearable because somehow, you know that even if you are far away are not on a solo flight.
I was told that several OFWs don't only pay a visit to the Philippine Embassy wherever they may be to simply process their passports or other documents. Many of them visit the embassies/consulates to talk about other important concerns especially about their work and about settling in. We all know that not all of these OFWs come from the Greater Manila Area or the Tagalog-speaking regions in the Philippines which means that many of them, although they can communicate in our national language, Filipino, are more comfortable talking about these concerns using their mother tongue. We have so many OFWs who understand and who are more conversant in Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, and other major Philippine languages more than Tagalog. Wouldn't it be a greater service to these OFWs if their career diplomats are able to converse with them in a language that they are comfortable to converse in? Wouldn't that enable them to truly voice out and explain their concerns? Wouldn't that small action make a big difference in their hopes to adjust and feel at home in a foreign land?
Here is how I see this happening. Aspiring Foreign Service Officers will be asked to pick out one local language from a list of predominantly spoken regional lamguages in the Philippines in the same way that we were asked to choose a foreign language from a roster of choices. The examinees will then be tested for their proficiency in this chosen language both through written and oral exams. The most important test for this would be the oral exams where the examinees will be tested on how conversant they are in this chosen language.
Later on, an FSO's mother tongue can become one of the bases in his or her future assignments. Data from the different embassies will be gathered to list down the most widely-spoken regional/local languages/mother tongue of the OFWs in a particular country. In Spain, for example, particularly in Barcelona, there is a community of Ilocano OFWs who I ak sure would be delighted to talk to someone in the consulate who speaks in Ilocano. The list goes on.
We shouldn't just stop there. Using this data, FSOs who will soon be assigned in a particular country must be given an intensive course on the top 3 regional/local languages/mother tongue being spoken by OFWs in that country. This improves communication and feedback and more importantly, it helps big time in making the OFWs feel the presence of their diplomats and the efforts of their diplomats in helping them settle in.
This is one way I think career diplomats can truly live out our commitment in upholding the three pillars of Philippine Foreign Policy.
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