THE JOURNAL OF ASIA TEFL Vol. 15, No. 3, Fall 2018, 618-629 http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.3.4.618 618 The Journal of Asia TEFL http://journal.asiatefl.org/ e-ISSN 2466-1511 © 2004 AsiaTEFL.org. All rights reserved. English Language Proficiency in Indonesia: Issues and Prospects 1) Willy A. Renandya Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Fuad A. Hamied Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Joko Nurkamto Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia In this article, we discuss key issues about English language proficiency in Indonesia, focusing in particular on the level and kind of proficiency that English language teachers need to have to support their classroom teaching. We first define the concept of proficiency and how it is usually measured, and then present some data about teachers and students’ English language proficiency in Indonesia and the Asian region. The next section discusses research that helps us understand why a threshold of proficiency is required for effective teaching. As many teachers may not have reached a level of proficiency considered sufficient for effective teaching, we then discuss key theoretical principles from SLA that can be used as a basis for developing a training programme to help raise teachers’ proficiency. We conclude by calling all stakeholders (i.e., policy makers, language education providers and professional associations) to work together and find ways to support teachers in their effort to acquire a higher level of proficiency in English. Keywords: English language proficiency, Indonesia, teachers’ proficiency What is Language Proficiency? Broadly speaking, language proficiency refers to one’s ability to use language for a variety of communicative purposes. Proficient users are said to have a good command of the language, i.e., they can understand the language without difficulty, express a range of ideas clearly in speech and writing, and interact with other speakers comfortably. Five performance indicators are usually used to assess language proficiency, i.e., accuracy, fluency, complexity, appropriacy and capacity (Richards, 2018). Accuracy refers to the ability to produce language correctly in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. We score high on this indicator if our speech or writing is free of language errors. Fluency refers to the ability to express ideas smoothly and to use language resources to sustain the flow of our communication and avoid communication breakdowns. In writing, fluency is demonstrated by our ability to organize our ideas coherently so that they flow nicely together. Complexity refers to our ability to use complex language i.e., whether we are able to use a wide range of vocabulary and grammar. An advanced level speaker uses a wider variety of vocabulary and sentence structures, unlike a beginner level speaker whose speech is characterized by the use of simpler language. Appropriacy is about whether the language we use is relevant and appropriate for the purpose, audience and context of the situation. Finally, capacity