Comments | linguaphiles: Non-native speaker

rosesnchaos in linguaphiles

Non-native speaker

Dec 16, 2005 01:01

Hi ( Read more... )

Comments 46

thermaland December 15 2005, 17:18:21 UTC

I think it is more customary to translate into your mother tongue, actually. This is because writing elegantly or efficiently is harder than just understanding a language.

rosesnchaos December 16 2005, 04:45:44 UTC

Well, my mother tongue is Chinese, but although I can speak fluently, I was never formally educated in it. Therefore, I can't read/write beyond very basic words and my own name.

ananke December 15 2005, 17:28:14 UTC

rosesnchaos December 16 2005, 04:46:51 UTC

Yeah, I did hear that Japan is a hard market to crack but it's not impossible though.. I just don't know the ways around it.

akibare December 15 2005, 17:37:47 UTC

If English is your language since the moment you can talk, and it's your most used language, and (presumably?) you've gone through all your schooling in it, I think you'd have no problem just saying you're a native speaker of English.

rosesnchaos December 16 2005, 04:50:06 UTC

I'm from Malaysia, so official language of conduct in most schools is Malay. English was a second language, although outside school, I speak English most often with friends and family, followed by Chinese dialects.

tin_lizzy December 15 2005, 17:46:45 UTC

my experience isn't likely worth a whole lot to you, as I'm just starting out as a TEFL tutor to immigrants (Hmong and Somali primarily) and it's presently volunteer and not paid-position ( ... )

rosesnchaos December 16 2005, 04:50:57 UTC

Thank you for sharing that. It gives alot of insight into the industry. :)

kelly_in_taiwan December 15 2005, 17:59:42 UTC

Hi Antonia ( ... )

akibare December 15 2005, 20:05:17 UTC

Japan has this same discrimination going on, alas.

That doesn't mean you won't find a job, but there is definitely a preference at some schools for people who "look American" (or whatever), defined as "blond, blue eyed, and ideally good-looking."

Definitely no harm in trying, not ALL places are like that, but it is there.

Exactly. rosesnchaos December 16 2005, 04:54:09 UTC

I based my observation of "discrimination" on accounts by English teachers in Taiwan! Two of my Aussie friends applied for teaching positions there. One is Anglo Aussie and she got the job. The other Singaporean-born but Aussie-educated Chinese didn't get the job and she was telling me about the employers being unconvinced that she could teach English as she's not from an English background.