Marami ang nagagandahan sa Singapore dahil sa kanyang pagiging maunlad. Ang Singapore ngayon ay isang masiglang cosmopolitan city na mayroong maraming high-rise buildings at landscaped gardens. Bagamat maliit lamang na bansa, Singapore commands an enormous presence in the world today with its free trade economy and highly efficient workforce. Bukod dito, ang strategic location ng Singapore sa region ang dahilan kung bakit isa siyang central sea port along major shipping routes.
Ganunpaman, linggit sa kaalaman ng maraming Pinoy na mahigpit ang pagpapatupad ng batas sa Singapore. Ang corporal punishment (canning o pagpapalo gamit ng cane) at capital punishment (by hanging o bitay) parin ang mga kaparusahan sa mga serious offences. Mahigit 400 na tao na-execute sa Singapore, mostly for drug trafficking, between 1991 and 2004. Statistically, ang Singapore ay mayroong isa sa pinakamataas na execution rates sa mundo base relative sa kanyang population, na mas mataas pa kaysa sa Saudi Arabia.
Puwera sa mga serious offences tulad ng drug trafficking, may mga naiibang batas din sa Singapore na dapat malaman ng mga dayuhang Pinoy:
1. Bawal magkalat (Littering) sa kalye. Ipinagmamalaki ng Singapore ang kanyang kalinisan. Mula pa noong 1968, mahigpit na ipinapagbawal ang pagkakalat sa pampublikong lugar. Ang multa ay umaabot ng SGD$500.
2. Bawal magbenta o kumain ng chewing gum sa Singapore – Upang maiwasan ang magkalat o magdikit ng chewing gum kung saan saan sa pampublikong lugar, ipinagbabawal ng Singapore Government ang magbenta ng chewing gum. ("Regulation of Imports and Exports (Chewing Gum) Regulations") Maaari lamang makabili ng mga chewing gum nakakapagpagaling ng sakit o may “therapeutic value” sa doctor. Maaari kang kumain ng chewing gum na prinescribe ng doctor tulad ng mga “therapeutic chewing gum”, ngunit dapat mong itapon ang chewing gum sa tamang basurahan at nahulihan, kung hindi ay maari kang mahuli at magmumulta.
3. Maging maingat sa paggamit ng Wifi ng kapitbahay. Noong November 2006, 17 year old Garyl Tan Jia Luo, was arrested for tapping into his neighbour's wireless Internet. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_piggybacking)
4. Bawal makitang nakahubad sa publiko (public nudity) – Mukang common sense itong batas na ito, dahil wala namang matinong Pinoy ang maglalakad sa kalye ng hubad, kahit na nasa Pilipinas pa. Ngunit sa Singapore, kahit na nasa loob ka ng bahay o hotel, kapat may nakakita sa iyo na kapit bahay na nakahubad, maaari kang i-report. Sa Singapore maaari kang makulong o magbayad ng fine dahil sa pornography, kaya’t bawal ang mga XXX magazines tulad ng Playboy, Penthouse, atbp…
5. Bawal ang hindi mag-flush ng toilet pagkatapos gamitin. Ang mga police officers ay nag-rarandom check ang mga public toilets sa Singapore at maaari kang multahan kapag nahulihan na hindi mag-flush ng toilet. (Environmental Public Health (Public Cleansing) Regulations (Cap. 95, Rg. 3, 2000), rg. 16.)
6. Maging maingat sa pananalita tungkol sa gobyerno, relihiyon o mga ibang lahi (racist comments). Maaari kang makasuhan ng “Sedition” (Sedition Act, Chapter 290, Statutes of Singapore) kapag nahulihan kang nagsasalita ng hindi maganda tungkol sa ibang relihiyon, ibang lahi o sa gobyerno. Tandaan na may iba’t ibang lahi ng tao ang nasa Singapore (Chinese, Malay, Indians, etc.) at 40% ng population ng Singapore ay foreigners. Kahit ang pag-post ng mga di magandang comments tungkol s relihiyon, ibang lahi o gobyerno sa Internet ay ipinapagbawal. Noong September 2005, mayroong 2 lalaki ang na-sentence dahil sa pag-post ng racist comments sa Internet forums.
7. Maging maingat sa papakilala sa iba ng taong hindi mo lubusang kilala. Sa Singapore, kapag may pinakilala kang tao sa iba at bini-build up mo sya na hindi naman pala totoo, maaari kang ma-convict ng “abetment”. Halimbawa, kung ang taong pinakilala mo ay sinabing isa siyang lawyer, ngunit hindi pala totoo, maaari kang kasuhan dahil dito. Kaya’t wag basta basta mag-endorse ng ibang taong di mo lubusang kilala. (Penal Code Chapter V Abetment)
8. Bawal ang Durian sa MRT sa Singapore. Pwera sa bawal kumain, manigarilyo at pagdadala ng mga flammable goods, bawal din ang pagdala ng Durian sa MRT.
The importance of learning about foreign cultures is well known nowadays. With the ongoing globalization any kind of interactions between human beings of different cultures is increasing. As a result, people put more and more effort into the process of learning foreign languages. Different fields such as healthcare, education, business, culture, politics, legal and scientific research are affected by the significance of foreign languages. Culture influences how people interact with each other. In the business world, culture guides decision-making, behavior, thinking patterns and values.
Foreign culture learning opens our minds to new cultures and new ways of thinking. It gives us the chance to consider foreign cultures against our own values and traditions and gives us a deeper respect for our multi-faceted world. Through language learning, we are exposed to a different set of customs, traditions, aesthetics, cuisines, philosophies, politics, and histories.
Cultural differences also mean different social behaviour and different ways of communicating, even if people speak the same language. This often leads to misunderstandings in communication that is caused not necessarily by language/translation problems but by different social acting, as this also depends from our cultural backgrounds.
It can also make your resume look better. With globalization in full swing, there's a good chance you'll be working with people whose first language isn't English. Maybe it's a development team in India, or a manufacturing plant in China, or an alternative energy supplier in Germany; being able to communicate in other languages makes you much more valuable to an employer.
Exploring new cultures widens horizons and gives personal experiences. A rewarding parts of learning foreign languages is that it helps us to make connections with people overseas. It is amazing how people’s perception of a foreigner abroad changes when they speak the language of the host foreign country. It can transform the way people perceives you from an outsider to a friend. It allows a foreigner to build trust more quickly and to establish a stronger relationship with people. Also, we are showing respect to the mother countries of these languages.
Being well-versed in a country's culture goes a long way in preventing expensive marketing errors. Consumption patterns and buyer behavior reflect cultural influences and attitudes that differ country by country. They must be considered when interpreting market research used to make decisions on design, color, packaging, distribution and promotion. The act of naming a product, service or company could, if language implications are ignored, derail a promising business venture.
