What bothers me is that Khmer people generally have to know a foreign language, especially English, to land a good job in their own country. Everyone seems to casually accept this as a fact of life.

But something’s definitely not right here.

Normally, if you go to a foreign country, you’re at a disadvantage if you don’t speak their language. But in srok Khmer, when a foreigner comes to your country, you’re the one who is at a disadvantage for not being to communicate with them in their language. Foreigners can come to live and work here without knowing a word of Khmer, and often making more money than all of their Khmer employees combined to boot.

The necessity to learn a second language puts Khmer people at a distinct disadvantage and places an extra burden on an impoverished country with only a fledgling educational system. Further, most Khmer students who learn foreign languages to secure better employment will not master them as well as the foreigners who speak them as their native tongues. This ensures that the Khmer workers will always answer to their foreign bosses.

What’s wrong with the assumption that you must speak English, French, Chinese, Korean, or whatever, to succeed in Cambodia? Well, if you’re only 5 foot tall, you don’t have to play basketball just because everyone else is playing it. You can practice basketball all life, but no matter how hard you practice, in all likelihood you’ll never make it to the pros. Why not play a different sport, e.g. become a horse racing jockey, where your height (or lack thereof) becomes an advantage rather than a handicap?

The same logic applies to srok Khmer. If the Cambodian economy is somehow shifted away from over-reliance on tourism toward areas like agriculture and manufacturing, then Khmer people could thrive professionally and become successful in life without the added burden of knowing a foreign language. Personally, I don’t think it’s very smart to ignore one’s own natural strengths to play other people’s games.

Don’t get me wrong– I still think Khmer students should learn foreign languages like English, Chinese, French, Korean, and Japanese to compete successfully in today’s global economy and to advance their studies in fields like medicine, technology, and science. But our society should not rely on foreign languages in a way that cripples and subordinates Khmer people within our own country.