Toward a 2030 Bilingual Taiwan: From Policy to Practice—Guiding Kids to Introduce Their Culture in English

In 2021 the Executive Yuan and the Ministry of Education (MOE) launched the “2030 Bilingual Nation Policy.” The goal is that, by 2030, English will be readily accessible across education, public services, and industry so the next generation can confidently navigate a globalized world. Core measures include:

1. Bilingualizing higher and K-12 education — establishing model bilingual universities and expanding bilingual programs in secondary schools.

2. Teacher training & digital tools — boosting teachers’ English-medium instruction skills and rolling out online resources.
   Creating an everyday English environment — making government websites, public signage, and frontline services fully bilingual.
   
   
   

(For the full blueprint, see the policy page and the MOE’s detailed implementation plan.)

Why Teach Children to “Tell Taiwan’s Story” in English?

• Internalizing cultural identity – Re-explaining a familiar festival or food in a second language helps children rediscover and affirm their roots.

• Authentic communication – When a camper or exchange-student friend asks “What’s special about Taiwan?” kids have a real reason to craft a full answer instead of reciting a textbook dialog.

• Cross-cultural empathy – Describing Dragon-Boat Festival or bubble tea forces students to break big ideas into bite-sized explanations their audience can feel.
  
  
  

Culture Topics × Handy Phrases

Tip: Patterns highlight sense verbs, time adverbs, and cause-and-effect phrases—lego blocks kids can quickly recombine.

Home / Classroom Practice Ideas

1. Culture Flashcards

   • Front: a picture (e.g., sky lantern). Back: three clue words (sky lantern, wish, Ping-xi).
     Students draw a card and build a Who-What-Where-Why mind-map in English.
     
     
     

2. Two-Minute Podcast

   • Require ~80 % English, 20 % key Chinese words for cultural terms.

   • Peers comment: “After listening, I learned…” to reinforce storytelling logic.
     
     
     

3. Role-Play

   • Scenario: A foreign friend visits Taiwan for the first time. Pairs of kids take turns as the traveler and the junior tour guide.
     
     
     

Sample Dialogues (Upper Elementary / Grade 6)

Scene 1: At the Night Market

 Visitor: This tofu smells… interesting! What is it?
Kid: It’s called stinky tofu. Don’t worry—the taste is milder than the smell. We usually add pickled cabbage on top.
Visitor: Is it spicy?
Kid: You can choose. If you like, say “xiao-la,” which means a little spicy in Mandarin.

Scene 2: Explaining Dragon-Boat Festival

 Visitor: Why do you have a boat with a dragon head?
Kid: It’s for the Dragon-Boat Festival. We race to remember a poet named Qu Yuan and we eat “zong-zi,” sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves.

Scene 3: Selling Bubble Tea

 Visitor: What’s that black stuff at the bottom of your drink?
Kid: They’re tapioca pearls. We say “boba.” Try chewing them—it’s fun!

Teaching Hack: Break “Culture” into the 4 P’s Kids Already Know

Answering the four P’s in order helps a child build a tight, mini English narrative.

Conclusion

The 2030 Bilingual Nation Policy aims to let Taiwan “see the world through English—and let the world see Taiwan.” Instead of one-way English input, why not spark English output grounded in everyday life? When a ten-year-old casually tells a foreign friend, “Taiwanese sky lanterns light up our wishes,” they embody the policy’s twin mission: stronger English skills and deeper cultural confidence.

Parents and teachers: grab a photo of a Taiwanese scene right now, ask your child to explain it in four English sentences, and share it with a friend. Education reform is a marathon, but every small family or classroom conversation is a vital stride toward the 2030 vision.