Chinese (and other) pilots unable to speak English pose danger for air travel (CNN)

On 2007-06-29 08:00:54 -0700, "Maxwell" said:


"El Maximo" wrote in message
...
"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com wrote in message
news

If Won Wing Low had been the Father of Aviation, it could have been!

Allegedly, a Pan Am 727 flight waiting for start clearance in Munich
overheard the following:
Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"
Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak in English."
Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in
Germany. Why must I speak English?"
Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent): "Because
you lost the bloody war."


I think we can all rest assured teach the world to speak understandable
English is not a long term problem. Everything will be going to Spanish in a
few years anyway.

The Chinese are studying English by the millions. There are more
non-native English speakers than there are native English speakers, and
the gap is growing.

It is a mistake to think that the things that are done on behalf of an
American cultural minority mean that America is going to change to
Spanish. Even less so for the entire rest of the world. English is
rapidly becoming the universal language of the world. Declare yourself
an English teacher and you can get a job practically anywhere in Asia,
the Middle East, Africa, or even South America.

--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

C J Campbell writes:

The Chinese are studying English by the millions.

So that would come out to, what, 0.4%?

People can study a language for years without learning it. It depends on
motivation, quality of education, and other factors. In much of the world
people study English for years but never become competent in the language. In
Europe, France has some of the worst English instruction, although all the
Latin countries of Europe are very poor in English.

It is a mistake to think that the things that are done on behalf of an
American cultural minority mean that America is going to change to
Spanish. Even less so for the entire rest of the world. English is
rapidly becoming the universal language of the world. Declare yourself
an English teacher and you can get a job practically anywhere in Asia,
the Middle East, Africa, or even South America.

Quite so. English is now favored simply because so many people already speak
it, and even two people who have different, non-English native languages will
generally choose to communicate in English rather than try to learn each
other's language. Spanish is mostly geographically limited to parts of the
Americas (keeping Brazil in mind), which does not make it useful in most of
the world.

So that would come out to, what, 0.4%?

Ok, I have to admit, you made me laugh out loud with that one.

France has some of the worst English instruction, although all the
Latin countries of Europe are very poor in English.

Of course they do, teaching English would be tantamount to admitting
that the French lost their 500-year-old ****ing contest with England
started by King Henry VIII's lack of male sperm.

"EridanMan" wrote in message
ups.com...
So that would come out to, what, 0.4%?

Ok, I have to admit, you made me laugh out loud with that one.

France has some of the worst English instruction, although all the
Latin countries of Europe are very poor in English.

Of course they do, teaching English would be tantamount to admitting
that the French lost their 500-year-old ****ing contest with England
started by King Henry VIII's lack of male sperm.


???


--
William Black


I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.

On Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:29:23 -0000, EridanMan wrote:

Of course they do, teaching English would be tantamount to admitting
that the French lost their 500-year-old ****ing contest with England
started by King Henry VIII's lack of male sperm.

Hmmm. I think you must be using a very specific definition of "England" and
"France". There's been history between the inhabitants of modern-day England
and France over the last 1000 years or so.

DaveM

Ok, Ok... My attempt at humor failed miserably

"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
news
People can study a language for years without learning it.

Mostly, they find their instructor is incompetent long before they spend
years studying.

Incompetant people can claim to teach it without any of their students
actually learning anything. Fortunately, unless the teacher impersonater is
exceedingly stupid, they realize that they're not making the same amount of
money as the real teachers and find something else to do.

France has some of the worst English instruction

I don't doubt it. I suspect there are no real standards one must meet in
order to claim to be an english teacher in France.

El Maximo writes:

Mostly, they find their instructor is incompetent long before they spend
years studying.

Many instructors are incompetent, but many students lack motivation as well.
Either may prevent a student from gaining competence in a language, even after
many years of study. And there are other factors.

Incompetant people can claim to teach it without any of their students
actually learning anything.

Yes. And students can claim to study it without actually learning anything as
well.

Fortunately, unless the teacher impersonater is
exceedingly stupid, they realize that they're not making the same amount of
money as the real teachers and find something else to do.

Many of the worst teachers have impeccable credentials and are well paid, and
vice versa.

I don't doubt it. I suspect there are no real standards one must meet in
order to claim to be an english teacher in France.

Read _Sorbonne Confidential_.

"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...

Many of the worst teachers have impeccable credentials and are well paid,
and
vice versa.

Whiners who can't make it usually use that kind of rationalization when the
truth is they simply can't cut it.



Read _Sorbonne Confidential_.

Request denied.

El Maximo writes:

Whiners who can't make it usually use that kind of rationalization when the
truth is they simply can't cut it.

I've already recommended reading on the subject. There's a reason why so few
French people can speak any useful English despite years of formal education
in the language.