Lost in Translation

Lost in Translation

By Elizabeth Mowers

Every morning before the sun rises, I start the work day from home. I teach English online to young children in China. It's a great gig, because I enjoy the work and I'm finished teaching by the time my own children rise to get ready for school.

When I tell people about this part-time job, the first question they always ask is...

"Do you speak Chinese?"

I do not. All I can say is "Nǐ hǎo" which means "hello".

Because the lessons require full immersion in English, I don't need to speak Chinese. In fact, I wouldn't be permitted to speak Chinese even if I was able. Most of my teaching consists of holding up objects and only saying the word I want the student to learn. For example, I hold up a ball and say "ball". I pretend to throw the ball to my student and mime for them to throw the imaginary ball back. Again, I say "ball". When they pretend to throw it back, I pretend they threw it too hard. This makes them laugh. When they finish laughing, I prompt them to say "ball". You get the idea.

This is a TINY selection of my teaching props.

I have regular students I teach each week, some several times a week. I love my regular students, because I get to see their progress. My favorite student, Jane, is seven years old with pigtails, dimples and the sweetest giggle. Jane couldn't speak a lick of English when she started one year ago. Now, at the beginning of every class she tells me, "I...am...happy...to...see...YOU!" My heart melts every time.

After each lesson, I write feedback to the student's parents. Although the company I work for translates my feedback into Chinese, some of the translations have not gone well. 

For example, when I first began teaching, I would tell the parents what the student and I practiced in class. Some of the parents would write back and apologize to me. I was very confused until I learned that the verb "to practice" has a slightly different meaning in Chinese. "To practice" gives the impression that the student tried to do a good job but didn't succeed. Not quite what I meant to say about my dear little students who always try so hard.

I've learned that short, direct sentences are best. You can imagine how difficult this is for a writer!

My deepest sentiments about how much my students mean to me are restricted to the simplest words: 

"I was happy to talk to you."

"You are a good student."

"I like teaching you." 

As the likelihood that I will learn fluent Chinese is quite rare, I hope my students continue in their studies so that one day I can explain to them, in English, how much I love them. Until then, I try my best to convey my affection in big smiles. Because as a romance writer, I already know that so much love can be conveyed without muttering a single word. 💗

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