TEDxDubai
Patricia Ryan: Don't insist on English!
Patricia Ryan: 唔好堅持講英文!
Filmed:
Readability: 3.6
2,138,668 views
喺 TEDx 杜拜,資深英語老師 Patricia Ryan 問咗一個發人深省嘅問題 :世界雖然強調英語,但會唔會阻礙其他語言傳播好嘅諗法?(假如愛因斯坦需要通過托福考試?)呢場熱情演講捍衛翻譯同支持分享諗法。
Patricia Ryan - Language teacher
Patricia Ryan has spent the past three-plus decades teaching English in Arabic countries -- where she has seen vast cultural (and linguistic) change. Full bio
Patricia Ryan has spent the past three-plus decades teaching English in Arabic countries -- where she has seen vast cultural (and linguistic) change. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:16
I know what you're thinking.
0
1000
2000
我知道你哋諗咩
00:18
You think I've lost my way,
1
3000
2000
你哋覺得我走錯咗上台
00:20
and somebody's going to come on the stage in a minute
2
5000
2000
然後有人會好快帶我返落去
00:22
and guide me gently back to my seat.
3
7000
2000
00:24
(Applause)
4
9000
6000
(掌聲)
00:30
I get that all the time in Dubai.
5
15000
3000
我喺杜拜成日會遇上呢啲問題︰
00:33
"Here on holiday are you, dear?"
6
18000
2000
「嚟呢度度假吖?」
00:35
(Laughter)
7
20000
2000
(笑聲)
00:37
"Come to visit the children?
8
22000
3000
「嚟探小朋友吖?你會留幾耐?」
00:40
How long are you staying?"
9
25000
2000
00:42
Well actually, I hope for a while longer yet.
10
27000
3000
其實我想留耐啲
00:45
I have been living and teaching in the Gulf
11
30000
3000
我喺波斯灣生活同教書已經超過 30 年啦
00:48
for over 30 years.
12
33000
2000
00:50
(Applause)
13
35000
4000
(掌聲)
00:54
And in that time, I have seen a lot of changes.
14
39000
4000
呢 30 年裏面,我睇到好多變化
00:58
Now that statistic
15
43000
2000
宜家呢份數據幾嚇人
01:00
is quite shocking.
16
45000
2000
01:02
And I want to talk to you today
17
47000
2000
而我今日要講嘅係
語言消失同埋英語全球化
語言消失同埋英語全球化
01:04
about language loss
18
49000
2000
01:06
and the globalization of English.
19
51000
3000
01:09
I want to tell you about my friend
20
54000
2000
我想講一講我朋友
喺阿布扎比教大人英文
喺阿布扎比教大人英文
01:11
who was teaching English to adults in Abu Dhabi.
21
56000
3000
01:14
And one fine day,
22
59000
2000
喺一個晴天嘅日子,佢帶學生去花園
01:16
she decided to take them into the garden
23
61000
2000
01:18
to teach them some nature vocabulary.
24
63000
2000
喺嗰度教學生一啲大自然嘅詞彙
01:20
But it was she who ended up learning
25
65000
2000
但最後卻變成我朋友
學曬所有當地植物嘅阿拉伯名
學曬所有當地植物嘅阿拉伯名
01:22
all the Arabic words for the local plants,
26
67000
2000
01:24
as well as their uses --
27
69000
2000
同埋植物用途
01:26
medicinal uses, cosmetics,
28
71000
3000
例如用喺藥物、化妝品
烹飪用途、草藥
烹飪用途、草藥
01:29
cooking, herbal.
29
74000
3000
01:32
How did those students get all that knowledge?
30
77000
2000
呢啲學生點樣得到呢啲知識嘅呢?
01:34
Of course, from their grandparents
31
79000
2000
當然係由佢哋嘅祖父母
甚至曾祖父母獲得架啦
甚至曾祖父母獲得架啦
01:36
and even their great-grandparents.
32
81000
3000
01:39
It's not necessary to tell you how important it is
33
84000
3000
所以跨世代溝通我唔需多講有幾重要
01:42
to be able to communicate
34
87000
2000
01:44
across generations.
35
89000
2000
01:46
But sadly, today,
36
91000
2000
但遺憾嘅
01:48
languages are dying
37
93000
2000
今日好多語言正以前所未有嘅速度消失
01:50
at an unprecedented rate.
38
95000
2000
01:52
A language dies every 14 days.
39
97000
3000
每 14 日就有一種語言消失
01:56
Now, at the same time,
40
101000
2000
與此同時
01:58
English is the undisputed global language.
41
103000
2000
英文卻無庸置疑成為國際語言
02:00
Could there be a connection?
42
105000
2000
當中有關聯嗎?
02:02
Well I don't know.
43
107000
2000
我唔知
02:04
But I do know that I've seen a lot of changes.
44
109000
3000
但我知我見證好多轉變
02:07
When I first came out to the Gulf, I came to Kuwait
45
112000
3000
當我第一次嚟到波斯灣,我去咗科威特
02:10
in the days when it was still a hardship post.
46
115000
3000
當時英文老師仍然唔係一份好工
02:13
Actually, not that long ago.
47
118000
2000
其實,我嚟呢度做嘢唔係好耐之前
02:15
That is a little bit too early.
48
120000
3000
但做老師唔太好係講緊更加早之前
02:18
But nevertheless,
49
123000
2000
總之,英國文化協會
請咗我同其他 25 位老師
請咗我同其他 25 位老師
02:20
I was recruited by the British Council,
50
125000
2000
02:22
along with about 25 other teachers.
51
127000
2000
02:24
And we were the first non-Muslims
52
129000
2000
我哋係第一批喺科威特嘅國立學校
任教嘅非穆斯林老師
任教嘅非穆斯林老師
02:26
to teach in the state schools there in Kuwait.
53
131000
3000
02:29
We were brought to teach English
54
134000
2000
我哋被派到嗰度教英文
02:31
because the government wanted to modernize the country
55
136000
4000
係因為當地政府希望國家可以現代化
02:35
and to empower the citizens through education.
56
140000
3000
同埋提升公民嘅教育水平
02:38
And of course, the U.K. benefited
57
143000
2000
當然,英國從中獲得石油財富
02:40
from some of that lovely oil wealth.
58
145000
3000
02:43
Okay.
59
148000
2000
言歸正傳
我見過最大嘅改變, 就係英語教學
02:45
Now this is the major change that I've seen --
60
150000
3000
02:48
how teaching English
61
153000
2000
02:50
has morphed
62
155000
2000
由原本大家互惠互利嘅經濟手段
演變成今日全世界大規模嘅生意
演變成今日全世界大規模嘅生意
02:52
from being a mutually beneficial practice
63
157000
4000
02:56
to becoming a massive international business that it is today.
64
161000
3000
02:59
No longer just a foreign language on the school curriculum,
65
164000
4000
英語唔再係學校課程裡面嘅外語科目
03:03
and no longer the sole domain
66
168000
2000
亦唔再只係英國嘅專利
03:05
of mother England,
67
170000
2000
03:07
it has become a bandwagon
68
172000
2000
英語教學嘅商機已經成為
所有英語國家想分一杯匙嘅嘢
所有英語國家想分一杯匙嘅嘢
03:09
for every English-speaking nation on earth.
69
174000
3000
03:12
And why not?
70
177000
2000
點解唔係呢?
03:14
After all, the best education --
71
179000
3000
畢竟,根據最新嘅世界大學排名
03:17
according to the latest World University Rankings --
72
182000
3000
03:20
is to be found in the universities
73
185000
2000
最好嘅教育嚟自英國同美國嘅大學
03:22
of the U.K. and the U.S.
74
187000
4000
03:26
So everybody wants to have an English education, naturally.
75
191000
4000
所以自然每個人都想接受英語教育
03:30
But if you're not a native speaker,
76
195000
2000
但如果你嘅母語唔係英文
你就要考英文試
你就要考英文試
03:32
you have to pass a test.
77
197000
2000
03:34
Now can it be right
78
199000
2000
但單憑英語能力決定收唔收學生
咁樣做啱嗎?
咁樣做啱嗎?
03:36
to reject a student
79
201000
2000
03:38
on linguistic ability alone?
80
203000
2000
03:40
Perhaps you have a computer scientist
81
205000
2000
譬如有一位電腦科學家,佢係天才嚟嘅
03:42
who's a genius.
82
207000
2000
03:44
Would he need the same language as a lawyer, for example?
83
209000
3000
但他需唔需要有律師一樣嘅語言能力?
03:47
Well, I don't think so.
84
212000
3000
我唔覺得要
03:51
We English teachers reject them all the time.
85
216000
3000
但身為英語老師嘅我哋
卻總係拒絕收呢啲人
卻總係拒絕收呢啲人
03:54
We put a stop sign,
86
219000
2000
我哋喺佢個人發展嘅路上處處設限
03:56
and we stop them in their tracks.
87
221000
2000
將學生擋喺路上
03:58
They can't pursue their dream any longer,
88
223000
2000
令佢哋無法追求自己嘅夢想
04:00
'til they get English.
89
225000
3000
直至佢哋通過咗英文考試
我哋至畀佢過
我哋至畀佢過
04:04
Now let me put it this way:
90
229000
3000
容我換個方式講
04:07
if I met a monolingual Dutch speaker
91
232000
4000
如果我遇到一位只會講荷蘭文嘅人
04:11
who had the cure for cancer,
92
236000
2000
而呢個人能夠醫好癌症
04:13
would I stop him from entering my British University?
93
238000
3000
我會阻止佢入英國大學嗎?我諗唔會
04:16
I don't think so.
94
241000
2000
但事實上,我哋的確咁樣做
04:18
But indeed, that is exactly what we do.
95
243000
3000
04:21
We English teachers are the gatekeepers.
96
246000
3000
我哋英語老師嘅工作就係把關
04:24
And you have to satisfy us first
97
249000
3000
學生必須先令我哋覺得佢哋嘅英文夠好
04:27
that your English is good enough.
98
252000
3000
我哋至會畀佢哋上
04:31
Now it can be dangerous
99
256000
2000
但咁樣可以係危險嘅
04:33
to give too much power
100
258000
3000
因為社會將太多權力交畀一小撮人
04:36
to a narrow segment of society.
101
261000
2000
04:38
Maybe the barrier would be too universal.
102
263000
3000
或者呢種升學障礙全世界都有
04:41
Okay.
103
266000
2000
04:43
"But," I hear you say,
104
268000
3000
我聽到你哋話
04:46
"what about the research?
105
271000
2000
「咁研究呢?佢哋全部都用英文。」
04:48
It's all in English."
106
273000
2000
04:50
So the books are in English,
107
275000
2000
書藉用英文寫
04:52
the journals are done in English,
108
277000
2000
期刊都係用英文寫
04:54
but that is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
109
279000
3000
但呢個只係自我滿足嘅情況
04:57
It feeds the English requirement.
110
282000
2000
有英語需求自然就有英語供給
04:59
And so it goes on.
111
284000
2000
所以英語出版長做長有
05:01
I ask you, what happened to translation?
112
286000
3000
我想問大家,翻譯發生咗啲咩呢?
05:04
If you think about the Islamic Golden Age,
113
289000
4000
如果你哋諗返伊斯蘭嘅黃金時代
05:08
there was lots of translation then.
114
293000
3000
當時翻譯盛行
05:11
They translated from Latin and Greek
115
296000
3000
啲人將拉丁文同希臘文
翻譯成阿拉伯文或波斯文
翻譯成阿拉伯文或波斯文
05:14
into Arabic, into Persian,
116
299000
2000
05:16
and then it was translated on
117
301000
2000
然後再由阿拉伯文同波斯文翻譯成
歐洲日耳曼系以及羅曼系嘅語言
歐洲日耳曼系以及羅曼系嘅語言
05:18
into the Germanic languages of Europe
118
303000
2000
05:20
and the Romance languages.
119
305000
2000
05:22
And so light shone upon the Dark Ages of Europe.
120
307000
4000
可以話文明照亮咗歐洲嘅黑暗時代
05:27
Now don't get me wrong;
121
312000
2000
但唔好會咗意,我唔係反對英語教學
05:29
I am not against teaching English,
122
314000
2000
05:31
all you English teachers out there.
123
316000
2000
尤其在座咁多位英語老師喺度
05:33
I love it that we have a global language.
124
318000
2000
我好高興我哋有一個國際語言
05:35
We need one today more than ever.
125
320000
3000
國際語言今時今日更加需要
05:38
But I am against using it
126
323000
2000
但我反對用英語阻止他人升學發展
05:40
as a barrier.
127
325000
2000
05:42
Do we really want to end up with 600 languages
128
327000
3000
唔通我哋真希望世界剩返 600 種語言
05:45
and the main one being English, or Chinese?
129
330000
3000
其中以英文或者中文做主流?
05:48
We need more than that. Where do we draw the line?
130
333000
3000
世界需要更多語言
咁幾多語言先至夠多呢?
05:51
This system
131
336000
2000
呢個制度將成績同英語水平畫上等號
05:53
equates intelligence
132
338000
3000
05:56
with a knowledge of English,
133
341000
3000
05:59
which is quite arbitrary.
134
344000
2000
咁係相當武斷嘅
06:01
(Applause)
135
346000
6000
(掌聲)
06:07
And I want to remind you
136
352000
2000
我想提醒各位
06:09
that the giants upon whose shoulders
137
354000
3000
站在巨人肩膀嘅當代知識分子
唔需要識英文或者通過英語考試
唔需要識英文或者通過英語考試
06:12
today's intelligentsia stand
138
357000
2000
06:14
did not have to have English,
139
359000
2000
06:16
they didn't have to pass an English test.
140
361000
2000
06:18
Case in point, Einstein.
141
363000
3000
愛因斯坦就係其中一個例子
06:22
He, by the way, was considered remedial at school
142
367000
3000
順便講下,愛因斯坦曾被學校認為
係需要補救嘅學生
係需要補救嘅學生
06:25
because he was, in fact, dyslexic.
143
370000
2000
因為佢有讀寫障礙
06:27
But fortunately for the world,
144
372000
2000
但佢當時嘅世界好好彩
06:29
he did not have to pass an English test.
145
374000
3000
佢唔需要通過英語考試
06:32
Because they didn't start until 1964
146
377000
3000
因為美國英語測驗托福
1964 年先至開始
1964 年先至開始
06:35
with TOEFL,
147
380000
2000
06:37
the American test of English.
148
382000
2000
06:39
Now it's exploded.
149
384000
2000
宜家英語測試氾濫
06:41
There are lots and lots of tests of English.
150
386000
3000
有太多英語測試
甚至每年過百萬嘅學生都參加呢啲考試
06:44
And millions and millions of students
151
389000
2000
06:46
take these tests every year.
152
391000
2000
06:48
Now you might think, you and me,
153
393000
2000
宜家你會認為呢啲考試費用唔貴
價錢合理咁
價錢合理咁
06:50
"Those fees aren't bad, they're okay,"
154
395000
2000
06:52
but they are prohibitive
155
397000
2000
但對於幾百萬窮人嚟講
呢啲考試太過奢侈
呢啲考試太過奢侈
06:54
to so many millions of poor people.
156
399000
2000
06:56
So immediately, we're rejecting them.
157
401000
2000
所以考試令到好多人卻步
06:58
(Applause)
158
403000
3000
(掌聲)
07:01
It brings to mind a headline I saw recently:
159
406000
3000
呢樣令我諗起最近睇到嘅
一個新聞標題:
一個新聞標題:
07:04
"Education: The Great Divide."
160
409000
2000
「教育:分開人嘅工具」
07:06
Now I get it,
161
411000
2000
我終於明白點解
大家都想焦點擺喺英語度
大家都想焦點擺喺英語度
07:08
I understand why people would want to focus on English.
162
413000
3000
07:11
They want to give their children the best chance in life.
163
416000
3000
因為佢哋想孩子得到最好嘅機會
07:15
And to do that, they need a Western education.
164
420000
3000
為咗達成,佢哋需要畀孩子西方教育
07:18
Because, of course, the best jobs
165
423000
2000
畢竟,唔可否認
最好嘅工都係留返畀
西方大學畢業出嚟嘅人
西方大學畢業出嚟嘅人
07:20
go to people out of the Western Universities,
166
425000
3000
07:23
that I put on earlier.
167
428000
2000
就好似我之前所講咁
07:25
It's a circular thing.
168
430000
2000
呢個係一種循環
07:27
Okay.
169
432000
2000
07:29
Let me tell you a story about two scientists,
170
434000
2000
等我講兩位科學家嘅故事
07:31
two English scientists.
171
436000
2000
07:33
They were doing an experiment
172
438000
2000
有兩位英國科學家做一項
用到動物前後肢嘅遺傳學實驗
用到動物前後肢嘅遺傳學實驗
07:35
to do with genetics
173
440000
2000
07:37
and the forelimbs and the hind limbs of animals.
174
442000
3000
07:40
But they couldn't get the results they wanted.
175
445000
2000
但佢哋得唔到佢哋想要嘅結果
07:42
They really didn't know what to do,
176
447000
2000
佢哋唔知點算
07:44
until along came a German scientist
177
449000
3000
直到嚟咗一位德國科學家
佢發現前肢同後肢喺英文裡面
係兩隻唔同嘅字
係兩隻唔同嘅字
07:47
who realized that they were using two words
178
452000
3000
07:50
for forelimb and hind limb,
179
455000
2000
07:52
whereas genetics does not differentiate
180
457000
4000
但遺傳學同德文都唔會分
07:56
and neither does German.
181
461000
2000
07:58
So bingo,
182
463000
2000
所以,得咗!
08:00
problem solved.
183
465000
2000
問題解決咗
08:02
If you can't think a thought,
184
467000
2000
如果你諗唔到嘢,你會卡喺度
08:04
you are stuck.
185
469000
3000
08:07
But if another language can think that thought,
186
472000
2000
但如果用另一種語言可以諗到嗰樣嘢
08:09
then, by cooperating,
187
474000
2000
講唔同語言嘅我哋就可以透過合作
達到目的,學到更多
達到目的,學到更多
08:11
we can achieve and learn so much more.
188
476000
3000
08:16
My daughter
189
481000
2000
我個囡由科威特嚟到英格蘭
08:18
came to England from Kuwait.
190
483000
3000
08:21
She had studied science and mathematics in Arabic.
191
486000
3000
因為佢喺阿拉伯讀中學
08:24
It's an Arabic medium school.
192
489000
3000
佢用阿拉伯文讀科學同數學
08:27
She had to translate it into English at her grammar school.
193
492000
3000
喺英國文法學校裡面
佢要翻譯所有嘢做英文
佢要翻譯所有嘢做英文
08:30
And she was the best in the class
194
495000
2000
而佢呢兩科擺全班第一
08:32
at those subjects.
195
497000
2000
08:34
Which tells us
196
499000
2000
呢樣話畀我哋聽,當外國學生嚟搵我哋
08:36
that when students come to us from abroad,
197
501000
2000
08:38
we may not be giving them enough credit
198
503000
2000
我哋未必有按到佢哋所知道嘅嘢畀足分
08:40
for what they know,
199
505000
2000
08:42
and they know it in their own language.
200
507000
3000
因為佢哋用佢哋自己嘅語言
去講佢哋知道嘅嘢
去講佢哋知道嘅嘢
08:45
When a language dies,
201
510000
2000
當一個語言消失
08:47
we don't know what we lose with that language.
202
512000
3000
我哋唔肯定有咩係同個語言一齊消失
08:50
This is -- I don't know if you saw it on CNN recently --
203
515000
4000
呢個…我唔知大家最近有冇睇 CNN
08:54
they gave the Heroes Award
204
519000
2000
佢哋頒咗一個英雄獎
畀一位年輕嘅肯亞牧童
畀一位年輕嘅肯亞牧童
08:56
to a young Kenyan shepherd boy
205
521000
3000
08:59
who couldn't study at night in his village,
206
524000
3000
同村裡面其他小朋友一樣
佢無辦法夜晚讀書
佢無辦法夜晚讀書
09:02
like all the village children,
207
527000
2000
09:04
because the kerosene lamp,
208
529000
2000
因為火水燈產生嘅煙霧會整傷佢隻眼
09:06
it had smoke and it damaged his eyes.
209
531000
2000
09:08
And anyway, there was never enough kerosene,
210
533000
3000
再者,佢冇足夠火水
09:11
because what does a dollar a day buy for you?
211
536000
3000
畢竟每日只有一蚊美金嘅收入
你可以買到啲咩?
你可以買到啲咩?
09:14
So he invented
212
539000
2000
所以他發明咗唔使成本嘅太陽能燈
09:16
a cost-free solar lamp.
213
541000
3000
09:19
And now the children in his village
214
544000
2000
宜家佢條村嘅細路仔嘅成績
同屋企有電嘅細路仔成績都一樣
同屋企有電嘅細路仔成績都一樣
09:21
get the same grades at school
215
546000
2000
09:23
as the children who have electricity at home.
216
548000
4000
09:27
(Applause)
217
552000
6000
(掌聲)
09:33
When he received his award,
218
558000
2000
當佢攞到個獎時
09:35
he said these lovely words:
219
560000
2000
他講咗呢番可愛嘅說話:
09:37
"The children can lead Africa from what it is today,
220
562000
3000
「呢啲孩子可以帶領非洲
09:40
a dark continent,
221
565000
2000
由宜家呢刻一塊黑暗大陸
09:42
to a light continent."
222
567000
2000
走冋明日光明一片嘅大陸。」
09:44
A simple idea,
223
569000
2000
一個簡單嘅諗法卻有著咁深遠嘅影響
09:46
but it could have such far-reaching consequences.
224
571000
3000
09:50
People who have no light,
225
575000
2000
無論屋止冇光定係英文唔好
都通過唔到我哋嘅測試
都通過唔到我哋嘅測試
09:52
whether it's physical or metaphorical,
226
577000
3000
09:55
cannot pass our exams,
227
580000
3000
09:58
and we can never know what they know.
228
583000
3000
而且我哋永遠無辦法知道佢哋知嘅嘢
10:01
Let us not keep them and ourselves
229
586000
3000
唔好畀佢哋同我哋自己處身於黑暗裡邊
10:04
in the dark.
230
589000
2000
10:06
Let us celebrate diversity.
231
591000
3000
等我哋一齊為語言多元化歡呼
10:09
Mind your language.
232
594000
3000
好好保護你母語
10:12
Use it to spread great ideas.
233
597000
4000
用佢嚟傳播偉大嘅諗法
10:16
(Applause)
234
601000
7000
(掌聲)
10:23
Thank you very much.
235
608000
2000
多謝
10:25
(Applause)
236
610000
3000
(掌聲)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Patricia Ryan - Language teacherPatricia Ryan has spent the past three-plus decades teaching English in Arabic countries -- where she has seen vast cultural (and linguistic) change.
Why you should listen
UK-born language teacher Patricia Ryan has spent most of the past 40 years teaching English in the countries of the Arabian Gulf.
She is currently teaching at Zayed University in Dubai, and studying for a second Masters degree in Law.
Patricia Ryan | Speaker | TED.com