[lg policy] What the case of Hong Kong’s star policeman says about city’s language policy

[Harold Schiffman]

 What the case of Hong Kong’s star policeman says about city’s language
policy

Ifzal Zaffar recently climbed a crane and, speaking in Urdu, persuaded a
fellow Pakistani not to commit suicide. He’s proficient in Cantonese with
help from a government scheme, but a fuller embrace of multilingualism is
still needed

By Lisa Lim <http://www.scmp.com/author/lisa-lim>
31 Mar 2017

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More on
this story

Constable Ifzal Zaffar, a Hong Kong policeman of Pakistani descent, became
an overnight star after he talked a fellow Pakistani out of committing
suicide in February. The fact he used their mother tongue, Urdu, to
communicate was noted in media reports, which also highlighted his
Cantonese proficiency and lauded Project Gemstone.

The latter is a scheme introduced in 2013 to provide Cantonese-language
training to non-ethnic-Chinese young people interested in joining the
police force or entering government service.

Also highlighted was a 2014 collaboration between the police and the Centre
for Harmony and Enhancement of Ethnic Minority Residents, which provides
interpretation services through teleconferencing – available in Hindi,
Nepali, Tagalog, Thai, Punjabi, Urdu and Bahasa Indonesia – to support
people from ethnic minorities at police reporting centres.
Hero Hong Kong police officer who made headlines worldwide: ‘I was just
doing my duty’
<http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2079933/hero-hong-kong-police-officer-who-made-headlines>

Such initiatives signal a shift in policy: from one that sees language as a
problem – with multi­lingual­ism viewed as potentially leading to conflict
and lack of social cohesion, and minority languages associated with poverty
and dis­advantage – to one that sees language as a right that allows for
full participation in society. A third orientation, of language as a
resource, recognises multi­lingualism as increasing society’s stock of
skills, enhancing the status of groups viewed as subordinate, promoting
local economies and cultures, and encouraging mutual respect rather than
dominance. It also recognises minority groups as sources of expertise – as
with our Urdu-speaking officer.

But shouldn’t regard for diversity cut both ways, with proficiency in more
than just Hong Kong’s dominant languages being acquired by many?
Chinese as a second language to be taught to ethnic minority pupils
<http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1406231/chinese-second-language-be-taught-ethnic-minority-pupils>

Take London, where almost 300 lanrguages are spoken. In 2013, the
Metropolitan Police Service offered its 31,000 officers the chance to learn
one of 18 languages ranging from French to Farsi, to improve communication
with the city’s growing ranks of ethnic communities. The Met’s 2015
recruitment drive required candidates to be proficient in a second language
– one of 14, including Arabic, Bengali, Greek, Hebrew, Polish, Sinhala,
Turkish, and Yoruba – recognising the skill as an asset for more
effectively engaging with people in the community. Officers of the New York
Police Department speak 75 languages between them.
Policies needed which give ethnic minorities level playing field
<http://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2007415/policies-needed-which-give-ethnic-minorities-level-playing-field>

Occupation aside, ethnic and linguistic diversity – including the learning
of minority languages by the majority community – have been shown to be
valuable economic and social resour­ces, contributing to societal
well-being and nation-building.

Perhaps one day we will be lauding someone ethnically Chinese for their
proficiency in a minority language.

http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/2083468/what-case-hong-kongs-hero-policeman-says-about


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