全球高科技產業之競爭激烈及創新需求為其特色，其中積體電路(Integrated Circuit [IC] chip)是為生產主力，而目前在此製造區塊領先世界的就是台灣。在IC產業中，工程師扮演著舉足輕重的角色，他們必須用英語跟外國客戶及廠商溝通以鑑別並滿足他們的產品需求，台灣的高科技產業工程師們同時在工程及商業的領域都面臨了英語能力的要求，因而他們成立了成人專業英語學習社團。然在台灣的工作環境中，實際之英語需求為何卻仍屬未知。本論文分析一台灣高科技IC晶片生產製造跨國公司「台灣積體電路製造股份有限公司(台積電)」之職場英語需求，並進而調查於該公司任職之工程師必要的英語能力為何。

跟循過去研究的需求分析法及過程，本研究共設計四組調查問卷及五組分屬不同人事層級的半架構式訪談；職業層級包含一位鑄造工廠主任、十位經理、七位人力資源職員、四十位製程工程師、及一位台積電客戶。問卷調查形式是透過網路Survey Monkey的使用，或是傳統紙筆操作，而訪談部分則是在獨立空間進行面談。基於台積電商業機密保護條款之嚴格規定，無一訪談允許使用任何錄音器材，因此訪談內容是由紙筆紀錄。受試者兩階段的回應內容均以來源及研究方法做三角交叉檢視(或作三角檢測、多元資料檢證)，藉以辨認英語在台積電公司所扮演的角色、及說明於該公司任職之工程師必要之英語能力。第一階段的分析包含三角交叉檢視主任、經理、及人力資源人員的問卷調查及半架構式訪談紀錄，藉此了解英語在台積電所扮演的角色及界定工程族群；第二階段的分析包含三角交叉檢視調查問卷、半架構式訪談、對設定之工程師族群的觀察、及客戶端的半架構式訪談。受試者答覆的分析及三角交叉檢測結果勾勒出必需應用英語的工作任務及該工作所需之英語能力。本研究主要發現如下：
1. 在台積電及普遍高科技部門的英語溝通能力至關重要：英語被用來建立、維持、改善與顧客間的關係、忠誠度、信賴、及更新技術和分享思維、促進創新。
2. 製程工程師的工作職務需要足夠英語能力才能執行，而所需之英語能力包含所有四個英語核心能力：工程師必須在會議中與主管及客戶交談互動、參與客戶遠程(電話)會議、向上級和客戶做簡報、並於客戶不定期訪視時與其交談，同時電子郵件、報告、會議紀錄、專案提案都需要英語讀寫能力。
3. 英語能力會影響職場升遷及職務：足夠英語能力對升遷有幫助，並可能對工作職務有決定性的影響（如：一位工程師可能會因有足夠的英語能力而被分派到需要使用英語的工作，而其他沒有英語能力的工程師則被委派英語能力需求不高的工作）。
4. 製程工程師的英語學習習慣零散，大部份調查結果顯示他們已不再學習英語：即便升遷、公司補助英語課程、和主管同事間的鼓勵能提升改善英語的動機，研究結果顯示僅有1/3製程工程師定期每個月練習英文1-3次，自我練習英文最普遍的借助方式為書籍或電腦，這些製程工程師反而很少用行動輔助語言學習的方式學習或不感興趣。
5. 未來台積電英語培訓方向將結合提高科技層面的應用：但此方針與製程工程師表達對行動輔助語言學習低落興趣形成反差。
簡言之，在台積電及普遍高科技部門中，英語之於工程師及高階主管(如經理和主任)的重要性不容忽視，製造跨國公司的國際客戶與廠商均以英文做為互動的語言，無數國家的高科技產業及其供應鏈，自原料至成品，台灣高科技部門人員擁有英語能力之必要性不言而喻。課程安排及設計應與本論文研究列舉之英語能力及工程英文培訓課程結合，使台灣高科技工程師能具備保持競爭優勢的能力，以符合目前台灣高科技公司的需求。

The global high-tech industry is characterized by its extremely competitive nature and the need for innovation. At the heart of this industry lies Integrated Circuit (IC) chip manufacturing, where Taiwan is currently the world’s leading producer. Within the IC industry, engineers play an integral role and must communicate in English with foreign customers and vendors in order to identify and then meet their product needs. Taiwanese high-tech industry engineers hence constitute a specialized adult English learning group where they face English proficiency requirements from both the engineering and business fields; however, what the English needs are for their working environment in Taiwan as yet remains unknown. This thesis characterizes the workplace English needs at TSMC, a high-tech, IC-chip producing multinational corporation (MNC) in Taiwan, and more specifically, investigates the English skills needed by the engineers who work there.

Following needs analysis methods and procedures from previous studies, four sets of survey questionnaires and five sets of semi-structured interviews with several levels of personnel were conducted. Levels of employment include the foundry fab director, 10 managers, 7 human resource (HR) personnel, 40 Process Integration Engineers, and a TSMC customer. Survey questionnaires were completed either online, using SurveyMonkey, or by traditional pen-and-paper, while interviews were conducted face-to-face in private rooms. As TSMC has strict policies protecting trade secrets, no recording device of any kind was permitted; therefore, interview responses were noted by pen-and-paper. Participant responses were analyzed in two stages with triangulation of sources and methods employed to identify the role English plays at TSMC, and to characterize the English skills engineers require for work there. The first stage of analysis involved triangulation of the director’s, managers’, and HR groups’ survey questionnaires and semi-structured interview responses to characterize the role English plays at TSMC and to identify the engineering target group. The second round of analysis involved triangulation of survey questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and observations of the targeted engineers, and a semi-structured interview with a TSMC customer. Responses were analyzed and triangulated to outline the tasks performed requiring English and the English skills necessary to perform them. The major findings of this study are summarized as follows:
1. English communication at TSMC and in the high-tech sector in general, was deemed as profoundly important. English is used to establish, maintain, and improve customer relationships, loyalty, and trust, as well as for updating skills and sharing ideas to encourage innovation.
2. Process Integration Engineers (PIE) need adequate English skills to perform their job duties. English skills needed include all four core English skills, where the engineers must: speak and listen in meetings with superiors and customers, participate in customer teleconference meetings, deliver presentations to both customers and superiors, and converse with customers on occasional visits; as well as, read and write emails, reports, meeting minutes, and project proposals.
3. Career advancement and job placement can be affected by English skills, where adequate English skills can assist in promotions and may dictate job placement (i.e. according to existing English skills, an engineer may be placed in a job where English is required if their English skills are sufficient, while those without such skills may be placed in a job where the requirements for English are minimal.
4. PIE engineers have sporadic English study habits, with the majority surveyed no longer studying English. Despite the incentives to improve English, such as promotions, subsidized English courses, and encouragement from superiors and colleagues, findings indicate that only 1/3 of PIE engineers surveyed study English, with a frequency of only 1-3 times/month. Self-study methods, both book- and computer-based, were reported as the most common means of English study; however, mobile assisted language learning (MALL) appears not to be common with or of interest to PIE engineers.
5. The direction of future English training at TSMC was indicated as emphasizing an increased use of technology, which contradicts the lack of interest that PIE engineers expressed with regards to MALL.
In brief, a strong emphasis of the high importance of English at TSMC and the high-tech industry in general was conveyed, for both engineers and higher-level employees, such as managers and directors. MNCs with international customers and vendors have chosen English as their common language, and since the high-tech industry involves numerous countries along the supply chain, from raw material to finished product, it is of paramount importance that English competency in Taiwan’s high-tech sector be maintained and improved. The overall implication is that curriculum planners and course designers should incorporate the English skills outlined in this thesis into engineering English training courses so that Taiwan’s high-tech engineers can be better equipped to sustain the competitive edge Taiwan’s high-tech companies currently enjoy.

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