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WELCOME To Zhuhai !
The country has
made huge progress and Chinese language students, on the
whole, are hardworking and anxious to learn. Of the 300
million or so people who have studied English in China,
however, only a tiny percentage have gained any fluency
in the language. For many students and busy professionals
their experience of learning the language has been frustrating
and difficult. Even translators and highly qualified English
teachers struggle to communicate effectively and have
problems in expressing themselves in the language. Over-reliance
on literal translation, using dictionaries and electronic
translators means that the quality of English produced
is often poor and conveys a false impression to the reader.
I have seen a lot of Chinglish in official publications,
websites and even English textbooks, which is either unreadable
or complete nonsense. The main challenge I believe, is
that most English learners have very little opportunity
to use their language and especially to practice their
speaking and listening skills, so what I call their "language
sense " is never developed.
I
understand something of these problems from my own attempts
to learn a second language. I received a British education
and throughout my school and university years I studied
French. It was a time-consuming and unrewarding experience.
Years later, when I went to study part of my international
MBA in Paris, I found that, despite my diplomas and high
grades in French, I could hardly understand a thing my
professors were talking about. I felt embarrassed and
like a foolish child - it was a great loss of face and
a painful lesson. I had to do something and do something
quickly, or, as we say, my expensive education in International
Marketing would go down the toilet. My strategy was to
completely immerse myself in the language, to stop thinking
in English and force myself to understand and communicate
only in French. Unlike the other British and American
students who shared apartments and socialised together
I shared my room with other international students who
only spoke French. It was very difficult at first but
soon I found that every human being's need and desire
to communicate overcame the limitations of my formal training
and I was soon speaking, listening and laughing in the
new language in a relaxed and natural way. I passed with
distinction, by the way, and had my eyes opened to the
richness and beauty of a new culture. I am not sure to
this day what is my favourite food, French or Chinese?
Both are wonderful. French breakfasts are definitely better
and they make beautiful sauces but maybe Chinese food
is healthier and has more variety.
Human
beings are different and each of us learns in a slightly
different way so no teaching method is perfect or suits
every student. There are certain educational principles,
however, which hold true in most situations. Learning
a language is as much about acquiring a skill, as memorizing
grammatical rules and vocabulary. Our memory is made up
much more of experiences than facts and figures, so when
we have a positive and enjoyable experience, learning is
much more effective. When I first came to China I thought
Chinese was a very difficult language to learn but then
I saw that small children 2 and 3 years old could speak
it so I thought, if they can learn it, perhaps I can.
Children do not study any grammar books or memorize vocabulary
when learning a language but learn through intense and
personal communication with their close family. They are
"immersed" in (completely surrounded by) the
language and through a process of trial and error, practice
and play, learn how to communicate and express their needs
and desires. Learning a second language is a little different
and is more difficult for adults, but many of the same
principles of the "communicative" approach still
apply. These are the principles we are using in our residential
program at Gateway Language Village and they are proving
extremely effective. We are trying to break down the old
stereotypes and attitudes towards learning by providing
a "total immersion experience" (TIE). We are
still developing our programs, but so far, have trained
several thousand people and the transformation in their
confidence in speaking and using the language is most
encouraging. Most have gone on successfully to apply for
foreign study and pass visa interviews with many more
gaining promotions or making positive career moves. Our
idea of a language village is not a place, because we
run programs in several centres, but a learning community
where people work and interact together in a natural way
using the target language. Our students, eat, work, study
and socialise in an environment where only "English"
is spoken, only English is heard and only English is seen.
Many learners share apartments or dorms with native speakers
and this gives them added opportunities and exposure to
the language. The only problem is that some of our teachers
complain they don't get enough sleep because so many students
want to speak English to them! Another popular feature
of our village is the International Peace Club . The club provides a
permanent "English corner" to hundreds of members
plus a range of interesting programs every evening. With
English movies, magazines, newspapers and Internet facilities,
it provides a busy and stimulating English environment
for people to practice their English language skills.
We
obviously want our school to be the best, and are working
hard to make it so with an international panel of advisors
and experts, but there are many other good language schools
in China. There are also many committed native speakers
who dedicate themselves to helping Chinese learners improve
their English and I think foreign teachers living and
working here like to be asked for advice on the best use
of English for important documents and publications. They
want to help, but also expect to get paid an appropriate
amount for their knowledge and expertise. It will make
a difference and help raise standards to the level needed
for membership in WTO.
I
hope that Zhuhai will become one of many centres of excellence
in teaching and learning English in China. We have the
advantage of a great environment and convenient location
. Already
more than half our students are coming from cities such
Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau and news is spreading
with students arriving from other provinces, Shanghai
and Beijing. So, you don't need to go abroad to study
English--with the right environment you can learn right
here.
I hope one day soon, with the help of native speakers
and translation services, our Chinglish will change to
English and visitors coming on the road from Guangzhou
will look up and see the sign "WELCOME TO ZHUHAI,
THE BEST PLACE TO LEARN ENGLISH IN CHINA!"
Getting
it right (I)
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