How do you work with English Language Learners as a Native-English speaker? Think about it.
Working
with ELLs can be challenging and exciting due to the differences in culture,
language, and background. Another aspect that comes into play when working with
ELLs is the differences in our ways of thinking. I’m not necessarily referring to
cultural differences or indirect versus direct communication; I mean things
such as differences is cognitive direction and phrases that are not
translatable but are extremely functional to each respective language. This is
where being able to describe the way we think of phrasings, sentence structure,
the functionality of grammar, and word choice come into play.
I had a student from
South Korea come in one day to work on his Economics paper. We came across
mistakes that could be considered “common” amongst ELLs such as article usage
and verb tenses, but there was a sentence where he had a phrase along the lines
of “make in grander scale” rather than “to put on a grander scale.” For a
moment, I hesitated and contemplated how to explain why this was incorrect
rather than “that’s just how we say it.” I realized that, in my mind, when I
think of “putting things on a grander scale,” physically or symbolically, I’m
still thinking of physically putting something on a physical scale. When I
explained this to the client, they understood, because they understood the way
I thought as a native-English speaker. This way of thinking is likely not the
same for all English speakers but discussing the way we personally think about
things and how that translates to our written work has great potential in
helping ELLs learn and improve their own English as they are continually
learning.
I greatly empathize with
the situation this client is in because I am a learner of a second language
myself. I have been learning Japanese formally and informally for about 10
years now. With this, I learned that if I tried to translate everything
directly from English to Japanese, I would often have more mistakes than I
would if I just changed my cognitive mindset to what I know of native Japanese
speakers. This means I need to continue learning more about how Japanese people
think and how that translates to their language. For example, as a Japanese
language learner, I often made the mistake of saying「覚えられない」(oboerarenai)
instead of 「覚えない」(oboenai)
when I couldn’t remember something because the first phrase translates directly
as “I can’t remember” which we generally accept in the English-speaking world,
but what it really means to Japanese
speakers is “I am incapable of remembering” which, to be frank, just sounds
weird. 「覚えない」(oboenai)
is “I don’t remember” and would be the correct phrase to use in such
situations.
Another thing I learned is
that Japanese often likes to avoid implied meanings as much as possible except
when referring to oneself. So when we use phrases in English such as “I’m going
shopping” it is implied that we will be returning once we have finished
shopping. In Japanese we would say something along the lines of 「ショッピングに行ってきます」(shoppingu
ni ittekimasu) translated literally as “I’m going shopping and then I will
return (come back).” This also
demonstrates a difference in the level of detail languages deem necessary to
include as well as how literal directions (to go or to come) can be thought of
differently in other languages. Something that often confuses Japanese language
learners is the difference between 「あげる」(ageru)、「くれる」(kureru)、and「もらう」(morau),
translated as “to give,” “to receive,” and “to receive” respectively. Why are
there two phrases for receiving? This is because the verb changes depending on
the structure of the sentence which changes the direction, toward the subject
or away from the subject, of the item or favor that was given or received.
There are also non-translatable
phrases that represent ideas and are useful in Japanese such as 猫舌 (nekojita)、and お疲れ様 (otsukaresama).
This means that in order to understand them, they require an understanding of
the idea behind the phrase and not the strict translation. 猫舌(nekojita) literally
translates to “cat tongue” and that seems a little odd doesn’t it? I am 猫舌(nekojita) and when I
tell Japanese people this, they understand what I mean immediately. 猫舌(nekojita) is when you
are incapable of consuming hot-temperature food and drink because your tongue
is sensitive and burns easily, but there is no direct translation for this in
English, at least not in simple terms. This may seem like one of those “oh just
memorize the phrase” situations, but it is important to consider the context
and situations in which such phrases are appropriate. Another such phrase is 「お疲れ様」(otsukaresama),
which generally translates to “thank you for your hard work” in English. I
think this phrase is interesting because 疲れ(tsukare) means “tired” in English, the
preceding お(o)
is only added to words when referring to others and it adds a respectful tone
to the word or phrase as does 様(sama),
which is a suffix generally used as a title when addressing someone above
yourself in social stature. For example, 様 (sama) is added to the end of the word
“guest,” along with お(o)
being added to the beginning of the word, in Japanese and guests are referred
to as 「お客様」(okyakusama). This
phrase shows respect for another, often a coworker or classmate, who put forth
effort for the continual success of others.
As you can see, there are
distinct differences in the way individuals think about and convey their
thoughts through native language. This rings true for individuals learning a
second language who must learn to understand the way of thinking of native
speakers before becoming truly fluent. Therefore, explaining our thought
processes in regards to English to ELLs will be especially helpful because now
that they are here in the U.S., they have been able to observe native speakers
communicate with each other. Explaining the reasonings behind the way we
communicate via word choice, sentence structure, and phrasing will help them
connect back to what they’ve already observed and help them further their
understanding of the English language.
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