A

Analyzing skills improve when students study a foreign language.

B

Business skills plus foreign language skill make an employee more valuable in the marketplace.

C

Creativity is increased with the study of a foreign language.

D

Dealing with another culture enables people to gain a more profound understanding of their own culture.

E

Enriched experiences can result through the study of a foreign language as a new world culture is revealed.

F

Foreign language study creates more positive attitudes and less prejudice toward people who are culturally different.

G

Graduates often cite foreign language courses as some of the most valuable courses they took in college because of the communication skills they developed in the process.

H

Higher order thinking skills, like problem solving, dealing with abstract concepts, and making inferences, are all increased when you study a foreign language.

I

International travel is made easier and more pleasant through knowing a foreign language.

J

Job mobility and chances for promotion are often attributed to knowledge of a foreign language.

K

Knowledge of a foreign language promotes understanding of the difficulty immigrants face as they attempt to learn your language.

L

Liberal arts training which includes foreign language study is sought more and more by prospective employers.

M

Memory is enhanced through foreign language study.

N

Native language vocabulary and grammar skills are better learned.

O

Overseas business and joint ventures mean fluency in another language is now practically a requirement for employment in many American corporations.

P

Personnel with foreign language skills are sought more and more as the world becomes smaller and smaller.

Q

Quality of writing in one’s own language among students improves with foreign language study.

R

Reading skill in one’s own language improves when students study a foreign language.

S

Supplementing other’s understanding of your native culture is enhanced by the number of foreign languages spoken, enabling many more to understand.

T

Traveling abroad enhances cultural awareness and self-concept.

U

Ugly Americanism as a national stereotype is partially based on the American belief that the whole world speaks English. If Americans studied other languages . . .

V

Various verbal and even non-verbal tests of intelligence have shown bilinguals to out perform monolinguals.

W

Working-class students do just as well in foreign language study as middle-class students, and there is no difference between genders or races in this area.

X

eXpertise in a foreign language aids the cognitive development of children.

Y

Years spent studying a foreign language are proportionally correlated with increases in standardized test scores.

Z

ZZZZZ...wake up and smell the coffee! There are lots of vocational opportunities for foreign language speakers from government service to hotel management to Peace Corps service, Business and travel occupations.

verbs

phrases

others

to analyze

to create

to enable

to understand

to enrich

to reveal

to cite

to promote

to enhance

to seek, sought

to improve

to out-perform

learning experience

to gain an understanding

positive attitude

less prejudice

culturally different

the process of learning

higher order thinking skills

problem-solving

abstract concepts

to make inference

cognitive development

wake up and smell the coffee

liberal arts

prospective employers

job promotion

job mobility

ZZZ

valuable

profound

awareness

self-concept

bilingual

monolingual

gender

Reporter:

This week, we take a look at a Vietnamese teacher who teaches English at Hanoi University of Foreign Studies. My trip to Vietnam recently was really an experience that I will never forget. While I was in Hanoi, I managed to catch quite a few interesting places of interest.

One of the places was the Temple of Literature, which was situated at the outskirts of Hanoi’s Old City Quarter. It was founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong, who dedicated it to Confucius, or Khong Tu in Vietnamese. It was to honor scholars and men of literary accomplishment.

Although situated next to a busy street, the beauty of the place was that from the moment I got in, the noise from the street is suddenly muffled. All I got to hear were the sounds of nature and it was certainly a pleasant retreat from the streets of Hanoi.

It was not too long ago that the Temple of Literature became known as Vietnam’s First University. A walk around the courtyard not only relaxes you, it’s also soothing to the mind, especially when a cool gentle breeze rustles through the many trees that adorn the place.

Coming back to modern-day Vietnam, I met Professor Nguyen at the Temple and so our conversation begins.

Reporter:

How do you find teaching English in Vietnam?

Professor:

I enjoy the job and it is a great job. I love it because I meet a lot different students from different courses. So, I love the job and I love the language. I put them all together and make it a great job.

Reporter:

How did it all start for you? I mean, the English language… you were born in Hanoi and was raised here and studied here… so, how did it all start for you, the English language at least?

Professor:

Well, it all started from my father. He was the first teacher who taught me several words in English. At that time, English was not a very popular foreign language in Vietnam. So, I did not have many opportunities to speak. But later on, I think in 1977, and then in 1983, I was exposed to an environment where a lot of foreigners were coming to Vietnam and they used English. So I worked as an interpreter.

I learned a lot from working as an interpreter. Not only did I learn about the language, but I gained knowledge and information. I had learned so much, in fact, that I felt like I needed to pass on this knowledge to the next generation. So, I became a teacher.

Reporter:

What are some of the challenges or difficulties that you have faced teaching students English?

Professor:

Challenges… yes, there are difficulties. I think there are three challenges. Number one: I think that facilities and resources were a problem—not so much a problem now. Number two: training student’s mouths to physically be able to make the sounds of English. I train the tongue to jump or dance in their mouths. The third challenge is in the way of thoughts. Students of a foreign language have to think global. It takes a lot of time. It is not only the language, but also it is the knowledge, the information, the new perspective. And I must say that a teacher-- a single teacher, like myself, cannot do the job alone. We need a lot of resources.

Reporter:

When do you consider yourself successful as an English teacher?

Professor:

Many of my students make more money than I do. They use their English for jobs with international companies and international organizations. That is one form of success. My hope is that they contribute to the prosperity of our country making this a better place for the generations that follow. I hope they can use English for that purpose.

Reporter:

Finally, what is your advice to Vietnamese students?

Professor:

Well, Vietnamese students… well, the future is in their hands, not in the mouths of their teachers.

Reporter:

And with that word of advice, we end this interview. Tune in next week, same time, when we wrap up this series on Vietnam with an interview with two girls learning English. For Radio International, Good night.

(transcript)

1. I hope that they can use English for that purpose.

2. The future is not in the mouths of their teachers.

3. It is not so much a problem now.

4. I train the tongue to jump or dance in their mouths.

5. It is not only the language they learn.

6. It takes a lot of time.

7. It doesn’t take a lot of time.

8. English was not a very popular language.

9. I did not have opportunities to speak.

10. I worked as an interpreter.

(end of transcript)

1. yes no

2. yes no

3. yes no

4. yes no

5. yes no

6. yes no

7. yes no

8. yes no

9. yes no

10. yes no

/id/

/t/

/d/

1. worked

x

2. pronounced

3. explained

4. jumped

5. rested

6. recommended

7. advised

8. organized

9. enriched

10. improved

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Giáo dục

Education

Trường đại học

College

Trường phổ thông

High School

Trường trung học

Middle School

Trường tiểu học

Elementary School

Trường mẫu giáo

Kindergarten

Hiệu trưởng

Principal

Giáo viên

Teacher

Giảng viên

Lecturer

Bàn viết

Desk

Cây viết

Pen ( Southern Vietnam)

Cây bút

Pen ( Northern Vietnam)

Tốt nghiệp

Graduate

Học chuyên ngành

Major in…

Bộ môn

Department

Khoa

Faculty/School (of Education, etc.)

Nhân văn

Humanities

Toán

Math

Khoa học

Science

Bao nhiêu

How Many

Kỹ sư

Engineering