hello..TW guys

hello
everybody
i am come from hong kong.
i would like to know more about learning English in TW
because most of my net friend from TW aren't very good at Eng.
they told me that TW's eduation isn't very focus on Eng,
isn't true?
finally
i love TW very much
would anyone can tell me anything about TW?
such as eating,sightseeing or living condition.
ops,i am particularly interest in TW!!!

[ 本帖最後由 robert1984 於 2008-1-2 23:27 編輯 ]

it's seem like no one want to talk to me:emo 039:

我必須承認在很多香港人的眼中台灣人的英文說的真的不是太好..

不過你說台灣教育焦點不放在英文,我覺得有待商榷,

我認為台灣是很重視英文的,可能只是方法用的不好,

所以全民的水準不能如預期般的提升

舉個例子,在我就學時期,國中(13~15歲)才開始接觸英文,

但現在小學就教英文的學校比比皆是,更不用說還有很多幼稚園

也都有教英語...

最後,很抱歉是用中文的方式回你,期許有一天能以英文與你對談,

也很高興你對台灣有如此熱情...

Hi There,

It's nice to meet you.  I'm glad you are interested in the Taiwanese culture.  It only takes 2 hours to fly.  If possible, you should really come over and experience it yourself.  

Regarding your questions of English education in Taiwan, you can say the average students in Taiwan don't have good skills in English conversation.  That's because we have serious problems in our education system; however, more and more parents are aware of the importance of the second language.  I believe the kids from the next generation will catch up soon.  It's just a matter of time.  

Again, come to visit us here in Taiwan.  You will love this place even more.

JACK

i would like to know more about learning English in TW
because most of my net friend from TW aren't very good at Eng.
they told me that TW's eduation isn't very focus on Eng,
isn't true?

It's both true and false.

Vast majority of students in Taiwan don't really care about learning English because they don't see a need for it.  You can say in this day and age having good English skills is necessary to be competitive, but for most jobs in Taiwan (excluding those dealing with technology), no one uses English for daily tasks and some knowledge of a few basic words is enough to get by, so there's no incentive for students or people who're already working to be good at English.  Think of it this way, would you try to be fluent in Arabic or Russian if you don't ever see yourself using it?

However, this phenomenon is in no way an indication of how well our public education system is run.  In fact, Taiwan has always emphasized English in the public school by making English a required curriculum from 7th grade onward, and English has always been (AFAIK) a required subject in college entrance exams.  I can't vouch for the quality of English education kids receive at school, but you also can't criticize the government for lack of trying.

i love TW very much
would anyone can tell me anything about TW?
such as eating,sightseeing or living condition.
ops,i am particularly interest in TW!!!

Actually, HK isn't that much different from Taiwan.
We speak the same language, we live in a similar climate, we almost watch the same TV channels, we share our likes for big name entertainers, our streets are equally crowded (except we drive on the right side), and our lives are just as fast-paced.  I can only think of two major differences:  1) Taiwan is bigger than HK, so you can imagine what Taiwan is like by taking what you have in HK and stretch them out.  2) Taiwan has its own unique style of food, and for that, you must come visit Taiwan in person to experience!

i know many students from hong kong arent good at eng as well coz they went to chinese school not english school! you are good at it coz you were lucky or your parents are rich.

Hi shu5201314,

  According to your question about Taiwan English education, I would like to say the serious issue is from the English education system. During our education period, which from elementary school
to senior high school or more, our English courses focus on taking exam. When teachers teach English, they focus on grammar, writing and reading because pronunciation and conversation would not include in exams. Since students want to get high grade from English courses and exams, obviously, memorize English vocabularies and grammar rules would more effective than concentrate on English conversation and pronunciation. As a resule, our English corses are boring.:emo 061:  Maybe you will ask what don't we learn these different parts simultaneously? Well, limited time is a big problam. As you know the normal process of learning second language should begin from speaking, reading, writing then analyse grammar, but the steps of Taiwan English education is complete upside down. On the other hand, our education system ignore the fundamental step that is speaking. Try to imagine that if you learn a second language, but whithout speaking, only for quizzes and reading, will you have any interesting to learn this language?
  In addition, the English education in Taiwan become a kind of taking exam skill, not a communicaiton skill. Some students, who have same consequences with me(:emo 065: ,:emo 047: then:emo 044: finally:emo 061: ), just ignore or give up English since the English education process bother them a lot and they have alternative that is to concentrate on other courses such as some quantities, Mandarin, history or geography courses to balance their English exam grades. After all English for these students just one class, doesn't it? Therefore, your friends told you Taiwan aren't focus on English education.
  Walcome you come to visit Taiwan. My hometown is Tainan. My hometown has a lot of ancient buildings and delicious local foods. If you are a gourmet and history buff, you will like here. Buy a tickit, take two-hour-flying to Taiwan than take your time to enjoy and taste local foods, I think you can answer the questions by yourself.  :emo 023:

win9127