by Louisa Lin
It was on an ordinary afternoon that I received an English letter from France. A French girl wrote and asked if I would like to be her pen pal. I replied “yes”. Her second letter surprised me, since it included a note from her father, written in simplified Chinese characters. Later I found that he had been studying Chinese on his own for four years. So I began to write to both the daughter and the father, to the one in English and the other in Chinese. At the same time I began learning French and enjoyed it a lot. I can’t remember when I started writing in French to Clo, my French pen pal. I think it must have been at least one year after I began taking French, when I thought it was time to practice. She was amazed and showed my postcard to her family. Then they wrote back and congratulated me as if I had won a million-dollar lottery. Around the end of last summer, my high school classmate Stacy, who had been learning French with me, suggested that we go to France for a study tour 遊學. I mentioned it to my French pen pals - this interesting family - and asked many questions concerning language schools, transportation and accommodation in France. As Clo was busy preparing for her “baccalaureat” (somewhat like our Joint College Entrance Examination), it was her father, Uncle Patrick as I call him, who always replied with satisfying answers and provided valuable information for me. The whole family-including Clo’s mother and sister, even though I wasn’t writing to them - kindly invited us to stay at their villa which is in Les Vosges in Lorraine (a French province in the northeast) where they would be going for vacation in July. Later they even invited us to stay in their apartment in Paris, despite the fact that it is very small. You could never imagine how happy and touched I was to read these few lines written by Uncle Patrick. And so we went to France. As we planned, we went first to a language school in Vichy (a small town in central France) to improve our French. Four weeks later we left for La Serpentine (which means “walking like a serpent”), so named because of the winding lane leading to it. We were heartily welcomed and had dinner together in their dining room, with a great view over the whole paradise-like area. We had fun talking, and Stacy and I were again embarrassingly praised for our halting French. Of course we didn’t forget to bring some presents in return for their hospitality. During the five days we stayed with them, we went boating, biking, shopping, and hiking. I wondered from time to time if I were dreaming; everything was just so fantastic. Five days later we said goodbye to them as they packed up and went back to Paris for work. While we traveled I wrote a postcard to each member of the family, since we had all become very good friends. We met again in Paris a month later. Clo’s mother came to pick us up at La Defense (a commercial district in the suburbs of Paris) and we went “home” together. We felt as if we had known each other for years. This time we stayed with them for another 10 days. On weekdays we traveled on our own. Uncle Patrick had to work, but on the weekend he drove us around Paris. We went to the Latin Quarter, visited some great bookstores, and stopped at a cafe like typical French folks; we visited Notre Dame, and the next day, the Flea Market. That evening after dinner we went out with the whole family to Haagen-Dazs (yummy…), and then dropped by the Eiffel Tower-my first time to see the Tower at night, and it was magnificent. Everything went surprisingly well and smoothly, except that there were still things that confused us, like how they managed to take a bath in the bathtub without splashing any water on the floor, since there wasn’t a shower curtain; we never figured that out, so we always caused floods. As for the food (the ordinary kind-if you still believe all French people eat snails, forget it-that’s a myth), at first we thought it was O.K., but in the end we decided to switch back to our Chinese diet. It’s not that French food was unbearable, but that we preferred what we were used to (our French friends had the same experience in Mainland China, you can be assured). Another thing is that, like many other French families, they had dinner as late as eight o'clock in the evening, so we usually had to hear our stomach grumble for two hours before we dined with our French friends. You might consider all this aspects of “culture shock”; well, maybe it’s better to view such things as interesting subjects to explore, rather than “shock”. At the end of our stay in France, we said goodbye to them all, and Uncle Patrick drove us to the airport. On the way there he played his favorite Beatles, as usual, and at the airport he helped us check in our luggage and then gave each of us two kisses on the cheeks like all French people do when they say goodbye to each other. Stacy thanked me because it was me who had spent time writing to them and earned such hospitality for both of us. I thanked her, too, because it was she who introduced me to “making friends by pen and ink”, now a great pleasure in my life. Uncle Patrick has an e-mail account now, so we are currently corresponding “electronically”. As for the language, we of course write in French! by Brian Lin
Being language majors you must have come across some excellent subtitle translations and certainly quite a few bad ones. Here are some I collected for laughs while working for a studio representing HBO Asia. English Bad translation Better translation Keep me posted 寫信給我 保持聯絡 Goal-oriented 目標東方 目標取向 3 musketeers 三個步兵劍客 A fresh eye 鮮明的眼 旁觀者清 I’m just throwing ideas out 我得拋開這想法 我只是出出點子罷了 I’m giving her a shot to be here in the party 我正在為她注射強心針, 好去參加舞會 我要給她一次參加舞會的機會 Write the school board 去寫學校的留言板 寫信給校委會 (These are the new machines) I think you read the literature on them 我想你們可以在上面閱讀文學 我想你們應該讀過相關報導了 Order me a screw-driver 幫我訂購一枝螺絲起子 幫我叫一杯螺絲起子 I need to go to the john 我要去約翰那邊 我要去上廁所 by Brian Lin
In this issue we concentrate on travel-related websites. Tales for the Traveler http://www.storyfest.com/tales.html Travel stories, updated weekly. Lonely Planet http://www.lonelyplanet.com/lp.html World’s leading backpacking guidebooks, now on-line. SF Bay Area http://www.SFBayArea.com Your one-step gateway to the San Francisco Bay Area. Paperless Guide to New York http://www.mediabridge.com/nyc Going to the Big Apple? Save a few bucks on guide books! Channel A http://www.ChannelA.com/ A unique gateway to Asia. B&B in the UK http://www.visitus.co.uk/ Great listing of Bed & Breakfasts in the UK. by Kathy Hong
Hey, you actors out there, here’s a chance to march yourself into show biz! DFLL juniors Zo* Hou and Fu-Chia Yu are striving to start up the DFLL’s own drama troupe. The troupe’s long-term goal will be to earn a seat in the drama field. “After all, we do have the best human resources of all the Taiwan universities and colleges, so why not?” Zo* said matter-of-factly. Although the drama group is still in its preparatory stage, they are already recruiting actors. Zo* Hou, who was named best leading actress in the 1996 DFLL Drama Contest, will be recruiting basic actors as starters for the troupe. She mentioned that it is simply too hard to manage the troupe completely on her own, so she wanted helpers, and actors are often the ones most willing to pitch in. Zo* had already recruited actors for two plays, The Sound of Voice with sophomores Brian Lin and Chris Lin, and The Problem with Walter Hs* and Chris Lin, requirements for her directing course in NTU*s graduate drama institute. Taking this opportunity, she hopes to involve enthusiastic classmates in organizing the troupe, and hopefully the initial DFLL troupe will be set up by next semester. Where did Zo* and Fu-Chia get this idea? Zo* considered how frustrating it was to spend four months* labor for only 30 minutes of glory in the drama contest. “On the other hand, if we had a troupe of our own, we could hold performances at least once every semester,” she said. It would also offer a second chance to those who missed the drama contest to show off their feathers. Being a DFLL troupe, English will be the priority language, yet Mandarin will not be excluded. Zo* stated clearly that she does not wish to scare off those who have English-speaking phobias. “But we have to live up to our reputation of being a DFLL troupe, so English is a priority,” said Brian Lin, a future member of the troupe. This will certainly offer troupe members opportunity to make progress in their English and have fun at the same time. Once established, the troupe will meet on a weekly basis. Lectures, seminars and training sessions in acting, speaking, body language, and staging will be held to help the members in acquiring fundamental acting and staging skills. Everyone in the troupe will have the chance to perform as well as learn administrative work, and every detailed aspect of *what makes a troupe*. Troupe members will also have contact with other troupes. At present, the status of the DFLL troupe is not entirely clear, nor is their source of funding. The main difficulty they are encountering at the moment is a lack of human resources to make the teamwork. While Zo* encourages interested classmates to come and get involved, she also issues a warning-only those with a very high level of enthusiasm and dedication need apply! by Kathy Hong
For one reason or another, we may have to break up with that “once” special someone sometime in our short lives. Breaking up is a cruel thing for either one or both people. Here are a few ways to do it perfectly. 1. The Old-fashioned Way This category is the one we probably turn to most often, yet it’s not always the best technique. Although it’s a fast and direct way to get it over and done with, you must carry the blame of dumping the person. Come right out and say it bluntly. Here are a few examples that are most often used: (1) “I don’t love you anymore." (2) "I’m seeing someone else." (3) "You are crowding me, I need some time and space to sort things out." (4) "There are too many differences between the two of us." Conventional yet effective. Anyone can take a hint. And *poof* you’ll never see him/her again. 2. The Discreet Way In order to remove the responsibility from your shoulders, let him/her bring up the suggestion. (1) Start filling up your schedule with everything else but him/her. (It may take a long time to irritate the person into the notion of breaking up, but it is a sure way to guarantee success.) (2) Always act dull around him/her. But deny you’re bored around him/her. This is bound to make the person feel unattractive. (3) Pick a time and place you know he/she will certainly show up; then walk in with your new friend intimately. You can be sure someone’s going to raise the roof… (4) Catch him/her forgetting an occasion, whether it’s the anniversary of your first meeting, your dog’s fourth birthday, or the 45th anniversary of your granny’s dentures (just make something up), then whine until your drop. Gals, here’s a little extra tip for you: Most guys hate their girlfriends to be more competent than themselves. So shame him by being a Miss Know-it-all. Get things done faster than he does, get better grades than him, get more attention than he does, win his friends over, if this doesn’t work, then nothing will. You’re stuck! 3. The Radical Way (1) Cut all your phone lines. (2) Move to another planet. (3) Ask your friends to hold a fake funeral on your behalf. (4) Tell him you’re carrying another person’s child. (5) Record on your answering machine: "Leave your message after the beep, but if you are xxx, then you’ve got the wrong number”. by Henry Wu
“There stood the doll’s house, a dark, oily, spinach green, picked out with bright yellow. Its two solid chimneys, glued on the roof, were painted red and white, and the door, gleaming with yellow varnish, was like a little slab of toffee"f (Katherine Mansfield, The Doll’s House). From her minute description, a doll’s house seems to take form piece by piece in front of us. But, have you ever wanted to see a real doll’s house? Now, here in Taipei, the first museum of miniatures in Asia is ready to fulfill your wish and blow your mind. Just picture this scene: within a lunchbox-sized bedroom, a wooden bed covered with a golden silk quilt, two toothpick-high lamps on either side, casting light on the finger-size paintings on the wall, luxurious carpet on the floor, and many more delicate pieces of furniture gracing the room. And this is only one of hundreds in this museum’s extensive collection. The art of making miniatures originated in 17th Century Germany. They were made for children as gifts. Only the gentry could afford them. With the progress in quality and manufacturing technologies, they became collectable. A fine miniature work may take months or years to complete, and is valued for its surprising depiction of the object, such as an architectural style, the interior building, a piece of furniture. Besides sharing the appearance and structure of the archetype, the classic miniatures are assembled with the same materials as the original. The main exhibits in the museum are dollhouses and roomboxes. The dollhouse, as its name suggests, is a scaled-down representation of an entire building; and the roombox is a close-up profile of a single room or place in a suitcase-sized box. That is why we can see more precise and explicit furnishing in a small roombox. The original buildings are mainly Western ones. Hence, you can find an 18th Century Tudor villa in England, a splendid mansion in L.A., and other remarkable structures of Western culture, such as a water mill, and a ferris wheel. Of course, many further wonders await your visit. Come anytime, and be a guest of Thumbelina! The Museum of Minatures 袖珍世界博物館 Address: No. 30, Lane 25, Tung-shan Rd., Tienmu, Taipei 天母區東山路25巷30號 by Brian Lin
You must have seen ads like the one above if you have paid attention to the bulletin boards in the AV building and the language training center. One might sometimes wonder what these people are looking for, since more often than not their English is not clear enough to be understood; however, they are admirable in their attempt to do something about it through one of the simplest and cheapest methods there is - language exchange. As the name suggests, a language exchange takes place when speakers of two different languages decide to get together and teach one another. It also usually means that neither party needs to pay any fees and that the whole set-up is totally up to the people involved. Under these simple rules, students eager to improve their English can find a native speaker with whom to study without having to worry about the high one-on-one fee, and foreigners learning Chinese can meet someone to speak Chinese with on a regular basis. In both cases they are likely to learn not only good language skills but also the culture - and possibly even more. There are many good things to be said about having a language exchange. Some might even consider it the best way to learn a language, for it combines speaking and listening comprehension training; and if conducted well, it could even include reading and writing. Nowadays, with the emphasis on practical conversation skills, this seems to be the perfect approach. But language exchanges, not unlike most things in life, are far from perfect. Students should be aware of possible pitfalls. Are you lonesome tonight? If so, a language exchange session probably isn’t your best solution. One of the most appealing features of having a language exchange is that you can do it freely and with someone who is on an equal footing with you. Instead of being teachers and students, you are partners, and in some cases, friends. Therefore, a language exchange session without a prepared syllabus or program of practicing language skills can strikingly resemble a get-together between two friends. Without discouraging friendship, DFLL instructor Mr. Bruce Bagnell suggests that “Partners committing themselves to a language exchange should enter into the arrangement with both eyes wide open: Are you trying to learn a language with someone else’s help, or are you trying primarily to make friends?” If you are not as serious about the former as the latter, maybe you should think twice before posting your ad. However, this does not mean that friendship can not evolve from a language exchange. A good exchange arrangement can bring about not only improvement in language skills but quite often builds a good friendship as well. My own experience in doing language exchanges since high school proves that when two people are committed to helping each other with some goal they are trying to achieve, the sincerity in working together can serve as a strong catalyst in the development of friendship. But it should be a fortunate outcome, not the motive for conducting the language exchange in the first place. Another thing to watch out for is that most people who “exchange languages” have little if any experience in teaching their own language - or teaching in general - and thus may not know how to make learning interesting or effective. As we learn our native language through daily conversation with our family as a child, we are usually left with the impression that our own language does not have a grammar-as most Chinese speakers would probably say about Chinese. Although we speak Chinese proficiently, unless trained, we may not be well suited to teaching the language. The same logic applies to other languages. Therefore students eager to improve their English should look out for the myth that a foreigner is always a better teacher. Sometimes non-native speakers with a good command of the language may offer experience in learning the language that could be extremely valuable as you struggle through the bottleneck stages of learning. One of my former language exchange partners was a Korean-American girl who spoke perfect French and had a certificate to teach French in the US. She proved to be more beneficial to me than the Frenchmen with whom I’d done a language exchange before. It would also be helpful over the long run if your level of the foreign language is in the same ballpark as your partner in the language he wants to learn; because when the balance is off, one person will usually be getting more out of the exchange than the other, which may eventually lead to feelings of unfairness. Besides personal qualities such as diligence, patience, a desire to learn and a sense of humor, professional or at least quasi-professional training is of great help. “Your partner does not have to be-and probably will not be-a qualified language teacher,” Mr. Bagnell remarked, “but I would not choose an illiterate farmer or a junior high school-graduated taxi driver to help me learn Chinese. Similarly, a partner who has a higher level of education, preferably in the humanities or social sciences, and preferably with some experience in language teaching, would be a great choice.” We, in turn, should possess the same qualities as much as possible. Language exchanges can produce great results or just the opposite. It depends greatly on the attitude with which you enter the arrangement and how it is carried out. Give it a try - it might be just the thing for you. |
Authors
The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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