Job Discussion Forums

[scot47]

The ability to have discussions in the language on Theoretical Small Particle Physics ? Or merely to order a Mac and Fries and ascertain the price ?

[LarssonCrew]

Huge parts of this are to do with motivation.

I found some super rich Chinese kids who aren't interested would study with a foreigner 4-5 hours a day, and would then visit places in London, have to do the weekly shop etc. and still learnt almost nothing after 6 months. Why?

Because in their spare time they'd play Chinese language computer games [I don't actually think letting a intermediate level Chinese speaker play a few hours of English language games a day is a bad thing, especially if the game requires constantly talking to other players.], he talks only to Chinese friends and will sit on his phone and chat in mandarin.

Whereas someone who is, say, given a chance from a poorer family may come to the UK to study and immerse him or herself, want to learn all the strange foods we eat[Yorkshire pudding?What's that?], can only communicate in her group of friends in English because one is Norwegian, one Danish, one Russian and one Egyptian, and fancies a tall handsome boy named David who, yup, only speaks English.

I must say I took about a year of not really trying to get from low to low-intermediate whilst living in China, then dating a non English speaking girl took me to int-high in about a year, of constantly chatting with her.

[jpvanderwerf2001]

Where I now work, in the US, we have had students from disparate backgrounds (Saudi and Chinese students come immediately to mind) start with basically zero English (could not read or write...or speak) and go on to undergraduate study at a US university in 13-14 months (where they are in the middle of degrees at the moment).
The program is 30 hours of ESL classes per week and, helpfully, in an English-speaking place.
These are not typical results--and I'm not claiming they are exceptional--they are simply examples of what I've experienced.