(Provided by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature) NSYSU Department of Foreign Languages and Literature (DFLL), English Teaching Center, together with the Kaohsiung Branch Office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) jointly organized the 2020 English Speech Contest for Taiwan High School and University Students; the leading theme this year was “U.S. and Taiwan: Learning from Each Other”. Among 147 competing individuals and teams, there were 26 university students majoring in the English language, 28 teams of university students majoring in other disciplines, and a record number of 93 high school students.

Organized for many years, the English Speech Contest has attracted the attention of many young Taiwanese participants interested in issues related to Taiwan-US relations. Although related precautions had to be taken, the Contest was rather unaffected by the pandemic, and was an opportunity for the students to make use of what they had learned. The Contest invited the Deputy Director of AIT Raymond Greene, Deputy Director Mason Yu and Public Affairs Officer Dr. Julius Tsai of the Kaohsiung Branch Office of AIT, and Professor Chih-Wen Kuo – NSYSU Vice President for International Affairs and Director of Sun Yat-sen America Center to encourage young people to discuss Taiwan-US relations.

Chairwoman of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature Li-Ru Lu said that although Taiwan and the US are geographically distant, they cooperate in healthcare, high-tech industries, democracy, popular culture and arts, which made both countries develop a close relation and that further advancement of cultural exchange and cooperation is expected.

This year’s contestants covered a wide range of topics. The participating university students gave speeches covering such issues as science and technology, pandemic, cooperation in agriculture, healthcare resources, diet, cultural differences, development of international relations, and similarities and differences in Taiwan and US education. The high school participants recited pieces of English and American poetry, using reciting skills and gestures. The organizers said that this annual national-level competition lets the contestants get together, learn from each other and interact, improve verbal expression skills, and broaden horizons.

The 2020 English Speech Contest for Taiwan High School and University Students invited Public Affairs Officer Dr. Julius Tsai of the Kaohsiung Branch Office of AIT, Ms. Emma Benack and Ms. Sterling Conyers – teachers of Keystone Language Center, Professor Jade Tsui-Yu Lee of National Kaohsiung Normal University, Professor Hui Chen Wen of NSYSU, Professor Ta-Wei Wang of National Taipei University, Professor José Shih of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Professor Paul Talley of I-Shou University, and Professor David Gordon of National Pingtung University to act as evaluation committee. The organizing committee comprised Professors of DFLL: Professor Li-Ru Lu, Professor Rudolphus Teeuwen, Assistant Professor Chia-Jung Lee, Assistant Professor Selim Ben Said, and Assistant Professor Charlie Chuang.

(Edited by Public Affairs Division)