Job Discussion Forums

[MotherF]

As someone who is frequently asked to translate detailed engineering texts I will tell you, you don't need to understand the text to translate it. But if you don't understand the text you need to translated it in collaboration with the author. When I do articles for professors at the university. I give it a go first. Mark parts that I'm not sure of--sometimes write two versions of key sentences. Then I sit down with the author of the paper, and we go over it. They usually understand enough English to easily choose which of the two sentences explain what they want to say--and if they don't we walk through the implications of each. They are the experts in their field--I'm the expert in English.
The same can be done in class. You don't have to know about buisness or engineering or any field. They know the subject matter, you help them express their area of expertise correctly in your area of expertise which is English. Of course, not every native English speaker is an expert in English. You become one through conscientious study and experience.

[mejms]

[Guy Courchesne]

Indeed there are some very thoughtful comments on this topic. I find myself agreeing with just about everything said but I remain a little wary on the subject.

Business is something I love talking about too and I like to think I am well up on current events being a voracious online reader. In every new class I enjoy learning about a new industry.

I'd be interested in hearing Dragonlady's opinion in more detail, if she'll indulge. D, you've mentioned having an MBA and I believe some experience in the business world, though I don't recall if you've said in which industries. Picturing yourself as a student of say, Spanish, in a similar business context...what would your expectations be of the teacher and the subject materials brought to the class?

[Phil_K]

While we wait for Dragonlady to answer that one, something just occurred to me.

We could say that what we should be doing is what Guy has just done, i.e. ask the student what he/she wants. The problem I've found with that is that I have never received anything but a very vague answer!

Just thinking aloud, but that puts my mind at rest and allows me to continue to set the agenda and, with luck, come up with classes that delight the student...

...I'll get my coat

[Tretyakovskii]

My teaching has been limited to ESP for a few years, now, and helped renew my waning interest in teaching English, for many of the reasons PhilK mentioned: I, too, have enjoyed the opportunity it offers to learn new things about subjects in which I have no formal training, nor experience, but nevertheless find interesting. This represents a real bonus of pleasure for the teacher in the task, and makes getting up in the morning just a little easier.

My general approach when teaching ESP is to remind myself that I'm teaching English, not business, or medicine, or whatever the field is in which my students labor. By doing what English teachers do, encouraging the students to express themselves, offer their analysis and opinions, and share their knowledge of the subject, rather than offering my own opinions and observations, a pitfall can be avoided- and a discussion/argument between the students is of more value to them than one with me!

[doublethinker]

[Samantha]

Tretyakovskii wrote:

[Chancellor]

Any updates since October 2010? Berlitz sent me an e-mail asking if I might be interested in SLP.

[geaaronson]

[Gregory.]

[geaaronson]

I was referring to private students and I assumed Phil K was as well since we had both worked together doing such in DF.

[Enchilada Potosina]

I think you have to be realistic with students i.e. don't lie to them. Most believe that they will be bilingual after a year or so in a language school, and most language schools would have them believe this too; if not only to relieve them of their hard-earned cash. I ask them to find me someone who became bilingual from studying in a language school. They think about it for 3 seconds and it dawns on them that it is a needle in a haystack situation. Once that's out of the way you can set some realistic objectives.

[Isla Guapa]

[Gregory.]

I am now an academic consultant

Pro's
Really interesting and challenging job which takes me to my limits and pushes my knowledge of teaching and language every single day
The opportunity to visit lots of schools and to see the educational big picture every day
The chance to make a difference and to motivate teachers to see how they have the power to change this country for the better
Traveling
Am encouraged to continue my professional development in order to offer talks and workshops at conferences
Regular (good) salary and all the appropriate benefits
Free books
No day is ever the same.

Con's
I finished work on Saturday at 11pm and back tot he office today (but I like this type of work- totally opposite to working int he classroom)
Working long hours away from home.
I can see the damage being done by negative teachers and bad attitudes in certain institutions
I leave schools wishing I could do more- courses, sessions, training and the likes.

[BadBeagleBad]