Ask yourself, am I really willing put in the work it will take to learn a foreign language? Is the cost of learning: financially, emotionally, time commitment etc… worth it? You might determine that it is not worth it for you. There are lots of people that start out learning a language but then later they give up on it. In Hong Kong Chinese students sometimes give up on studying English because they don’t see a need for it. Sure, intellectually they know that learning English is good for them when it comes to finding a future job.
English is Important
In Hong Kong, even a 711 clerk position requires the ability to speak English. However, for many students, graduation and future job prospects seem like a very distant notion. They are more interested in enjoying their present life. For the most part here in Hong Kong, Chinese people don’t speak English to each other. They might if a foreigner is present, but that doesn’t happen consistently enough to be considered a good English language learning environment. Lots of parents like to get domestic helpers from either the Philippians or from Indonesia to speak English with their kids. Of course, this is more consistent. It helps the kids gain exposure to English, but is it enough? There are lots of students who really try hard, but their efforts don’t yield high enough results. Their parents yell at them and they feel discouraged. They begin to think that English isn’t worth it.
Be More Natural
According to, More Than a Native Speaker, one of the biggest determining factors of whether or not a person does well in their English study is whether or not they think they are good at English. It’s as though what they believe becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Of course, we shouldn’t lie to students and tell them that they are amazing when they aren’t. I feel bad for Hong Kong students, many of them try but never realize success academically. Language was designed to communicate with, not to assess people with. It’s okay to make mistakes when you speak a foreign language. People will still generally understand you. If they don’t, they can ask you questions about what you said and the two of you can work out the misunderstandings. This is much more proactive and healthy than staying quiet.
Forced to Take English Classes
Unfortunately, Hong Kong students don’t have a choice when it comes to learning English. I understand that English is an international language and that in many cases, it is critical for getting a good job. Notwithstanding, taking English doesn’t necessarily translate into doing well in English. If a student has already taken a certain number of core English classes, and doesn’t want to continue, we should allow them to opt-out. After all, we are preparing them to take responsibility for their own lives. But back to reality. Even if a student doesn’t have a choice, I still recommend they put their heart into learning the language. It is worth it because, if they don’t try, they can’t succeed. Teachers can’t force them to learn. When a student decides not to learn, they are wasting their time and the teacher’s time. They are also forming a bad habit, of laziness that will likely affect other areas of their life.
First, obtain a basic level. Think through what you are going to say and say it. With time you will develop confidence. The more you use what you know, the more confidence you will gain and the more you will be inspired to learn more. I think this is a good formula for a person learning any language. I’m not trying to say you should learn English, Cantonese, or any other language. You need to make that decision.
Learning Chinese or Cantonese
When it comes to foreigners living in China or Hong Kong, there definitely is a choice when it comes to learning Mandarin or Cantonese. Everyone will tell you that Mandarin is easier than Cantonese, but I don’t think I would recommend trying to learn Mandarin in Hong Kong as much because the people here speak Cantonese. Previously, I studied Mandarin in Chengdu. Of course, the local Chinese speak the Sichuan dialect in Chengdu, so it is not ideal either. But setting that aside for a moment, I was able to find a good number of local people that spoke Putonghua (standard Mandarin). In addition, to that, the local Chinese were willing to struggle with me in my attempts to speak Mandarin with them. They were for the most part supportive. Hong Kong people, at least in the early stages of my language learning were not supportive. When Hongkongers see a foreigner, they generally see someone who not only doesn’t speak Cantonese but someone who cannot speak Cantonese. If you ask them for advice, most of them will tell you to learn Mandarin and not Cantonese.
If you live in an environment like Hong Kong, you might want to consider not learning Cantonese for a number of reasons.
- They aren’t lying, Cantonese really is hard.
- The number of people who speak it is relatively small. Rosetta Stone, the language app, doesn’t even have a Cantonese edition.
- The local people generally can speak enough English for you to get by and there are those who speak English really well.
- The locals usually treasure the opportunity to speak to foreigners and are quite respectful. In the US my gentle soft spoken manner was often over looked by other Americans. People just didn’t seem to care that much about what I had to say. In Hong Kong and for that matter in China also, there are many quality people, both guys and girls who are interested in what foreigners like me have to say. I have definitely enjoyed the attention and opportunities that I have been given to interact with some really great people here in Hong Kong.
It goes without saying that if you are going to learn a language that you should do your best to learn it in an environment where the people speak it.
I learned that I wasn’t alone in my frustration on students who didn’t want to learn English. One teacher indicated that she wished she could resign. She felt as though she was wasting her time on the students because they didn’t want to learn. She felt as though she was devaluing herself by continuing to teach them. If you are a student please try to realize that your decision to learn or not to learn affects more than just you. Teachers really do want to teach students who want to learn.
Use Your Time Wisely
All right what about Cantonese learners. I am going to stay on this theme of don’t waste your time a little bit longer. One of the things that bothered me the most about my school, but it is true of other schools as well, was the requirement to attend monthly staff meetings in Cantonese. It really would have been nice if my school respected me enough to not force me to attend these 3 hour plus meetings. It took me some time, but I eventually accepted the fact that there was nothing personal against me. It was just a matter of a requirement set up by the Education Department Bureau. Whatever the reason for it, the end result was the same. A bunch of people talked about things that didn’t pertain to me.
If you are a NET teacher, you can probably identify with my frustration. These meetings can be really boring even for locals who understand the language. As I look around during the meetings, I usually see local teachers correcting papers, checking social media, or doing some other activity that is totally unrelated to the meeting. It would seem entirely appropriate for a NET teacher to do the same things and occasionally I have. But for the most part, I tried to practice my own advice. Students don’t have a choice they have to be there for our English classes. As a NET teacher, I have to attend staff meetings. Therefore I might as well use that time wisely and try to learn follow what they are saying and learn Cantonese.
