Comments on: Language learning challenges of overseas students

By: VinN

VinN — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 01:46:00 +0000

Thank you, Grace! I sometimes think I study in Korea, China or Taiwan instead of study and living in Sydney. I have Chinese, Taiwanese friends and Korean friends in both university and my work place. We always use our mother tongue when we communicate with each other. English are only used when Korean and mandarin speakers are mixed in conversation. However, these conversations are sometimes made by one of us plays as an “interpreter”. The large population of Asian migrant and Asian international students brings a multicultural community, and all of us overreliance on the communicative function of our mother tongue. The communication is facilitated, but less English is used among us.

By: Paul Desailly

Paul Desailly — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 00:43:00 +0000

You’ve let the cat out of the bag dear Grace; it’ll be among the pigeons if your fine thesis is aired in Beijing and Taipei among those coughing up for English language tuition abroad. During my decade in various Chinese universities and at New Oriental School as a teacher of English inter alia, ’twas no secret that 99% of English majors graduated regardless of the by and large meagre skills they exhibited in the target language vis-a-vis speaking and writing. ‘Elementary my dear witless’ reverberates in the oyster I refer to as a brain, ‘given that it’s all about business and money.’ However that may be, you certainly are the exception in that you sure have grasped the lingo. LOL. Paul

By: Donna Butorac

Donna Butorac — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Thanks for sharing your research, Grace. You’ve provided some much needed data and analysis on the lived experience of international students negotiating English-medium study in Australia. And thanks for the link to your thesis – I will be sharing it with my Academic Language and Learning colleagues!