Language and Career Difficulties

[Guest jin979]

My advice: keep your wife away from any group speaking Chinese as their first language - she won't learn any English.

Chinese restaurant - I've known a Chinese woman in a Chinese buffet restaurant here who has been there for 5-6 years. She still can't carry on a conversation in English. She knows, "how are you", "what do you want to drink" - and the responses to those - that's about all she knows.

My wife won't watch TV here, she has found a Chinese TV website which she watches 12-16 hours a day.

I would say my wife has actually lost a lot of what English she had learned.

I am at wits end on what to do. The English classes she is taking isn't doing her any good because my wife "no care to learn".

She came here 3 1/2 years ago - learned some English for the first 7-9 months, then quite studying.

I tell her she needs to start from the beginning at classes instead of where her classmates are now, but she won't - a pride thing.

She had a Chinese who taught her English in China for maybe 10 months - I talked to him - terrible English - she was offered classes from her friends husband (from USA) who taught there - but she wouldn't because her teacher was "Chinese" and very good teacher. After a year here she admitted this Chinese teacher was "terrible".

 

My wife was offered a job in Las Vegas (we left as quickly as we got there) for $100,000 a year if she could have spoken good English - you think that would have motivated her, but quite the opposite.

 

She wants me to learn Chinese - I'm tone deaf - no way I can learn Chinese, but she can't understand this. She just can't get it that she needs English to get a good job.

At wits end here.

 

 

shes in USA so needs to speak english.

 

i have only been here a short time but have seen this, ok if she justs want to work in chinese place, but really why move to USA and hide in china sub-culture.

 

why she move here ?

 

why she want hard life here ?

[peacelove]

When my wife came to the U.S. three years ago, she couldn't speak any English at all. After working a few part-time jobs and interacting with people, she can carry out a basic conversation on most topics. Her English is still weak, but she wants to get an education and start a real career. My concern is that her English is still far from being college level.

 

Has anyone here faced a similar dilemma? How did your wife develop language skills sufficient for college? Are there any good careers that don't require a college degree? What about vocational schools, are they a better bet? If so, what programs are really useful?

 

Any advice or success stories would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[peacelove]

I hold a master degree in HONGKONG.i have been in USA for 2 years, i sited for CPA examination and passed 3 sections,i am going to take the last one, i think i can pass it , i feel the language problem is a bigggggggggggg problem,even i can read books very easily but i have big problem to listening and speaking, i worry if people can understand me if i get an accounting job,can you give me any advices

[Guest Pommey]

I hold a master degree in HONGKONG.i have been in USA for 2 years, i sited for CPA examination and passed 3 sections,i am going to take the last one, i think i can pass it , i feel the language problem is a bigggggggggggg problem,even i can read books very easily but i have big problem to listening and speaking, i worry if people can understand me if i get an accounting job,can you give me any advices

 

 

we were talking about this other day. Our impression is a question of "immersion". We have met a number of chinese here that have been here years but stay within the chinese communities or dont mix at all. As a result their english remains poor, Jin believes that as her job requires her to coverse in english all day it really helps her.

Therefore maybe the answer is initially to take a job that requires the use of english (even if you believe its well below your education level).

[warpedbored]

The fact of the matter is unless you speak very good English your education in China will not help you very much here. If you want to get a great job you must work hard to improve your language skills. As Rob suggested working at a job you might feel beneath you where everyone speaks English is one way to improve.

 

There is no shame in taking a job you might feel is beneath you. When I was in college I took a job as a janitor on the graveyard shift in a hotel. I was bemoaning to my father one day that I felt the job was beneath me. He looked me straight in the eye and said "it's honest work isn't it?" I replied that it is and he followed up with "there is always honor in honest work." I have never forgotten those words and to this day I make it a point to sincerely thank the gas station attendant, maid, waitress or whoever is helping me.

 

My wife is of the "lost generation" that had to go work in the countryside during the cultural revolution. She has seen some tough times and knows what it is like to be hungry. Afterward she went back to school and eventually graduated with a degree in law from Guangxi University. Unfortunately that education does her little good here because of her English. She works on a production line. She never complains. There is honor in what she does and even more honor in how she accepts it.

[Robert S.]

I knew a Chinese lady in the UAE who had her master's in English from Peking University. She is the only Chinese person I have met personally who really spoke English well. This is not a criticism of Chinese people! The thing is that English is so incredibly difficult with its hidebound rules of grammar, its slang, its constant adoption of new words and usages of old words, the huge range of accents among its speakers, not to mention if you get into technical language. Something Chinese people have a problem with apparently is that in English the position of a word in a sentence is all-important.

 

There are a couple of doctors from China working at the hospital I transcribe for (remotely) and they have near flawless English, but they must have been here for a quite a while. In India if a doctor is preparing to go work in America they always take accent reduction courses. So many Chinese people are ashamed of their accent and don't want to go into a situation where someone might laugh at them, my wife included. I try to tell her they are not laughing as a put-down, but just because it is unfamiliar. Actually we Americans are happy to have foreigners coming here and we enjoy trying to understand them and want to help!!!!

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

I knew a Chinese lady in the UAE who had her master's in English from Peking University. She is the only Chinese person I have met personally who really spoke English well. This is not a criticism of Chinese people! The thing is that English is so incredibly difficult with its hidebound rules of grammar, its slang, its constant adoption of new words and usages of old words, the huge range of accents among its speakers, not to mention if you get into technical language. Something Chinese people have a problem with apparently is that in English the position of a word in a sentence is all-important.

 

There are a couple of doctors from China working at the hospital I transcribe for (remotely) and they have near flawless English, but they must have been here for a quite a while. In India if a doctor is preparing to go work in America they always take accent reduction courses. So many Chinese people are ashamed of their accent and don't want to go into a situation where someone might laugh at them, my wife included. I try to tell her they are not laughing as a put-down, but just because it is unfamiliar. Actually we Americans are happy to have foreigners coming here and we enjoy trying to understand them and want to help!!!!

 

I've met many Chinese that read, write, and speak English better than many native born Americans. I think it's much harder for native English speaking Americans to learn to speak and pronounce Chinese properly than vice-versa.

 

I wish it were true that American's didn't laugh at accents, poor pronunciation and articulation, but with a few exceptions, it's just not true. The more discreet avoid speaking about it face to face, but then blast them behind their backs. Chinese people in international business are aware of this, and make strong efforts to improve their articulation and pronunciation. Most Chinese have trouble with basic vowels....

[weiaijiayou]

my wife, who was a kindergarten teacher in china, just started volunteering at a local preschool/kindergarten. she'll be there every day from 8 to 1, working with the children and helping the other teachers. since she probably couldn't work as a teacher for pay with her english at its present level, we figured this is the next best thing. she'll be improving her english everyday, she's meeting new friends and colleagues, and she's doing what she likes to do. this will also let her get used to schools in the united states for when she eventually works for pay...

 

 

I think it's much harder for native English speaking Americans to learn to speak and pronounce Chinese properly than vice-versa.

 

really? i think pronunciation is way easier in chinese, assuming you study for at least a few years

[Zhou Zhou]

I think it's much harder for native English speaking Americans to learn to speak and pronounce Chinese properly than vice-versa.

 

really? i think pronunciation is way easier in chinese, assuming you study for at least a few years

 

I live in rural US and find most people intolerant of foreign accents, foreign people and anything other than white Usonians. But like ShaQuaNew, wrote most times their objections and bigotries are exhibited behind the backs of ...

 

I took a little community ed course in Chinese and it was very interesting...once you get the tones down the grammar is not very difficult...but I've also found that in China they overlook your pronunciation and figure out what you're trying to say...gracias a Dios!

 

ZZ