TEFL Teaching Life

Michael Moore Might Just Make A Good EFL Teacher

Then again, maybe not.

I recently attended a showing of Sicko at a film festival, and Mr Moore himself was there to “present” the film. Unlike some other directors in attendance for showings of their own films, he didn’t take questions from the audience. He did, however, take the stage at the end and speak. After he said thank you in the local language, he began to speak….somewhat.slowly….with odd pauses.

This could have been…a nice way…to ensure that non-native English speakers…could understand him….though it might have been more appropriate….if there hadn’t been a woman there translating everything he said. Kinda made me think about grading your language.

Okay, okay, this is all true but I’m mainly trying to fit in a post to brag about having seen Michael Moore. And the best part is: I was about two feet away from him when the crowd in the outdoor cinema parted to let him exit. Wow. I might have considered trying to talk to him and convince him to do a film about the TEFL industry, or just jumped in for a quick “nose rub for good luck” or something if he hadn’t been accompanied by about ten beefy bodyguard-type people. Not really the right time to be the one weird American in the audience.

Date: August 27th, 2007 | 1 comment

The Subtitle / Dubbing Dilemma

Teaching abroad gives me a great opportunity to weigh in on the subtitle / dubbing debate. When I started, it was news to me that many countries around the world do show international tv and movies, but not all are dubbed; instead there are subtitles in the local language for most everything except movies intended for kids. I suspect it is first of all more expensive to dub, but there is also the point that the end product is considered by many better when you can still hear the actors own voice and intonation… and their lips move correctly with the words.

If all tv were dubbed into the local language – I probably wouldn’t watch it! But a perfect example of the dubious nature of dubbing is that famous Sarkozy – Royal debate. (“You must be calm to be president!” “ I get angry when I see injustice!”) I saw it on CNN with what I suspect was recorded simultaneous translation, not real dubbing. To be fair, simultaneous translation is hard, so I found a genuinely dubbed YouTube video of it to compare. Contrast it with the subtitled version (start at about 3:30 for the “heated” portion). Case closed!

Date: August 22nd, 2007 | 4 comments

Does Working Abroad Make You Feel “More _____ (British/American/Kiwi/etc.)”?

There’s a new “brand” of migrant workers, according to the International Herald Tribune: university professors. These professors say the merits of a foray abroad include an increased standard of living, a higher relative status where they can play a role in shaping the university, and of course international experience. One thing that jumped out at me though was something I’ve heard before. Regarding a professor who regretted her decision to come abroad:

… despite her hopes of contributing to an East-West dialogue, Richardson was unsettled to find herself feeling pulled toward her American identity.

“Culture is just a lot more powerful than I had ever anticipated,” she said. “I found that I really belong to this one culture — American — that I’ve been very critical of.”

Granted, she was a single mother (and a blond) teaching in the Middle East, where common discourse – correctly or not – holds that cultural differences would not be small.

But I’ve heard others say this as well, and it’s certainly not only about the Middle East. Does being abroad make you feel more a member of your “own” country?

If any of my readers really can’t tell, my general answer would be: no. I’m fairly vocal about various topics connected to my country, and as I mentioned here, I don’t like the idea that a person should be expected to “represent” their country when traveling or working abroad. Sometimes it strikes me that I am treated “better” (as in, I suppose, more of an equal) by people in certain other countries than I am in my own. But basically, being in another country just doesn’t make me feel more connected to citizens of my own.

But I’ll admit this:

Date: August 21st, 2007 | 2 comments

Fringe Benefit Of TEFL #10: Local Goodies

EFL has for me been a vehicle for all sorts of important realizations - about taking off your shoes, about Mexican food abroad, and about being functionally illiterate, to name just a few.

I’d like to take this opportunity to share my foray into yet another important sphere: chocolate. Had I not come abroad to teach, in that way ensuring a long enough stay to gain a true understanding of the great variety that exists, I would probably still think Hershey’s Special Dark was the height of good chocolate.

In reality, US chocolate pales in comparison to what’s on offer even in Eastern Europe. [ I will stick up for the US chocolate / peanut butter combo - you can’t go wrong with Reese's.] But although twenty years ago people were queuing for bananas in some Soviet-influenced countries, things are different today. Especially for chocolate.

Let me introduce you to one of my favorites: Milka.

Date: August 9th, 2007 | 2 comments

Fringe Benefit Of TEFL No. 8: Fairly Meaningless Insights That Throw You For A Loop

I’ve learned a lot in my TEFL time abroad, such as some neat local legends, how TEFL can be like psychotherapy, and that some places serve imposter Mexican food. I’ve learned some crazy facts about, you know, defining and non-defining relative clauses, diacritical marks in Slavic languages, and a special rule connected solely to the verb patterns for “regret”. But even more interesting to me is when I realize that the way I looked at something before was some kind of culturally subjective…thingy…

(I know. Bear with me and keep reading)

For example, in guidebooks about Bosnia, I’ve read: “It’s a Muslim tradition to take off your shoes inside.” I can accept that this is done in many or maybe even all countries considered Muslim. But does it really have to be attributed to people’s nominal religion, or some deep-rooted historical tradition? I think people do this in Bosnia because, along with nearly everyone else in Eastern Europe, they realize shoes are dirty and tracking street juice onto your pretty carpet is not desirable.

Date: July 31st, 2007 | 7 comments