Project 2 week 3.doc

Project 2 Week 3背景：这是一篇从老外角度看待中国学生留学挑战的短文，不论是否出国留学，其中提到的问题和建议，对当前学习外语，或者以后与外籍人士交往，都有很好的参考价值。Jack says：Translation transforms mind, and body as time goes by. Challenges for Chinese students to address before studying abroad中国学生出国留学前需要面对的挑战English is the only common language spoken at universities in most western countries. International students need to acquire:在大部分西方国家，英语是大学里唯一的通用语言。外国学生需要做到如下几点：1. good communication skills良好的交流技巧2. fluency in writing and speaking流利的写作和交谈3. absorb Western academic writing culture in style, structure, reference,从文章风格、结构、参考角度学习西方学术性写作的文化特色4. local policy toward academic integrity in academic writing.了解在学术写作中对于学术诚信的本地政策International students may have difficulty completing satisfactory assignments because:外国学生在令人较为满意的程度上完成任务时可能会遇到一些困难，因为：1. difficulty with grammar and spelling他们会遇到语法和拼写问题2. differences in culture,文化差异3. lack of confidence in English academic writing在英语学术性写作中缺乏自信Insightful opinions may lose the original meaning when transformed from the students native language to English. Even if international students acquire good scores in English proficiency exams or are able to communicate with native American students frequently in class, they often find that the wording and formatting of academic papers in English-speaking universities are different from what they are used to.当学生把自己的深刻见解从母语翻译为外语时，原本的含义可能会有所缺失。即使一个外国学生在英语精读考试中能取得很好的成绩，或者他们在课堂上能和本地的美国学生进行高频度的交流，他们经常会发现英语大学的学术文章中的措辞和格式和他们以前习惯的方式有很多不同。Most international students encounter difficulties in language use. Such issues make it difficult for the student to make domestic friends and gain familiarity with the local culture. Sometimes, these language barriers can subject international students to ignorance or disrespect from native speakers.大多数外国学生在语言运用上会遇到麻烦。这些问题会使学生交到国内的朋友和熟悉当地文化变得困难。有时这些语言障碍会使外国学生受到忽略本地人的感受或对他们失礼的不良影响。Most international students are also lacking a support groups in the country they are studying. Although all the colleges in North America, that are in a student exchange programs, do have International Student Office, it sometimes does not have resources and capability to consider their students individual needs when it comes to adapting the new environment. The more a particular college has students coming from the same country the better the support is for getting involved to the new culture.大多数外国学生在他们留学的国家还缺乏一个支持性的团队。虽然北美所有施行交换生项目的院校，都设立了留学生办公室，但是有时，当他们的学生在适应新环境中许多个人需要应该得到满足时，这些组织缺乏足够的资源和能力做到这一点。某个特定院校中有越多来自同一个国家的留学生，支持他们融入新文化环境的支持力度就越高。International students have several challenges in their academic studies at North American universities. Studies have shown that these challenges include several different factors:在北美的大学里，外国学生会面对一些学术研究方面的挑战。研究表明这些挑战包含了以下几个不同的因素。1. inadequate English proficiency;英语熟练度不足2. unfamiliarity with western culture;不熟悉西方文化3. lack of appropriate study skills or strategies;缺乏适当的学习技巧和策略4. academic learning anxiety;“学术性学习焦虑症”5. low social self-efficacy;自我社交效能低6. financial difficulties;财政困难7. separation from family and friends.和家庭朋友分隔开来Despite the general perception that American culture is characterized more by diversity than by homogeneity, the American ideology of cultural homogeneity implies an American mindset that because Eurocentric cultures are superior to others, people with different cultures should conform to the dominant monocultural canon and norms.尽管普遍观点认为美国文化的特征更多的是多样化而非同一性，但是美国意识形态中的文化同一性表明美国的思维模式形成是由于以欧洲为中心的文化比其他文化更高级，所以具有不同文化的人应该适应更高级的单一文化的规范和准则。Chinese international students face other challenges besides language proficiency. The Chinese educational structure focuses on exam-oriented education, with educational thinking and activities aimed towards meeting the entrance examination. Students stress more on exam performance, and teachers are inclined to focus on lecturing to teach students what may be on the test.除了语言熟练度之外，中国留学生还会面临其他挑战。中国教育结构以应试教育为焦点，教育思维和活动旨在通过升学考试。学生的压力更多来自于考试成绩，老师们也倾向把讲课内容集中于考试所考内容上。In addition, “parents are also convinced that the more students listened to the lectures, the better they would score on the finals.” Though the Western educational system also features exams, standardized testing, and lectures, the Chinese exam system leads students and teachers to ignore the importance of practical activities, such as group work, because these skills will not be tested on the exams.另外，“家长也坚信学生只要好好听课，考试的成绩就会更好。”尽管在西方教育系统中考试也起到了重要作用，有标准化的考试、课堂讲授，但是中国考试系统却致使学生和老师忽略了练习活动的重要性，比如结组学习，因为这些技能是不在考试范围内的。When Chinese students first come to the U.S, the emphasis on group work in the U.S educational system causes new di