EFFECT OF TRANSLATING SIGNAGES FROM ENGLISH TO FILIPINO

A Research Paper
Presented to the
University of Makati
J.P Rizal Extension West Rembo Makati City

Major in Filipino

November, 2016

Approval Sheet

The Thesis entitled EFFECT OF TRANSLATING SIGNAGES FROM ENGLISH TO

FILIPINO at University of Makati is prepared by group of researchers from II-Filipino
namely:

Merrilen Aler

Chielo Mae Dagdag

Novie Cubian

Alysa Joyce Ortega

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The author is very grateful to GOD Almighty for without his grace we wont be able to
accomplish and fulfill every single page of this thesis for his guidance all throughout.
Immeasurable appreciation and deepest gratitude for the help and support are extended to
the following persons who in one way or another have contributed in making this study
possible.

Professor Mary Argie Lyn Soriano our adviser who help and guide us to make
our thesis by teaching us the right way and the right procedures to write this

paper.
For the authors, editors, researchers for their information and works that really

help us to gain more some important details for our chapter 2.

For our respondents who lend their time and effort to answer our questionnaire.
To our families who understands us and let us to go home late just to finish this

thesis.
To all who are not mentioned but in one way or another helped in the completion
of this study, thank you very much.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Researchers

CHAPTER 1
1. Introduction
Have you ever wonder yourself reading signs, directions, boards etc. in public
places did you actually ask why are those signages are in English. Living in a
democratic world here in the Philippines there are two language that are commonly
use and that is Filipino and English. The need to be proficient in the use of English
among non-native speakers has become a global phenomenon. Today, educators are
faced with the challenge of addressing the needs of the growing number of students
whose primary language is not English (Gibson, 2003). While mastering other
skills and content in other subject areas, there is the necessity for these learners to
gain proficiency in English.

Since the Philippines embraced the English language from the American
colonizers, the Philippines today is the fifth largest English-speaking country in the
world and second in the continent of Asia (Wikipedia). Filipinos should be proud
of this because English is the world language, the lingua franca of the modern
era. But the question is, how will the Philippine government maintain and improve
the standard and the competitiveness of its people in the use of English, which is
highly needed in the emerging, fast-growing local and international industries?
A study made by Amamio (2000) on the attitudes of students, teachers and parents
toward English and Filipino as media of instruction provided an interesting
comparison. According to the result of the study, students and teachers prefer the
use of English as the medium of instruction, with the teachers finding English a
more comfortable language for explaining ideas and concepts. Teachers further
noted that English is an intellectualized language and a valuable tool to source
information technology. However, parents preferred Filipino because it is the
language in which they can think and express themselves and it is the language
that they understand and through which they themselves are better understood.
With the goal of increasing the number of English-proficient Filipinos, President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo implemented Executive Order 210 Series of 2003, which
established the policy to strengthen English as a Medium of Instruction in
educational system in the Philippines. The Presidents intention in implementing
EO 210 is motivated by a concern to keep Filipinos competitive and to make them
well-educated.

Using English as medium of instruction in the Philippines doesnt mean that we

have to forget our native language. Though English is given much time, focus and
priority, Filipino is still considered essential. The argument of whether or not
English should be the medium of instruction may seem endless, but in some
countries like Japan, teaching English has become a billion-dollar industry and this
same scenario is also happening in other East Asian countries.

NOTE: REFERENCE

Amamio L. (2000). Attitudes of Students, Teachers, and Parents of RVM Schools in Metro
Manila Toward English and Filipino as Media of Instruction. (Unpublished thesis)
Presented to the UST Graduate School. Manila, Philippines.
Cruz, Isagani (2004). English in the Philippines. Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Villegas, Bernardo (2000, May 26). Why English Should be the Medium of Instruction.
http//www.mb.com.ph/oped/villegas/2000.