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jonniboy
Joined: 18 Jun 2006
Posts: 751
Location: Panama City, Panama
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 Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 5:05 pm Post subject: Re: Is learning a second language vital before teaching EFL? |
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| lucifer911 wrote: |
| If you cannot speak their language doesn't this amplify your risk to yourself of being mugged or targeted by criminals? In Brazil if you walk around speaking english without understanding portugese you will be a target for criminals. |
Maybe knowing the Portugese for "I'm only an English teacher who doesn't earn much, so please don't take my money, you druggie fukkwit" might make the guy who has a knife pointed at your throat think twice, but I doubt it. You'll be pinged by your mannerisms, clothes and skin tone as much as your language.
| lucifer911 wrote: |
| Keep in mind you have to travel to work seeing road signs in a foreign language. |
You'll most likely be using public transport anyway and a lot of road signs are international.
| lucifer911 wrote: |
| You may have to communicate to strangers who approach you and ask you questions. |
You can just shrug and walk away and they'll ask someone else. If they're a beggar that nearly always works. I do it even when I do speak their language.
| lucifer911 wrote: |
| You have to shop for food and other necessities while dealing with people who most likely will not understand english. |
I found that you quickly get the food words, as you shop every day and eat out occasionally. So knowing the food words and basic numbers is the most important thing. You can get by in the country with that and basic phrases.
Other than that, some effort to learn the local language is a massive help. Even if you work in a place with English only rules, you'll be better placed to anticipate problems that the learners will have. You'll be able to enjoy more cultural events. Even if your command of the language is limited, in most cases it will be appreciated. In Kazakhstan my Russian was only A2 level, but I was able to have basic conversations with taxi drivers and, on about 3 occasions, they let me off without paying the fare. |
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bansheebeat
Joined: 02 Oct 2013
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 2:35 pm Post subject: |
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Surviving in a country where you don't speak the language is doable, but I think the real benefit in learning a second language before pursuing TEFL is that you gain insight and understanding into what it's really like learning a new language. Without having ever done it yourself how can you possible understand the difficulties your students will face?
I'm currently teaching in Thailand, and I do speak a bit of Thai. But in university and high school I studied Spanish, and just knowing the struggles that I faced then have helped me immensely in being a better teacher. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Monoglossia Eflesiensis is a common malady. It means that people trying to teach English to speakers of other tongues do not have a clue about acquiring a foreign language, because they themselves have never done so. |
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Janiny
Joined: 31 May 2008
Posts: 199
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| Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2014 2:45 am Post subject: |
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| I know that my language teaching is most sharply honed when I am actively learning the language of the people I am teaching. Not so I can tell them vocab words in their language, but because I can sympathize with them and feel what it is like to learn a new language. I get their reticence, understand how much homework they can stand to do... Also I understand their mistakes because I have learned something of their language's grammar and its way of phrasing things. |
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Jultime
Joined: 25 Jun 2014
Posts: 113
Location: Mexico
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| Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2014 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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| bansheebeat wrote: |
Surviving in a country where you don't speak the language is doable, but I think the real benefit in learning a second language before pursuing TEFL is that you gain insight and understanding into what it's really like learning a new language. Without having ever done it yourself how can you possible understand the difficulties your students will face.
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I agree.
I'm new to the TEFL world, my plan is to teach in Latin America after I complete CELTA.
I'll be spending at least 4 weeks at a Spanish immersion school in Guatemala before the CELTA course in Mexico City. |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2014 2:50 pm Post subject: |
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Dear Janiny,
This last one:
"Also I understand their mistakes because I have learned something of their language's grammar and its way of phrasing things."
can work fine for EFL, but often not so well for ESL, when you could easily have native speakers of seven or eight different languages in your class. 
Well, unless you're a polyglot, that is.
Regards,
John |
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fat_chris
Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2014 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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Learning a second language? Bah!
I'm talkin' about learning some third and fourth and fifth languages!
Polyglotus Unitedus.
Authentic Frontier Gibberish included!
Warm regards,
fat_chris |
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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| Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2014 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="fat_chris"]Learning a second language? Bah!
I'm talkin' about learning some third and fourth and fifth languages![quote]
English - tick, French - tick, Spanish - tick, I'm leaning towards German next....or maybe a Scandinavian language. |
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fat_chris
Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2014 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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| MuscatGary wrote: |
| fat_chris wrote: |
Learning a second language? Bah!
I'm talkin' about learning some third and fourth and fifth languages! |
English - tick, French - tick, Spanish - tick, I'm leaning towards German next....or maybe a Scandinavian language. |
English - tick, German - tick, Mandarin Chinese - tick, Japanese - tick.
I dabbled with Swedish and French and Spanish but just enough to read food labels in a supermarket.
I am thinking of going back to French or Spanish and attempting to gain at least an intermediate level in one of those languages. I'm leaning toward French.
I consider myself a language learner first and a language teacher second. Indeed, my interest in language learning is what steered me toward TESOL.
Here's to polyglots!
Warm regards,
fat_chris |
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fat_chris
Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2014 4:38 pm Post subject: |
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| MuscatGary wrote: |
| fat_chris wrote: |
Learning a second language? Bah!
I'm talkin' about learning some third and fourth and fifth languages! |
English - tick, French - tick, Spanish - tick, I'm leaning towards German next....or maybe a Scandinavian language. |
Go for German! Swedish is good too!
Warm regards,
fat_chris |
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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| Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2014 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="fat_chris]Go for German! Swedish is good too![/quote]
Are we still talking about languages? |
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fat_chris
Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2014 4:42 pm Post subject: |
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| fat_chris wrote: |
| Go for German! Swedish is good too! |
| MuscatGary wrote: |
| Are we still talking about languages? |
Ummm...errr....ahhhhh.
Sure, we can be talking about languages here.
Warm regards,
fat_chris |
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Janiny
Joined: 31 May 2008
Posts: 199
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| Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2014 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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| My what cunning linguists you two are. |
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adaruby
Joined: 21 Apr 2014
Posts: 171
Location: has served on a hiring committee
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| Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2014 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| fat_chris wrote: |
Learning a second language? Bah!
I'm talkin' about lear
ning some third and fourth and fifth languages!
Polyglotus Unitedus.
Authentic Frontier Gibberish included!
Warm regards,
fat_chris |
Congratulations.
Can you tell us how you did it? |
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