3.12.2012

"Now it's their country, it must be their language, too."

BCNPaul just posted a link from The Telegraph (London) about how new immigrants to the UK - and the writer specifically mentions Spain by name - need to have a workable level of English if they decide to move to another country.

Obviously, I'm posting this because I really do feel that, if you're going to move to an English-speaking country, you'd better have a decent level of English. The article also makes me think of another point: Most of the immigrants who have come to Spain in the last ten years have either been from Spanish-speaking countries (Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela....) or have made a point of learning Spanish (I'm thinking especially of the Poles and Chinese.) This makes me think of what Ludwig Wittgenstein once said: The limits of my language are the limits of my world.

Trust me: Moving to another country is terrifying enough. Wherever you go, make sure that you do everything you can not to be isolated. You don't need to integrate fully into the culture, but you do yourself no favors by purposely isolating yourself from it.

The role of teachers

There's a post on EL PAIS's "Trans-Iberian" blog that talks about the role of English teachers during the crisis -- and how well-prepared English teachers should be.

Personally, I don't think much of the blog post. Until the government establishes some kind of minimum qualification for teachers of English as a Second Language, you're probably not going to see much of an improvement.

This is actually something I've always wondered about, to be honest. When I taught in the Czech Republic in 1999, Teachers of English as a Second Language were required to have completed a TEFL/TESL course (minimum 40 hours, though most schools wouldn't hire you if you had less than 100) to get a visa. We were told that this requirement was an EU requirement. If it is, it doesn't seem to be one that people in Spain use. As many of you know, language teaching is controlled by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, and not the Ministry of Education. (That gives a whole new meaning to the expression "you get what you pay for". Or "buyer beware.")

Can anyone confirm if the requirements have changed? In the nearly twelve years I've spent here, I have never heard of a government requirement for private language teaching.

New video!

A couple of months ago, I described the sticky note method of practicing and recycling vocabulary. I got working yesterday and created this video to show you how to do it...

And yes, that is my toothbrush!

3.02.2012

This should go without saying. However....

...."NO IS" is not proper English.

Repeat after me:
It is not...
It is not...
It is not...
It is not...
It is not...
It is not...
It is not...

I'm not usually this sarcastic about class notes, but, c'mon, guys....this is basic. "NO IS" is totally Spanglish. It doesn't matter how many times you say it -- it will never be correct.