I have once again come to a stumbling block regarding the teaching of food and eating! I am about to teach the kids (aged 4-10) the names of the meals we eat during the day, but am finding it difficult as there are many variations just in the English language which I assume is territorial. For example in the north "to have tea" implies an evening meal, whereas in the South "to have tea" implies an afternoon drink and snack. (I assume??) What do I teach the kids, do I directly translate the Portuguese meanings of the names for meals or do I teach what I would say coming from the North? Bear in mind that in Portuguese the direct translation for the name of the evening meal (Jantar) is Dinner, yet in English this is the name for the lunchtime meal! I dont want to confuse the kids with lots of different words but if they ever get to England I want them to be able to ask for the correct food, what do I do??!!
I would appreciate any help on this ASAP as I aim to teach this topic next week. Thanks!
Direct translation or not?
Moderators: Dimitris, maneki neko2, Lorikeet, Enrico Palazzo, superpeach, cecil2, Mr. Kalgukshi2
re: direct translation
Personally I would use what you normally say and feel comfortable with, without worrying about the different variations. I come from the north of England and sometimes it raises a smile when I say "have tea" when people from the south would say "have dinner". I normally teach "have breakfast" "have lunch" and "have dinner" as these are most commonly used and certainly will be understood by the average English person!!
HOpe this helps,
HOpe this helps,
How about using more illustrations in your classroom> Visuals are of paramount importance to young learners that are still grappling with adult concepts such as time, food items (remember your mom's food tasted horrible all the time when you were just ten?).
The translation method presupposes that everything we know in one language has an exact equivalent in another language. To your own insight on how the term "tea" is used in Britain and in Portugal I could add my Chinese experience: Here, "he cha" literally is "drink tea". But in southern China, people flock to a teahouse in the morning to have a late breakfast that may last until 11 a.m. - what we might call "brunch".
I therefore work with visuals with my children, refraining as much as possible from using L 1 in an L 2 context.
The translation method presupposes that everything we know in one language has an exact equivalent in another language. To your own insight on how the term "tea" is used in Britain and in Portugal I could add my Chinese experience: Here, "he cha" literally is "drink tea". But in southern China, people flock to a teahouse in the morning to have a late breakfast that may last until 11 a.m. - what we might call "brunch".
I therefore work with visuals with my children, refraining as much as possible from using L 1 in an L 2 context.
Roger,
Thankyou for your response and advice. I understand what you are warning against and most of my teaching method uses illustrations and TPR activities rather than direct translation, due to the age of the children and the inability of the younger ones to read. What I have a problem with is knowing which words are correct to teach as the meaning of the Portuguese words, as I know this differs depending on our own upbringing and experience. eg. do I teach "Couch" or "Sofa"? "Navel" or "Belly button"? as I know in the latter example, coming from the North I didnt know what a "Navel" was until I was almost a teenager!! Refering back to my original question, I know from older Portuguese friends that they were confused when they went to England as children and their hosts shouted them to "come and have dinner" in the middle of the day!. Sometimes it is difficult as language teachers to teach simply the language and not the culture that it applies to.
Thankyou for your response and advice. I understand what you are warning against and most of my teaching method uses illustrations and TPR activities rather than direct translation, due to the age of the children and the inability of the younger ones to read. What I have a problem with is knowing which words are correct to teach as the meaning of the Portuguese words, as I know this differs depending on our own upbringing and experience. eg. do I teach "Couch" or "Sofa"? "Navel" or "Belly button"? as I know in the latter example, coming from the North I didnt know what a "Navel" was until I was almost a teenager!! Refering back to my original question, I know from older Portuguese friends that they were confused when they went to England as children and their hosts shouted them to "come and have dinner" in the middle of the day!. Sometimes it is difficult as language teachers to teach simply the language and not the culture that it applies to.