The plan to raise the standards of the English-language environment covered several directions, said the Council of Economic Planning and Development, the Cabinet’s top planning agency.

The government should improve English signboards, push for a more cosmopolitan living environment, and strive to host more international concerts and exhibitions, the CEPD said.

The English villages would not be real villages, but places where the environment was more conducive to local residents to practice their English, according to the CEPD. Because of the prominent presence of foreign staff, the area of the Hsinchu Science and Technology Park was the first choice for an English village, while a second location was still under consideration.

Signs inside the villages would be bilingual, but the government would not force shops and hotels to provide English-language service, the CEPD said. Companies willing to participate could register with the authorities and receive stars for the quality of their English-language service like the star ratings system in effect for hotels.

The English villages the CEPD is planning are different from what has been done before in Taiwan and South Korea, namely areas where local students of the English language could practice by buying products and services from foreign teachers in make-believe shops and offices.

As to street signs, the government will draw up a standardized list of translations and spellings for major locations.