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[garykasparov]

http://news.empas.com/show.tsp/cp_kt/20070412n12150/?kw=advice%20%3Cb%3E%26%3C%2Fb%3E


Magic Solution to English Proficiency



[코리아타임스 2007-04-12 19:21:40]


By Park Chang-seok
Question 1: Can you explain the meaning of ``오비이락 (烏飛梨落)�� in English.

Question 2: How can you explain cell phones in English for African natives who have never seen the mobile phones?

These are among the questions asked of applicants looking to work at LG, one of Korea's leading electronics companies, in a recent corporate entrance examination. Other similar questions are ``조삼모사 (朝三暮四),�� ``진퇴양난 (進退兩難)�� ``침소봉대 (針小棒大),�� all meaningful phrases with four Chinese letters.

These questions are entirely different from ones being asked by other large corporations, which have created their own English proficiency tests in ``simple�� questions related to grammar or comprehension. The change of test questions aims to gauge the ``practical�� language skills of would-be entrants.

An increasing number of companies no longer rely on TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) in recruiting new employees. TOEIC and TOEFL have been widely used to evaluate the English proficiency of job seekers or as U.S. college admission tests. But the situation has changed as recruiters have begun to question this method.

A growing number of large companies use their own language tests to verify practical English proficiency, which they say is necessary for communicating with foreigners in doing business overseas. The dramatic change is not confined to company tests. TOEFL, which has adopted an Internet-based test (iBT), now gives greater weight to testing speaking and writing proficiency rather than grammar, which was previously applied on the computer-based test (CBT) or paper-based test (PBT).

The change in language proficiency tests is surely a fresh challenge for college-graduated job seekers and TOEFL takers as recruiters now place more importance on practical English skills based on their judgment that good test scores do not always guarantee language proficiency.

Recently a shocking report was released on the English proficiency of Koreans _ they are the worst among 12 Asian nations in their ability to make themselves understood in English. Koreans are actually at the bottom of the global English class despite their never-ending zeal for language education. What a shame! This is not acceptable, considering that Korea is the 10th largest economy in the world.

The new tests focus on speaking and writing skills based on a logical structure. A growing number of students are now knocking on the doors of language institutes, ``hagwons,�� to learn how to express their views in a logical way _ essay writing and conversation practice through telephone lessons are gaining popularity at hagwons. Logical essay writing in particular is becoming a major concern for those studying to enter companies or foreign universities.

English teaching methods have been put into practice in various forms.

A number of hagwon and English immersion-program villages nationwide are now teaching students English ``very earnestly.��

By all accounts, the English learning environment in Korea is not as bad as some other foreign countries. In fact, Korea has made a lot of effort in English-language education. But those efforts have brought no tangible results. What is a solution? What should be considered, above all, are English newspapers, known as ``English Newspaper in Education�� (ENIE).

ENIE cultivates critical thinking and writing skills through the analysis of local, national and world news, political cartoons, and editorials. It also increases the capabilities of clarifying and developing decision-making and life-managing skills through human-interest stories, advice columns, and business news.

On top of all this, it makes a great contribution to sharpening problem-solving skills with sports statistics, stock market listings, and retail ads, while building vocabulary with crosswords puzzles and word games. ENIE also offers a good source of conversation topics.

Newspapers are interesting, concisely written, readable, and deal with issues related to everyday life. An English newspaper is a living English textbook and a fine collection of essays as well. English newspapers, which are cheap, can be used as reading material for students as well as teachers. ENIE helps students find ways to improve their capabilities of expressing themselves logically.

Former President Kim Dae-jung is an exemplary ``student�� who successfully mastered English by reading English newspapers. In a word, Kim is a symbol for Korea's ENIE. In a 1998 interview with The New Times before his presidential inauguration, Kim Dae-jung, then president-elect, said, ``I learned English from an American Peace Corps volunteer and by tutoring myself, puzzling over the English language daily The Korea Times with a dictionary.�� Actually, Kim's language study was mostly carried out while he was in jail as a leader of the democratic movement under the authoritarian governments of former Presidents Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan.

English news stories hang together logically in a deductive way focusing on general reasoning in the leading part of an article, a complete different model from Korean language news stories using inductive writing method centering on specific reasoning from the beginning.

When it comes to English newspaper articles, the news story begins with a lead, which covers inclusive facts and develops details arranged in order of importance. Stories are written in the form of an ``inverted pyramid,�� which makes it possible to present the facts with the greatest impact.

The lead of a news story summarizes the story. It facilitates the reading of the paper. It makes it possible for readers to understand the news story from the beginning. A good lead is as clear as a picture. The lead paragraph summarizes the event. The lead is the climax of the incident.

The news story, especially the lead, is written logically on the 5W+1H principle of ``Who, What, When, Where, Why and How,�� a basic structure of logical writing and speaking.

All in all, ENIE is the best textbook for logical writing and speaking.

The writer is Korea Times ombudsman-in-chief and also editor-in-chief of The Edu Times. Park, former managing editor of The Korea Times, now teaches English media and ENIE at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Kyung Hee University.--ED

[steroidmaximus]

great. Wasted my time reading an ad. Get rid of this crap.