When I was in secondary school the language teachers always warned us about the general unreliability of online translators, and the fact that it was usually immediately obvious if one had been used.
They can be of use if you are translating a word or relatively simple phrases, but anything more complicated and it all tends to go wrong. Although some are better than others, all online translators struggle to deal with complex sentence structures and have little ability to take context into account, which is absolutely crucial if you are looking for an accurate translation. They also tend to have problems with colloquial language and sayings.
A group of my students who are taking a special module about cinema had been tasked with writing a script for a movie, which I was given today to look over and correct mistakes in the English (the language the module is taught in). It quickly became apparent that they had written it in Catalan, and then pasted it into an online translator. I could just about make out the general plot (a sordid affair involving drugs and prostitution), but large parts of the script were completely unintelligible.
My favourite parts were:
"She goes to scroll her body to the disco sweet." (When I read this I burst out laughing.)
"Oysters! If in nothing do I have between the legs...Matches you shit it, where I have the head? Has gone for me of a hair!" (Impossible to understand, but it sounds almost like the kind of language you'd find in a Shakespeare play!)
The phrase "Oysters!" confused me particularly. I asked one of the English teachers, and it is a direct translation of "ostres", which is both the Catalan word for oysters but also an exclamation that roughly translates as "damn".
Why the word for oysters is used as an exclamation, I have no idea...
Showing posts with label Teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teaching. Show all posts
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Friday, 30 October 2009
Swine Flu Strikes?
It appears that the school where I am working may have been struck by an outbreak of swine flu (or "gripe A" as it is known here).It's not entirely clear that it IS swine flu that has caused a large number of teachers and students to call in ill over the past week, but given the frequent and slightly apocalyptic reporting on the illness by the media (which is just as bad here as in the UK) that is the first conclusion pretty much everyone has jumped to. Although it could well be right!
Either way, yesterday there was a particularly large amount of staff and students off sick. One of the classes I had in the afternoon normally consists of twenty-seven students, of which I usually teach half each week. Yesterday, however, I ended up taking all of the class. Or at least the seven of them that weren't off sick...
I should point out that this class was an exceptional case and that most classes were nowhere near as badly depleted as this one!
(If you are wondering about the picture, then it happens to be the first thing that came up on Google Image search for "swine flu"!)
Friday, 23 October 2009
American / English?
Although there are language assistants in Spain that have come from places such as America and Australia, UK English is the version of the language that is taught in Spanish schools. Of course, from my point of view that is a good thing as I don't have to worry about inadvertently teaching my students something that might be deemed "incorrect" by an exam board.
However, despite UK English being used as the standard in schools, there are occasional signs of US English creeping in. This is probably inevitable given the global importance of America and its unparalleled ability to project itself culturally across the world, but it is nonetheless irksome.
The two most obvious "Americanisms" that keep cropping up are the use of the term "high school" and the pronunciation of the word "tomato".
Partly, of course, this is down to the teachers. Indeed, I've heard some of the English teachers here saying both of these things. But it is also partly down to the widespread presence of American cultural products. The use of "high school" instead of "secondary school" (despite the Catalan equivalent - "escola d'educació secundària" - being closer to the UK English term) is quite probably reinforced by the great popularity here of the "High School Musical" films. As students are naturally more likely to be influenced by their favourite films, books, music, etc than by me telling them something in a classroom, I suspect that it would be very hard to get them to use the term "secondary school" instead. And if this is what their teachers are telling them as well, it is probably best not to give them a different version and cause confusion. So I think I will largely let that one pass.
With the pronunciation of "tomato", however, I am determined to have my way and encourage students to use the common British pronunciation of "tom-ah-toe" instead of "tom-ay-toe". Today I ended up standing at the front of one of my classes and getting students to repeat it until I was satisfied. ("It's pronounced 'tom-ah-toe'. 'Tom-aaaah-toe'.") They probably thought I was quite strange.
These things are not "mistakes" as such. And even within the UK there are variations, making the concept of encouraging a "correct" version of something a bit dubious. So perhaps I shouldn't be doing so at all. On the other hand, since the syllabus is in UK English I feel I have some justification for correcting Americanisms!
What I found more surprising was the apparent blurring of the distinction between British and American culture. More than once in my classes I've heard both Madonna and Hannah Montana described as being English. They are, of course, both American.
Given that American culture is dominant globally, it struck me as a bit odd that some students are assuming that American cultural icons are British rather than the other way around. Perhaps it is something to do with the geographical proximity of Britain? I honestly couldn't say.
However, despite UK English being used as the standard in schools, there are occasional signs of US English creeping in. This is probably inevitable given the global importance of America and its unparalleled ability to project itself culturally across the world, but it is nonetheless irksome.
The two most obvious "Americanisms" that keep cropping up are the use of the term "high school" and the pronunciation of the word "tomato".
Partly, of course, this is down to the teachers. Indeed, I've heard some of the English teachers here saying both of these things. But it is also partly down to the widespread presence of American cultural products. The use of "high school" instead of "secondary school" (despite the Catalan equivalent - "escola d'educació secundària" - being closer to the UK English term) is quite probably reinforced by the great popularity here of the "High School Musical" films. As students are naturally more likely to be influenced by their favourite films, books, music, etc than by me telling them something in a classroom, I suspect that it would be very hard to get them to use the term "secondary school" instead. And if this is what their teachers are telling them as well, it is probably best not to give them a different version and cause confusion. So I think I will largely let that one pass.
With the pronunciation of "tomato", however, I am determined to have my way and encourage students to use the common British pronunciation of "tom-ah-toe" instead of "tom-ay-toe". Today I ended up standing at the front of one of my classes and getting students to repeat it until I was satisfied. ("It's pronounced 'tom-ah-toe'. 'Tom-aaaah-toe'.") They probably thought I was quite strange.
These things are not "mistakes" as such. And even within the UK there are variations, making the concept of encouraging a "correct" version of something a bit dubious. So perhaps I shouldn't be doing so at all. On the other hand, since the syllabus is in UK English I feel I have some justification for correcting Americanisms!
What I found more surprising was the apparent blurring of the distinction between British and American culture. More than once in my classes I've heard both Madonna and Hannah Montana described as being English. They are, of course, both American.
Given that American culture is dominant globally, it struck me as a bit odd that some students are assuming that American cultural icons are British rather than the other way around. Perhaps it is something to do with the geographical proximity of Britain? I honestly couldn't say.
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Education in Catalonia
When I was still in the UK I asked my tutor at the school here in Catalonia whether there was a dress code for teachers. I was aware that school children in Spain don't wear any uniform, but I thought that perhaps staff were expected to dress a bit more formally.
When my tutor, Alba, replied to my email she told me that I could "dress the way you like as long as you are dressed!".
I'm mentioning this because the first thing I noticed when I arrived at the school on the first day was has informally dressed everyone was. I was half-expecting it, but still opted for a smart shirt and smart brown shoes to avoid dressing too casually. I really needn't have bothered. It's quite common for teachers to be walking around in jeans, t-shirts and trainers, just like the students.
That's just the most immediately apparent of the ways in which the atmosphere in schools here is a lot more informal than that in their British counterparts. Students don't call teachers "Sir", but use first names instead (whereas I was calling teachers "Sir" or "Miss" until the start of Sixth Form).
I'm not generally a big fan of overly formal situations, so I'm finding the more relaxed and informal way of doing things very positive. It's especially interesting in the light of Michael Gove, Tory education spokesperson in the UK, opening his speech at the recent Conservative party conference with a discussion of the need for more discipline in the classroom and the importance of a smart school uniform. From what I've seen here the lack of such formality does not seem to have any clearly adverse effect on teaching, although perhaps the schoolchildren here are a bit rowdier and it can take a long time to get them settled down. On the other hand I have no doubt that it is the same (if not worse) in some British schools.
There are, of course, plenty of other differences. The first class starts at 8.30am (groan) and the last finishes at 5.30pm, making for a much longer school day. However, on Friday school finishes early. Students doing the Batxillerat (equivalent of AS/A-levels) study a minimum of eight subjects, as opposed to the three or four that a British college student will usually do.
A distinct feature of Catalan (as opposed to Spanish) education is, of course the use of Catalan. Castilian is taught in Catalan schools as a second language, and nearly all of the classes and administration are conducted in Catalan. In fact, there was recently a story in the news here over the ongoing controversy over whether Catalan schools should have to provide two hours of tuition per week in Castilian or whether this should be increased to three hours, as the central government in Madrid has been trying to impose. Given that Castilian is the main language of the country, it is striking that the amount of time being talked about is so small.
From what I've seen I have to say I like the education system here. I'm happy not to have to dress up smartly to go to work, and the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed.
And of course there is the wine at lunch time...
When my tutor, Alba, replied to my email she told me that I could "dress the way you like as long as you are dressed!".
I'm mentioning this because the first thing I noticed when I arrived at the school on the first day was has informally dressed everyone was. I was half-expecting it, but still opted for a smart shirt and smart brown shoes to avoid dressing too casually. I really needn't have bothered. It's quite common for teachers to be walking around in jeans, t-shirts and trainers, just like the students.
That's just the most immediately apparent of the ways in which the atmosphere in schools here is a lot more informal than that in their British counterparts. Students don't call teachers "Sir", but use first names instead (whereas I was calling teachers "Sir" or "Miss" until the start of Sixth Form).
I'm not generally a big fan of overly formal situations, so I'm finding the more relaxed and informal way of doing things very positive. It's especially interesting in the light of Michael Gove, Tory education spokesperson in the UK, opening his speech at the recent Conservative party conference with a discussion of the need for more discipline in the classroom and the importance of a smart school uniform. From what I've seen here the lack of such formality does not seem to have any clearly adverse effect on teaching, although perhaps the schoolchildren here are a bit rowdier and it can take a long time to get them settled down. On the other hand I have no doubt that it is the same (if not worse) in some British schools.
There are, of course, plenty of other differences. The first class starts at 8.30am (groan) and the last finishes at 5.30pm, making for a much longer school day. However, on Friday school finishes early. Students doing the Batxillerat (equivalent of AS/A-levels) study a minimum of eight subjects, as opposed to the three or four that a British college student will usually do.
A distinct feature of Catalan (as opposed to Spanish) education is, of course the use of Catalan. Castilian is taught in Catalan schools as a second language, and nearly all of the classes and administration are conducted in Catalan. In fact, there was recently a story in the news here over the ongoing controversy over whether Catalan schools should have to provide two hours of tuition per week in Castilian or whether this should be increased to three hours, as the central government in Madrid has been trying to impose. Given that Castilian is the main language of the country, it is striking that the amount of time being talked about is so small.
From what I've seen I have to say I like the education system here. I'm happy not to have to dress up smartly to go to work, and the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed.
And of course there is the wine at lunch time...
Monday, 19 October 2009
My First Days in Catalonia
I’ve already been out here for nearly three weeks now (three weeks tomorrow, in fact), and I’ve done too much to fit into one post without it being incredibly long and very boring. But it’s probably worth describing my first few days here.
On my fist day (29th September) I arrived in Barcelona airport and was picked up by the wife and oldest son of the headmaster of the school where I am working, and whose house I am currently living in. The trip to Artés is only about an hour by car, although in public transport it takes over two hours. I was a little apprehensive about the whole thing, but the family I am staying with are very welcoming so there was no trouble on that front. The only problem was that we didn’t eat dinner until 9pm (a lot of Spaniards eat even later than this), and since I had had an early lunch before leaving the UK I was extremely hungry by this point!
My second day was spent in Barcelona, attending an induction day organised by the Catalan Departament d’Educació. I had to get up at some silly hour in the morning to meet up with my tutor, Alba, in the city of Manresa and then get to Barcelona for a 9am start. All of this would have been bearable were it not for the fact that, apart from the presentation at the end of the day on administrative issues, the series of presentations that followed were on the whole tediously dull and did little more than repeat information that we have been given already.
The next day was the one that I was a bit nervous about – my first day of work at I.E.S. Castell del Quer. As the headmaster had to go in early, I was picked up by one of the other teachers in the morning. Upon arriving I was given a guided tour of the school and introduced to lots of people before doing my first two hours of lessons. It was immediately clear that schools here are quite different from those in the UK, but I’ll go into that another time.
My first week in the school was fairly easy, since all of my classes were done with another teacher and I was just doing a presentation before answering questions from students and getting them to talk about themselves. At lunch on the first day I went with a group of teachers to a restaurant called Restaurant Cal Quico, where I admit I was a little surprised by the teachers drinking wine before afternoon classes.
“We need wine to get through the afternoon!” one of the teachers said when I mentioned it. I’m not entirely sure he was joking. Either way, I decided that it was a great idea and helped myself to a glass.
So, the first few days in Catalonia were very enjoyable, and after them I have to say I felt a lot more positive about the forthcoming year. Things are still going well, and with any luck they will continue to do so!
On my fist day (29th September) I arrived in Barcelona airport and was picked up by the wife and oldest son of the headmaster of the school where I am working, and whose house I am currently living in. The trip to Artés is only about an hour by car, although in public transport it takes over two hours. I was a little apprehensive about the whole thing, but the family I am staying with are very welcoming so there was no trouble on that front. The only problem was that we didn’t eat dinner until 9pm (a lot of Spaniards eat even later than this), and since I had had an early lunch before leaving the UK I was extremely hungry by this point!
My second day was spent in Barcelona, attending an induction day organised by the Catalan Departament d’Educació. I had to get up at some silly hour in the morning to meet up with my tutor, Alba, in the city of Manresa and then get to Barcelona for a 9am start. All of this would have been bearable were it not for the fact that, apart from the presentation at the end of the day on administrative issues, the series of presentations that followed were on the whole tediously dull and did little more than repeat information that we have been given already.
The next day was the one that I was a bit nervous about – my first day of work at I.E.S. Castell del Quer. As the headmaster had to go in early, I was picked up by one of the other teachers in the morning. Upon arriving I was given a guided tour of the school and introduced to lots of people before doing my first two hours of lessons. It was immediately clear that schools here are quite different from those in the UK, but I’ll go into that another time.
My first week in the school was fairly easy, since all of my classes were done with another teacher and I was just doing a presentation before answering questions from students and getting them to talk about themselves. At lunch on the first day I went with a group of teachers to a restaurant called Restaurant Cal Quico, where I admit I was a little surprised by the teachers drinking wine before afternoon classes.
“We need wine to get through the afternoon!” one of the teachers said when I mentioned it. I’m not entirely sure he was joking. Either way, I decided that it was a great idea and helped myself to a glass.
So, the first few days in Catalonia were very enjoyable, and after them I have to say I felt a lot more positive about the forthcoming year. Things are still going well, and with any luck they will continue to do so!
Sunday, 18 October 2009
First Post
Hello, and welcome to my blog about my year in Catalonia!
Before I left the UK several people suggested that I write a blog to keep people updated about what I'm doing on my year abroad. After having to describe what I've been doing so far to quite a few different people, I decided that it was actually a very good idea. So here it is.
For anyone who isn't exactly sure what I'm doing out here, then I am working as an English-language assistant at a secondary school (I.E.S. Castell del Quer) in a small Catalan town called Prats de Lluçanès . For twelve hours a week I do speaking classes with groups of students, and I have the rest of the week free to travel around the country and immerse myself in local culture (or something like that).
I'm doing this as part of my degree (History and Modern European Languages), with the aim of improving my language skills when I'm not in the classroom teaching English. The only problem with this is that the language component of my degree primarily consists of Spanish. Naturally this means that the main goal of my year here should be to consolidate and build upon my Spanish skills.
This would be fine if it weren't for the fact that I've come to rural Catalonia, where the spoken language is, of course, Catalan. In the area where I work and live, Castilian Spanish is spoken infrequently, and some people are loath to use it at all. Fortunately, however, I studied Catalan for a year before coming here and am picking it up quickly.
Catalonia has a very strong sense of cultural identity, largely centred around the Catalan language, and many Catalans are in favour of becoming independent from Spain. I decided that it made much more sense to call this a "Catalan" rather than a "Spanish" blog in recognition of this acute sense of being different from the rest of the country. After spending all your time around people who think like this it is hard not to be influenced by them!
I intend to post on here fairly frequently with tales of what I've been up to, snippets about my life here in Catalonia, and also some comments about Catalan (and Spanish) culture in general.
I hope you find it interesting, and please feel free to leave comments on any of the posts!
Before I left the UK several people suggested that I write a blog to keep people updated about what I'm doing on my year abroad. After having to describe what I've been doing so far to quite a few different people, I decided that it was actually a very good idea. So here it is.
For anyone who isn't exactly sure what I'm doing out here, then I am working as an English-language assistant at a secondary school (I.E.S. Castell del Quer) in a small Catalan town called Prats de Lluçanès . For twelve hours a week I do speaking classes with groups of students, and I have the rest of the week free to travel around the country and immerse myself in local culture (or something like that).
I'm doing this as part of my degree (History and Modern European Languages), with the aim of improving my language skills when I'm not in the classroom teaching English. The only problem with this is that the language component of my degree primarily consists of Spanish. Naturally this means that the main goal of my year here should be to consolidate and build upon my Spanish skills.
This would be fine if it weren't for the fact that I've come to rural Catalonia, where the spoken language is, of course, Catalan. In the area where I work and live, Castilian Spanish is spoken infrequently, and some people are loath to use it at all. Fortunately, however, I studied Catalan for a year before coming here and am picking it up quickly.
Catalonia has a very strong sense of cultural identity, largely centred around the Catalan language, and many Catalans are in favour of becoming independent from Spain. I decided that it made much more sense to call this a "Catalan" rather than a "Spanish" blog in recognition of this acute sense of being different from the rest of the country. After spending all your time around people who think like this it is hard not to be influenced by them!
I intend to post on here fairly frequently with tales of what I've been up to, snippets about my life here in Catalonia, and also some comments about Catalan (and Spanish) culture in general.
I hope you find it interesting, and please feel free to leave comments on any of the posts!
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