PODBREZOVAN   09/2003

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Socialna oblast

Ing. Peter Mlynarcik, kurz zaciatocnikov

- Vo svete bez hranic a s najnovsimi informaciami cez internet je ovladanie cudzieho jazyka nielen vecou chcenia, ale skutocnou nutnostou pre rozne profesijne skupiny ludi. Preto povazujem ucast v tomto kurze za prilezitost naucit sa zaklady anglickeho jazyka priamo od rodeneho cudzinca.
Doraz je kladeny na porozumenie vseobecneho hovoreneho slova lektora tak, aby sme sa zbavili strachu pri komunikacii s cudzincom. K tomu vsak musime doma studovat nove cudzie slovicka a slovne spojenia. Je na kazdom z nas, ako po skonceni tohto kurzu bude dalej rozvijat nadobudnute jazykove znalosti. Je to studium na cely zivot.

Ing. Ingrid Sikurova, kurz pokrocilych

- Moznost zdokonalit sa v anglickom jazyku s anglicky hovoriacou lektorkou bola pre mna prijemnym novorocnym prekvapenim. Vo svojej praci pouzivam viac anglictinu v pisomnej forme, a preto je mojou snahou vyuzit tento intenzivny kurz na zlepsenie konverzacnych schopnosti a dobudovanie slovnej zasoby z obchodnej anglictiny. Lekcie s pani Claire su velmi zaujimave, nakolko je nielen vybornou lektorkou, ale aj clovekom, ktory nas vsetkych naplna pozitivnou energiou, zivotnym elanom a dobrou naladou.

Ing. Marcel Adamcak, kurz pokrocilych

- Podobne ako ostatni pracovnici odboru predaja a marketingu aj ja vyuzivam moznost navstevovat konverzacny kurz anglickeho jazyka, vedeny americkou lektorkou. Je to jedinecna prilezitost na overenie si vedomosti s tzv. native speakerom, pretoze aj ked pri pracovnom vykone denne pouzivame anglicky jazyk, stale je v com sa zdokonalovat. Najma v suvislosti so vstupom Slovenska do EU sa jazykova gramotnost stava nevyhnutnostou. Z tohto dovodu vysoko ocenujem poskytnutie tejto moznosti zo strany zamestnavatela.

Ing. Ivan Ulbricht, kurz stredne pokrocilych

- Studium anglictiny s lektorom zo zahranicia je pre mna nieco nove, nakolko doteraz som navstevoval len kurzy s domacimi lektormi, a to len raz v tyzdni. Tento kurz navstevujeme styrikrat v tyzdni, teda mame vacsi kontakt s jazykom, ktory sa ucime. S urovnou kurzu som spokojny, urcite ziskam dalsie vedomosti a treba to vyuzit hlavne pravidelnou ucastou. Nie v kazdej fabrike sa totiz vyskytne takato moznost studia cudzich jazykov.

Ing. Jan Kolesar, kurz pre zaciatocnikov

- Pravidelna mimopracovna aktivita tohto druhu prinasa nove impulzy a obohatenie intelektualneho rozvoja. Teda, vitam ju. Podla mna, by efektivnost vyucby bola vacsia, keby uvodne lekcie, resp. aspon pol roka zacinal kurz pre zaciatocnikov slovensky ucitel a potom by pokracovali s americkou lektorkou.

V.K.

Slovenski studenti su odlisni

Uplynuli styri mesiace od otvorenia kurzu a my sme oslovili lektorku Claire Husch Sullivan:
* Vase skusenosti s vyucbou anglickeho jazyka siahaju do roznych krajin sveta. Na ktoru spominate najradsej a naopak, kde by ste sa uz nechceli vratit?
- Anglicky jazyk som vyucovala v Japonsku, Finsku, Nemecku, USA, a samozrejme teraz aj u vas na Slovensku. Aby som otazku zodpovedala co najlepsie, musim porovnat odlisnosti pri vyucbe v jednotlivych krajinach. Skusenosti z Japonska sa najviac vymykali beznym sposobom, co sa tyka jazyka a ludi. Osobne sa mi paci ich zmysel pre krasu a styl, napriklad pri aranzovani kvetov, alebo zahradnej architekture. Ked som bola v Nemecku, rozbiehali sme novu bilingvalnu skolu, a to je skutocne pre ucitela velmi vzrusujuce. Skola bola v zapadnom Berline a s vedomim Berlinskeho muru kdesi v blizkosti som pochopila, ako vojna a nenavist moze rozdelit a ranit ludi. Moje posobenie vo Finsku bolo tak trochu pochmurne, ako samotne podnebie v tejto krajine. Dni boli kratke, pocasie nevludne, sive a chladne. Takisto ludia neboli tak otvoreni, ako v inych krajinach. Najprijemnejsie sa citim prave na Slovensku, citim sa tu viac ako inde “doma”. Myslim, ze je to prave kvoli pohostinnosti a priatelskosti tunajsich ludi, a to pre mna znamena vela, pretoze si myslim, ze cely Svet je tak trochu “domov”. 
* S akymi predstavami ste prichadzali na Slovensko a ake su vase sucasne dojmy?
- Pocas mojej navstevy Slovenska v auguste 2002 som zistila, ze mate naozaj nadhernu krajinu. Prilis vela informacii som o Slovensku nemala. Pred mojim opatovnym prichodom v januari som si vsak precitala dve knihy s kompletnou historiou. Tieto informacie mi pomohli porozumiet niektorym udalostiam, ktore hlboko ovplyvnili Slovensko a taktiez myslenie a ocakavania ludi. Snad som cakala viac pozitivneho myslenia o buducnosti krajiny. V tejto malickej krajine v strede Europy je tak vela potencialu, pricom aj niektori mladi ludia sa zaoberaju rozoberanim problemov, namiesto hladania rieseni a novych myslienok.
Ocakavala som vacsiu diskusiu na temu “ cim Slovensko moze a bude prispievat do novej spolocnej Europy”. Osobne vidim moznosti pre Slovensko, aby bolo uspesne v buducej globalnej spolocnosti.
*Ako charakterizujete studentov? Su ti slovenski odlisni od japonskych, finskych ci nemeckych ...?
- Kazda skupina mojich studentov bola doteraz odlisna. Japonski studenti mali najviac problemov pri uceni sa novej abecedy, ale boli velmi horlivi a snazivi. Konverzacia bola pre nich obtiaznejsia kvoli urcitemu stupnu kulturnych rozdielov.
Fini sa ucia pomerne lahko, pretoze vo svojej krajine maju moznost sledovat televizne vysielanie v originalnych jazykoch s finskymi titulkami. Je to neocenitelna pomoc pri vyucbe cudzich jazykov.
Nemci pristupuju k uceniu systematicky a z toho dovodu su aj uspesni. Su dobrymi studentmi, ktori ocakavaju ulohy a tie samozrejme aj starostlivo plnia.
Studenti z celeho sveta, ktorych som mala moznost ucit v USA, su povacsine imigranti, alebo emigranti, ktori sa potrebuju zaclenit do spolocnosti. Tito pristupuju k anglictine zodpovedne a z toho dovodu su ochotni obetovat tomu vela casu. Taktiez sa rychlo ucia.
Slovenski studenti sa lisia od ostatnych z viacerych dovodov. Jednym z nich je, ze cudzie jazyky sa ucia po slovensky. Je ovela tazsie ucit cudzi jazyk, ak studenti ocakavaju, ze podrobnosti im budu vysvetlene v ich rodnej reci bez anglickej gramatickej terminologie. Druhym dovodom je jazykovy zakon, ktory tak trochu obmedzuje dosiahnutelnost a moznosti styku ludi s cudzimi jazykmi a len prehlbuje jazykovu barieru. To samozrejme neplati, ak ma niekto satelitny prijimac. V mnohych malych krajinach, napr. vo Svedsku, su relacie vysielane s titulkami a s originalnym zvukom. To vytvara mnozstvo moznosti nielen pre studentov pocut jazyk v mnohych situaciach. Dalsim dovodom je cas straveny studiom jazyka. Vo   vacsine statov su ludia horlivymi studentmi, nakolko jazyk vnimaju ako kluc k novym pracovnym prilezitostiam. Mnohi z nich navstevuju jazykove kurzy po pracovnom case, cez vikendy, nakolko citia potrebu zdokonalovat sa v nom, a aby boli schopni ho aj spravne pouzivat.
Aj tu je vela studentov, ktori su dychtivi po informaciach. Zaangazovanost ZP v globalnych obchodnych transakciach ma za nasledok potrebu spolocnosti disponovat urcitou skupinou jazykovo velmi zdatnych ludi. Tieto skutocnosti su pozitivami, ak zvazime vstup Slovenska do EU a snahu ZP podielat sa vo vacsej miere na globalnej ekonomike Europy. Preto by som bola rada, ak by program pokracoval i nadalej.
Pre mnohych je tychto par mesiacov len zaciatkom ich studia anglickeho jazyka, mnohych to posunulo do pozicie, ked su schopni svoje jazykove znalosti pouzivat nielen pracovne, ale aj v sukromi.
* Ako travite volny cas?
- Pretoze ucim denne pat skupin, pocas tyzdna popoludni vacsinou travim pripravou na nasledujuci den. Rada hram tenis, a preto ak bude mat niekto chut, moze mi kludne zavolat. Takisto som prisla do uzsieho kontaktu s golfom, a tak sa snazim zdokonalovat aj v tomto druhu sportu.
A urobila som dobry obchod. Mam rada zahradnicenie, a tak som sa dohodla s Klarou, ze v blizkosti golfoveho ihriska si trochu zaexperimentujeme.Takisto som sa dohovorila, ze sa pokusim zvysku “Sveta” predstavit vasu nadhernu krajinu a povabne miesta v okoli Talov, mojho domova za posledne styri mesiace.

OK/DS

1. In all of the countries where you have taught which one did you like best and which one the least?
- I have taught English in Japan, Germany, Finland, Slovakia and the US. The best way to answer the question is to look at how different each teaching situation has been. The experience in Japan was the most differentas far as language and customs are concerned. I enjoyed their appreciation of beauty and style, for example flower arranging, and their gardens. When I taught in Germany we were developing a new bilingual school and that was an exciting project for a teacher. The school was in West Berlin and living with the Wall made me understand how war and hatred can divide and hurt people.
My time in Finland was probably the least enjoyable. The days were short, dark and very cold. The people also were not as open as I found in other places.
The most satisfying has been the time here in Slovakia. I feel most at home here and certainly the hospitality and friendships that I have found here are wonderful for someone like me who thinks the whole world is home.
2. What were my expectations of Slovakia and what are my impressions these days?
- Since I had visited Slovakia last August I knew it to be a beautiful country. I really didn't know too much about the history of the country until I read two very complete history books before I arrived in January. The information has helped me understand some of the events that have deeply influenced the Slovak way of thinking and their expectations. I probably expected more positive thinking about the future of Slovakia. There is so much potential here in this small nation situated in the center of Europe, yet even the young people will list all of the problems of getting things done rather than discussing procedures for implementing new ideas.
I had expected more discussions on what Slovakia can and will contribute when it becomes a part of the European Union. I see so much that can make Slovakia important in the global future.
3. Are the Slovak students different from the Japanese, Finnish, German or US International Students?
- All of the student groups have been quite different. The Japanese students have the most difficult time since they have to learn new alphabet symbols, but they are very eager to learn and very hard working. They find it more difficult to speak because of certain cultural reluctance. The Finns learn quite easily because they hear English on TV all of the time. They see many English-language programs with Finnish subtitles. That is a great help in learning a foreign language. The Germans are very systematic in their studying and are successful in learning English well. They are good students who expect homework and do it carefully on a regular basis.
The International Students in the US are often immigrants and need English inorder to participate in the society. Those that take courses study carefully and are willing to go to class long hours so as to learn the language quickly. Teaching students here in Slovakia has been different for many reasons. One is the use of the Slovak language in their study of foreign languages. It is more difficult to teach a foreign language when the students expect things to be explained in Slovak without the use of |English grammatical terms. The second difference is the Slovak Language law that seems to limit access to English-language opportunities except if someone has a TV dish. In most small countries, i.e. Sweden etc. TV productions are shown in the original language with subtitles. This creates many opportunities for students to hear the foreign language in a variety of settings. Another difference is the amount of time students are willing to spend in studying the new language. In other countries students are eager to learn the language since it usually means greater employment opportunities and an edge on other individuals. Many go to language school after work or on weekends because one has to spend time using and practising the language in order to be able to use it.
I have found many of the students here to be very eager to learn. The commitment of ZP to having a large number of employees learn English is very farsighted considering Slovakia's entry into the EU and ZP's effort to participate in the global economy. I would like to see the program continued. For many these last few months have been just the beginning for their language studies, for others it has moved them into a level of competence where they can really begin to use the language both personally and professionally.
4. How do I use my leisure time?
- Since I have been teaching about 5 classes each day I usually spend time during the week planning and thinking about the next day. I do like to play tennis and I am looking forward to anyone who wants to play giving me a call. I have taken up the ZP sport of golf and have been practising that skill. I read a great deal. I love to garden and will be planting some flowers near the golf course with Klara. I also spend a great deal of time thinking of ways to introduce the rest of the world to this beautiful country and particularly the lovely area around Tale, my home for the last four months                                                               

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PODBREZOVAN   09/2003

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