Policy Brief 1/2023 (December 2023)
This policy brief, “Recruitment Fees and Related Costs in Taiwan: Dictionary of English-Chinese Terms,” sets out the Chinese terms for the various recruitment fees, related costs and other illegitimate costs as they are used in the Taiwanese context.
You can read it online in full screen mode or download the PDF.
Through this ‘dictionary’ of terms, this policy brief aims to contribute to a better alignment of terms across English and Chinese on the international standards of fair recruitment. We need to have conceptual clarity on what the terms mean and their basis in law.
References are made to international standards on fair recruitment of the International Labour Organization (ILO), along with corresponding provisions in Taiwan’s domestic laws and regulations for where such fees are permitted or prohibited in its legal framework.
This research brief is an effort to remove misunderstandings arising from language and translation as potential impediments to adopting responsible recruitment practices. The Employer Pays Principle, wherein all the costs of recruitment are borne by the employers and not by the workers, underpins the global movement for responsible recruitment.
“We are often talking about different things across the English-Chinese language divide. International terms sometimes do not translate well. Colloquial terms can be confusing because they have no basis in law. It can be a linguistic challenge.
This ‘Dictionary Brief,’ we hope, does exactly what it says — helping all who advocate for responsible recruitment to navigate across the language divide. We need to have conceptual clarity on the terms of cross-border recruitment.”
– Dr Bonny Ling
