Indonesian is the national language of the Republic of Indonesia, and is closely related to Malaysian.  Indonesian and Malaysian are spoken by more than 250 million people in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Southern Thailand.  Although most Indonesians also speak a regional language, Indonesian is the language of government, media and education.

 Why learn Indonesian?

Indonesian language skills can open doors to a wide range of employment opportunities in areas of government, education, business, tourism, travel, translating and interpreting, the military, medicine, law, engineering and journalism. 

 South-east Asia has undergone enormous change over the past thirty years and as Australia’s nearest Asian neighbour Indonesia is a fascinating and affordable country in which to travel, study or work.

 It is interesting to know that Indonesian and Malaysian are a little easier for English speakers to learn than some other Asian languages.  They use the Latin script and are non-tonal languages so English speakers can pick them up quickly.

 There are as many as 400 Australian companies operating in Indonesia, including BHP Biliton, Telstra and Transfield.  Australian education institutions, including leading universities, are also involved in many projects in Indonesia and have accredited courses delivered there.

Indonesia-Australia links

 Australia and Indonesia have worked together in the past, and the two countries maintain a good working relationship.  For example Australia supported Indonesia’s struggle for independence in the United Nations in the late 1940s.

 Australia and Indonesia are close neighbours enjoying many links including political, security, commercial, cultural and people-to-people connections.  In fact recently, agreements on education, defence, development, counter-terrorism and economic cooperation have been signed.

 The Australian government promotes greater understganding between the two countries by supporting the Australian-Indonesia Institute.

You may know some Indonesian already!

You may not realise that you already know a lot of Indonesian words.  English has been an important source for the Indonesian language.

For example, if you visit Indonesia you will need a paspor, a visa and a tiket.  You might see a filem on the plane and take a taksi to your hotel.  On arrival you are sure to enjoy an es krim, watch televise and drink some teh or kopi. 

 Similarly, Indonesian and Malay words have entered the English language with slightly changed spelling.  For example, in Indonesia you might eat satay or mango while sitting on a rattan chair.  You may wear a sarong and you will see lots of paddy fields.  If you are lucky you might even glimpse an orang utan through the bamboo.

Reference:  http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/student/whylearnindonesian.pdf