For those English-speaking visitors who will be relying on local student-volunteers to navigate their way around the Olympic venues next August in Beijing, they may be interested in seeing what kind of dialogue the volunteers are rehearsing every day:
Volunteer: Good afternoon, madam! A nice day, isn't it?
Foreign visitor: Yes, and I'm very excited to see such a beautiful piece of architecture. You are also a volunteer, aren't you?
V: Yes, people wearing this uniform are all volunteers. So it's not at all difficult for you to recognize us.
F: That's right. I love the color of your uniform. It's gorgeous. You volunteers are always friendly and helpful here in Beijing. I love your smiling faces.
V: Our smiling faces are the best name cards of Beijing, and we'd like to try our best to advocate the spirit of 'dedication, friendship, mutual help and progress,' popularize the concept of voluntary services, build up the image of volunteers, and boost the social recognition of our voluntary work.
F: Wow, you are not only charming, but also very articulate. How nice! To be honest with you, without your help, we may be at a loss as to what to do in such a big and exotic city. Well, may I go in now?
This is just an excerpt from A Conversational English Reader (Advanced) that comes with pre-recorded conversations on a CD for students to practice. The textbook is one of the Beijing Olympic training series published under the sponsorship of organizers.
While you may be wondering if you would ever actually hear this kind of dialogue in real life, I can only wish that Beijing's students were so eloquent in a foreign tongue, as this would seem to remove the "curse" of what has been dubbed "mute English."
"Mute English" is a term that many college students in China use to describe their English-language skills: they can read and write but lack the ability to speak, as they study English mainly to pass their graduation tests rather than to communicate with English speakers.
A domestic survey on college graduates' English abilities shows that just 7 percent can make a presentation at international meetings, while 14 percent say they can use English to converse about business. The rest are highly likely to only possess "mute English" skills.
As college students in Beijing will form the bulk of volunteers during the Olympic Games, a rigorous training regime covering social courtesies and language skills has already started. The conversational English text has been specially designed for students who have already passed their college English test.
The challenge, though, is how to make the "silent majority" talk, or in linguistic jargon, how to turn their language proficiency into "communicative competence."
Fortunately, motivation is usually the most important factor for any student to learn, and the student-volunteers have the will to acquire effective English communicative skills, not just for the Olympic Games, but for their future careers.
Given the time constraints, teachers should be creative and practical in developing learning strategies for those who believe they do not have an ear for languages and are tongue-tied when it comes to speaking in English.
For example, drills like explaining concepts of Chinese volunteerism to foreigners need advanced skills in "communicative competence," which can be difficult for most students who are used to rote-learning from books, as opposed to fielding questions from a variety of slurred dialects while thinking on their feet.
They may be better off if they follow conversational maxims like saying clearly only that which is necessary and relevant. Learning how and when to pause, to afford some time to think, would also be useful. The same can be said of gestures and body language.
And service with a smile? How about service with a KISS? As the KISS principle that is much favored in European literature teaches us: 'Keep It Short & Simple.'
Email: yuanzhou@ chinadaily.com.cn
