LS506. Week 14 Interpreting Audio.

Tita Beaven: Hi, I'm Tita Beaven from the Department of Languages at the Open University. Welcome to the second episode of Talking Languages, our podcast series about language learning.
In the first episode, we heard about why people learn languages. For me, it was personal. My father is English, my mother Spanish, so languages have always been part of our family. Like many other bilingual children, I grew up taking language learning for granted, and I remember finding it bizarre that some of my friends only actually spoke one language.
In this episode, I talk to James Coleman, Professor of Language Teaching and Learning at the Open University. To start with, I wanted to know why Jim became interested in language learning in the first place.
Jim Coleman: I think like a lot of people who come from Wales I had an initial exposure to bilingualism which is extremely important. I am an English native speaker but I learnt Welsh from the age of 7 and that's what triggered an interest in foreign languages, which has continued ever since.
Tita Beaven: Jim is an expert in the field of studying abroad, and knows a thing or two about discovering other cultures!
Jim Coleman: I find study abroad a fascinating topic, but one thing that recurs all the time is our emotional reactions to being abroad and trying to operate in a foreign language context where you don't have the same control of the language as you do in your own language. One thing I remember very clearly is trying to open a bank account and not really understanding what was required and feeling hurt and angry and hostile as a result of my own failure to communicate and to understand what was required of me. Managing that kind of emotional response to being in a foreign culture is a very important thing to try to learn to do.
Tita Beaven: So, living abroad can be a frustrating experience. But what do foreign students who are spending time in the UK find difficult? I asked a couple of Chinese students to tell me about their experiences:
Student 1: I remember five years ago when I first arrived in the UK and I lived in Manchester, one day I went to an open market and I wanted to buy some groceries, vegetables, and food and the vendor said to me "Love, what do you want?" and I was really, really shocked and embarrassed, so I ran away without anything. I felt really, really strange, I only wanted some food and vegetables, why did this man call me love?
Student 2: Before I came here I thought my listening was kind of good, but once I arrived and I asked a lady what time is it, and she answered what time it was and I couldn't catch it at all. I was so shocked, I was so scared, you know... the very strong British accent really scared me.

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Education

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• LS506