17
Jan
2010
Teaching English
Teaching English
Although English is not more complex than many other languages, there are several factors that can create difficulties for those wanting to learn the language and those trying to teach it. There may be difficulties with English pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, the differences between spoken and written English, as well as the different varieties of English.
The British Isles (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland) are the historical home of English, and each region has significant differences in pronunciation, accent, vocabulary and grammar. Furthermore, the British colonies that adopted English as their official language also differ significantly, from New Zealand English to American, Canadian, South African and Australian. It doesn’t help that there is no one organisation that determines the most prestigious or ‘correct’ form of the language, as the French and Spanish do.
Difficulties of Teaching English
One of the things that can be difficult for those learning English is the sound represented by ‘th’. This sound is relatively rare in other languages, even others in the Germanic family. Another issue may be the numerous vowel sounds in English. The exact number differs depending on the variety of English, but for example, in Standard British English there are twelve monophthongs (single vowels), eight diphthongs (double vowels) and two triphthongs (triple vowels). By comparison, many other languages have fewer vowels or only pure ones, and so have trouble distinguishing the sounds and pronouncing them.
English also tends to be a stress-timed language, that is stressed syllables are roughly equidistant in time no matter how many syllables come in between. Most of the world’s major languages are actually syllable-timed, with each syllable coming at an equal time after the previous one. English language learners may have difficulty learning the correct way to stress words and syllables, whether for emphasis, contrast or for emphatic apologies.
10
Nov
2009
English for Tourism and Hospitality
Tourism and Hospitality
Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes, defined by the World Tourism Organisation as people who travel and stay in places other than their normal environment, for more than 24 hours and less than one consecutive year, for the purpose of leisure. Tourism can involve both relaxation and learning, participating in activities such as extreme sports or experimenting with local cuisine, exploring natural landmarks or visiting historic buildings. Hospitality is the practice of receiving and entertaining guests, and the industry covers hotels, restaurants, resorts, and places that offer tourist activities.
Hospitality and tourism often make up a substantial part of a country’s national income, depending on the opportunities and services available to tourists and the popularity of the destination. The tourist industry includes a vast array of goods and services, from transportation services, to amusement parks, shopping centres, cruise ships and more.
English Courses for Tourism
English courses that are designed for those wanting to work in the tourism and hospitality industries cover basic English skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening, as well as more specific topics. Topics covered could include types of accommodation, dealing with guests and tourists, handling customer complaints, learning related vocabulary to answer the phone and arrange tours, etc. They could also be very specific courses, such as English and Surfing.
One of the great ways to learn English for tourism is to study overseas and actually combine your studies with tourist activities. So for example, if you study at an English college on the Gold Coast, you could learn English related to activities such as marine sports (fishing, surfing, jet skiing, scuba diving), theme parks or sightseeing. Or if studying at a college in Sydney, you could learn how to interact with people actually working in the tourism and hospitality industries, including public transport officers, waiters, tour guides and so on.
10
Nov
2009
English for Tour Guiding
Tour Guiding in English
Tour guiding is an exciting, challenging and fulfilling job. Not only do you get to visit beautiful sights and learn about historic sites, but you are responsible for a tour groups’ safety and enjoyment, and can be challenged by questions you may not have the answers to. As a tour guide, your main role is to make sure the tour is interesting and informative.
There are three main areas of focus for those wanting to polish their English to be a tour guide. The first is how to explain rules and safety precautions clearly and politely. A good technique is to memorise your speech rather than reading it. This way people will pay closer attention and understand you more clearly. It is also a good idea to ask questions at the end of your speech to ensure that they have understood it, such as “Is everyone clear about this?” .
The second is learning how to give advice in a friendly way about useful tips as the tourists are likely to be foreigners and know little about the country. Learn the terminology associated with exchanging money, catching public transport, etiquette particular to the culture, and where to find places.
Tour guides should also try to know as much as possible about the history, culture and scenery that you are touring. While you don’t have to talk the entire time, you should know enough to keep the tourists interested and be able to answer questions. You may not always have the answers to people’s questions, however you can be prepared for common types of questions and how they will be phrased.
English Tour Guiding Courses
An English course designed to prepare people to become tour guides is often a better option than taking a more general course or simply starting to work without having a good grasp of the English language. The latter could mean that not only would you underperform in your job, but that you may be putting tourists at risk by not making safety precautions clear.
Tour guide courses place special emphasis on speaking and listening skills, confidence-building exercises and projects, and excursions to get first-hand experience on how tour guiding.