Transmenu powered by JoomlArt.com - Mambo Joomla Professional Templates Club

Word to all of the above.

If Chinese Universities send Engineering Graduates out into the world with a faulty understanding of engineering, bridges might collapse and people might be killed. If Chinese Universities send out English Graduates with grasps of English that can charitably described as deficient what happens? More fodder for Engrish.com? A few more amusing anecdotes for returning tourists to share with their friends back home? It may take a while for English to become a priority.

jKs wrote:

QUOTE:
Word to all of the above.

If Chinese Universities send Engineering Graduates out into the world with a faulty understanding of engineering, bridges might collapse and people might be killed. If Chinese Universities send out English Graduates with grasps of English that can charitably described as deficient what happens? More fodder for Engrish.com? A few more amusing anecdotes for returning tourists to share with their friends back home? It may take a while for English to become a priority.

A graduate was hired by an import/export company based upon her having passed CET 6. When business fell off 45% they asked me to review her English communications.

I had to draft a series of form letters for her to use and their business rebounded and increased 23 % year on year.

@Masol,

As you mentioned before too many people are of the thought that "English is just a tool..."

Unfortunately, those companies which require CET4 or CET6 scores don't give a rat's bottom if the employee can really speak English. And the few that do... Well, I'd be willing to bet quite a few of the HR people conducting the interviews lack sufficient language skills to determine if the applicant actually has a firm grasp of the language.

I know for a fact that when Mr. Heiney was applying for jobs, the people only asked for his CET scores and never even interviewed him in English. However, during ONE call-back he was only asked to read something and translate it. The person who read the English translation had no idea what was written, but at the risk of losing face had to say something. When Mr. Heiney asked for suggestions as to what the correct English terms were, the subject was quickly changed.

Further anecdotes:
I actually met a university English teacher in Shenyang who confided in me that he had someone else take the CET8 (for English teachers) for him since there was no way he could have passed it.

I've regularly met students who will say they feel some of their teachers are doing a disservice to other students because of such a poor grasp of basic grammar rules and pronunciation.

Native-English speaking teachers are often told by the administration to be more "diligent" in correcting the mistakes of students. However, when making corrections, students will state that what you have told them to do is NOT what the Chinese English teacher has told them. Additionally, both students and teachers have even tried to correct my pronunciation or grammar. When I present sources (grammar books or dictionaries from outside China) that show what I am doing/saying is either correct or an accepted alternative form, the response is that I'm still wrong.

The people who I have met who have the best grasp on the language are those who are self-taught. They are both intrinsically motivated and are willing to spend extra time learning the language because they don't consider English to only be a "tool."

Furthermore, the defeatist attitude many of the students have when you offer suggestions on how to improve their language skills is maddening! Upon offering any number sound, logical, and reasonable suggestions, the blanket excuse is "This is China. Chinese students have no time for that. We have so much else to do. We can't possibly do those things." Yet, the students somehow find time to chat on QQ, play CS, and watch movies on youku or tudou.

Supposedly the native speakers are the "experts" (agreed that's debatable for a few people I've met), but if reasonable suggestions are going to be dismissed out of hand, then what's the point.

As defeatist as this sounds: You teach the ones who want to learn and hope the rest don't screw it up too much.

I know a man who took CET 8 17 times and passed every time, under a different name. He charges 5,000 rmb.