Patricia Ryan: Don't insist on English!

譯者: Joyce Chou 審譯者: Sherri Wu

I know what you're thinking.

我知道你們在想什麼

You think I've lost my way,

你們覺得我迷路了

and somebody's going to come on the stage in a minute

馬上就會有人走上台

and guide me gently back to my seat.

溫和地把我帶回我的座位上

(Applause)

(掌聲)

I get that all the time in Dubai.

我在杜拜總會遇上這種事

"Here on holiday are you, dear?"

“來這裡度假的嗎，親愛的？”

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

"Come to visit the children?

“來探望孩子的嗎？

How long are you staying?"

這次要待多久呢？"

Well actually, I hope for a while longer yet.

恩，事實上，我希望能再待久一點

I have been living and teaching in the Gulf

我在波斯灣這邊生活和教書

for over 30 years.

已經超過30年了

(Applause)

(掌聲)

And in that time, I have seen a lot of changes.

這段時間裡，我看到了很多變化

Now that statistic

現在這份數據

is quite shocking.

是挺嚇人的

And I want to talk to you today

而我今天要和你們說的

about language loss

是有關語言的消失

and the globalization of English.

和英語的全球化

I want to tell you about my friend

我想和你們談談我的朋友

who was teaching English to adults in Abu Dhabi.

她在阿布達比教成人英語

And one fine day,

在一個晴朗的日子裡

she decided to take them into the garden

她決定帶她的學生到花園去

to teach them some nature vocabulary.

教他們一些大自然的詞彙

But it was she who ended up learning

但最後卻變成是她在學習

all the Arabic words for the local plants,

所有當地植物在阿拉伯語中是怎麼說的

as well as their uses --

還有這些植物是如何被使用

medicinal uses, cosmetics,

作為藥材，化妝品

cooking, herbal.

烹飪，香草

How did those students get all that knowledge?

這些學生是怎麼得到這些知識的呢？

Of course, from their grandparents

當然是從他們的祖父母

and even their great-grandparents.

甚至曾祖父母那裡得來的

It's not necessary to tell you how important it is

不需要我來告訴你們

to be able to communicate

能夠跨世代溝通

across generations.

是多麼重要

But sadly, today,

但遺憾的是，今天

languages are dying

很多語言

at an unprecedented rate.

正在以前所未有的速度消失

A language dies every 14 days.

每14天就有一種語言消失

Now, at the same time,

而在此同時

English is the undisputed global language.

英語卻無庸置疑地成為全球性的語言

Could there be a connection?

這其中有關聯嗎？

Well I don't know.

我不知道

But I do know that I've seen a lot of changes.

但我知道的是我見證過許多改變

When I first came out to the Gulf, I came to Kuwait

當我初次來到波灣，我是去科威特

in the days when it was still a hardship post.

當時教英文仍然是個困難的工作

Actually, not that long ago.

其實，沒有那麼久啦

That is a little bit too early.

這有點太久以前了

But nevertheless,

總之

I was recruited by the British Council,

我被英國文化協會聘用

along with about 25 other teachers.

連同其他25位老師

And we were the first non-Muslims

我們是第一批非穆斯林的老師

to teach in the state schools there in Kuwait.

在科威特的國立學校任教

We were brought to teach English

我們被派到那裡教英語

because the government wanted to modernize the country

是因為當地政府希望國家可以現代化

and to empower the citizens through education.

並透過教育提升公民的水準

And of course, the U.K. benefited

當然，英國也能得到些好處

from some of that lovely oil wealth.

產油國可是很有錢的

Okay.

言歸正傳

Now this is the major change that I've seen --

我見過最大的改變, 就是

how teaching English

英語教學

has morphed

的蛻變

from being a mutually beneficial practice

如何從一個互惠互利的方式

to becoming a massive international business that it is today.

變成今天這種大規模的國際事業

No longer just a foreign language on the school curriculum,

英語不再是學校課程裡的外語學科

and no longer the sole domain

也不再只是

of mother England,

英國的專利

it has become a bandwagon

英語(教學)已經成為

for every English-speaking nation on earth.

所有英語系國家追逐的潮流

And why not?

何樂而不為呢？

After all, the best education --

畢竟，最好的教育來自於最好的大學

according to the latest World University Rankings --

而根據最新的世界大學排名

is to be found in the universities

那些名列前茅的

of the U.K. and the U.S.

都是英國和美國的大學

So everybody wants to have an English education, naturally.

所以自然每個人都想接受英語教育

But if you're not a native speaker,

但如果你不是以英文為母語

you have to pass a test.

你就要通過考試

Now can it be right

但僅憑語言能力

to reject a student

就拒絕學生

on linguistic ability alone?

這樣對嗎？

Perhaps you have a computer scientist

譬如如果你碰到一位電腦科學家

who's a genius.

他是位天才

Would he need the same language as a lawyer, for example?

他會需要有和律師一樣的語言能力嗎？

Well, I don't think so.

我不這麼認為

We English teachers reject them all the time.

但身為英語老師的我們卻總是拒絕他們

We put a stop sign,

我們處處設限

and we stop them in their tracks.

將學生擋在路上

They can't pursue their dream any longer,

使他們無法再追求自己的夢想

'til they get English.

直到他們通過考試

Now let me put it this way:

現在容我換一個方式說

if I met a monolingual Dutch speaker

如果我遇到了一位只會說荷蘭話的人

who had the cure for cancer,

而這個人能治愈癌症

would I stop him from entering my British University?

我會阻止他進入我的英國大學嗎？

I don't think so.

我想不會

But indeed, that is exactly what we do.

但事實上，我們的確在做這種事

We English teachers are the gatekeepers.

我們這些英語老師就是把關的

And you have to satisfy us first

你必須先讓我們滿意

that your English is good enough.

使我們認定你的英文夠好

Now it can be dangerous

但這可能是危險的

to give too much power

把太多的權力

to a narrow segment of society.

交由這麼小的一群人把持

Maybe the barrier would be too universal.

也許會令這種障礙太過普及

Okay.

好

"But," I hear you say,

"但是"，我聽到你們問

"what about the research?

"那研究呢?"

It's all in English."

"他們都用英文"

So the books are in English,

書用英文寫

the journals are done in English,

期刊也都是用英文

but that is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

但這只是一種理所當然的現象

It feeds the English requirement.

有英語要求自然就有英語供給

And so it goes on.

然後就這麼循環下去

I ask you, what happened to translation?

我倒想問問大家，為什麼不用翻譯呢？

If you think about the Islamic Golden Age,

如果你們想想伊斯蘭的黃金時代

there was lots of translation then.

當時翻譯盛行

They translated from Latin and Greek

他們把拉丁文和希臘文

into Arabic, into Persian,

翻譯成阿拉伯文或波斯文

and then it was translated on

然後再由拉伯文或波斯文翻譯為

into the Germanic languages of Europe

歐洲的日耳曼語言

and the Romance languages.

以及羅曼語言

And so light shone upon the Dark Ages of Europe.

於是文明照亮了歐洲的黑暗時代

Now don't get me wrong;

但不要誤會我的意思

I am not against teaching English,

我不是反對英語教學

all you English teachers out there.

或是在座所有的英語老師

I love it that we have a global language.

我很高興我們有一個全球性的語言

We need one today more than ever.

這在今日尤為重要

But I am against using it

但我反對用英語

as a barrier.

設立障礙

Do we really want to end up with 600 languages

難道我們真希望世界上只剩下600種語言

and the main one being English, or Chinese?

其中又以英文或中文為主流？

We need more than that. Where do we draw the line?

我們需要的不只如此。那麼我們該如何拿捏呢？

This system

這個體制

equates intelligence

把智能

with a knowledge of English,

和英語能力畫上等號

which is quite arbitrary.

這是相當武斷的

(Applause)

(掌聲)

And I want to remind you

我想要提醒你們

that the giants upon whose shoulders

扶持當代知識分子的

today's intelligentsia stand

這些"巨人肩膀"

did not have to have English,

不必非得具有英文能力

they didn't have to pass an English test.

他們不需要通過英語考試

Case in point, Einstein.

愛因斯坦就是典型的例子

He, by the way, was considered remedial at school

順便說一下，他在學校還曾被認為需要補救教學

because he was, in fact, dyslexic.

因為他其實有閱讀障礙

But fortunately for the world,

但對整個世界來說, 很幸運的

he did not have to pass an English test.

當時他不需要通過英語考試

Because they didn't start until 1964

因為他們直到1964年

with TOEFL,

才開始使用托福

the American test of English.

(一種美式英語測驗)

Now it's exploded.

現在英語測驗太氾濫了

There are lots and lots of tests of English.

有太多太多的英語測驗

And millions and millions of students

以及成千上萬的學生

take these tests every year.

每年都在參加這些考試

Now you might think, you and me,

現在你會認為，你和我都這麼想

"Those fees aren't bad, they're okay,"

這些費用不貴，價錢滿合理的

but they are prohibitive

但是對數百萬的窮人來說

to so many millions of poor people.

這些費用高不可攀

So immediately, we're rejecting them.

所以當下我們又拒絕了他們

(Applause)

(掌聲)

It brings to mind a headline I saw recently:

這使我想起最近看到的一個新聞標題：

"Education: The Great Divide."

“教育：大鴻溝”

Now I get it,

現在我懂了

I understand why people would want to focus on English.

我了解為什麼大家都重視英語

They want to give their children the best chance in life.

因為他們希望給孩子最好的人生機會

And to do that, they need a Western education.

為了達成這目的，他們需要西方教育

Because, of course, the best jobs

畢竟，不可否認，最好的工作

go to people out of the Western Universities,

都留給那些西方大學畢業出來的人

that I put on earlier.

就像我之前說的

It's a circular thing.

這是一種循環

Okay.

好

Let me tell you a story about two scientists,

我跟你們說一個關於兩位科學家的故事

two English scientists.

有兩位英國科學家

They were doing an experiment

在做一項實驗

to do with genetics

是關於遺傳學的

and the forelimbs and the hind limbs of animals.

以及動物的前、後肢

But they couldn't get the results they wanted.

但他們無法得到他們想要的結果

They really didn't know what to do,

他們真的不知道該怎麼辦

until along came a German scientist

直到來了一位德國的科學家

who realized that they were using two words

他發現在英文裡

for forelimb and hind limb,

前肢和後肢是不同的二個字

whereas genetics does not differentiate

但在遺傳學上沒有區別

and neither does German.

在德語也是同一個字

So bingo,

所以，賓果！

problem solved.

問題解決了

If you can't think a thought,

如果你不能想到一個念頭

you are stuck.

你會卡在那裏

But if another language can think that thought,

但如果另一個語言能想到那念頭

then, by cooperating,

然後，透過合作

we can achieve and learn so much more.

我們可以達成目的，也學到更多

My daughter

我的女兒

came to England from Kuwait.

從科威特來到英格蘭

She had studied science and mathematics in Arabic.

她在阿拉伯的學校學習科學和數學

It's an Arabic-medium school.

那是所阿拉伯中學

She had to translate it into English at her grammar school.

在學校裡，她得把這些知識翻譯成英文

And she was the best in the class

而她在班上

at those subjects.

卻是在這些學科上拿到最好的成績

Which tells us

這告訴我們

that when students come to us from abroad,

當外籍學生來找我們

we may not be giving them enough credit

我們可能無法

for what they know,

針對他們所知道的給予讚賞

and they know it in their own language.

因為那是來自於他們母語的知識

When a language dies,

當一個語言消失

we don't know what we lose with that language.

我們不知道還有什麼也一併失去了

This is -- I don't know if you saw it on CNN recently --

這是 --我不知道各位有沒有看最近的CNN--

they gave the Heroes Award

他們頒了一座英雄獎

to a young Kenyan shepherd boy

給一位年輕的肯亞牧童

who couldn't study at night in his village,

在他住的村莊裡，他和村裡其他的孩童一樣

like all the village children,

無法在夜晚讀書

because the kerosene lamp,

因為煤油燈

it had smoke and it damaged his eyes.

產生的煙霧會弄傷他的眼睛

And anyway, there was never enough kerosene,

再說，他也沒有足夠的煤油

because what does a dollar a day buy for you?

畢竟每天只有一塊美金的收入，你還能買什麼？

So he invented

所以他發明了

a cost-free solar lamp.

不需成本的太陽能燈

And now the children in his village

現在他們村子裡的孩子們

get the same grades at school

大家的成績都和

as the children who have electricity at home.

那些家裡有電的孩子相同

(Applause)

(掌聲)

When he received his award,

當他拿到他的獎時

he said these lovely words:

他說了下面這段可愛的話：

"The children can lead Africa from what it is today,

"這些孩子可以帶領非洲

a dark continent,

這塊黑暗大陸

to a light continent."

迎向光明"

A simple idea,

一個簡單的想法

but it could have such far-reaching consequences.

卻能有這樣深遠的影響

People who have no light,

沒有“光”的人

whether it's physical or metaphorical,

無論具體來說，還是抽象來說

cannot pass our exams,

都無法通過我們的測驗

and we can never know what they know.

我們也無法了解他們擁有的知識

Let us not keep them and ourselves

別讓他們和我們自己

in the dark.

都身處在黑暗裡

Let us celebrate diversity.

讓我們一同為多元性歡呼

Mind your language.

持守你的語言

Use it to spread great ideas.

用它來宣揚偉大的想法

(Applause)

(掌聲)

Thank you very much.

非常謝謝各位

(Applause)

(掌聲)