Fine Practice Is Not Fine

If you attend school in the 80s, you will recall (though I doubt fondly) the fine system in English class. Remember the: "Ah, you speak Chinese, fine 20 cents!"

And sadly, this system still exists in some schools. And in my contact with many educators, many of them still hold the belief that in order to learn a language, one has to be immersed in it, and so the use of mother tongue is discouraged.

I am strongly against the practice of fining people because they spoke in their mother tongue. It is degrading, demeaning, disrespectful. Is there any survey done on people who have suffered the practice and grow up thinking their mother tongue and their culture are inferior, consciously or subconsciously?

I studied Japanese as a third language for a while. How short a while? Well, let's just say the only Japanese words I can utter now is "oishii ne". What makes me give up learning the language? Not out of laziness, but out of intimidation. As an adult true beginner who has left formal school for some time, I was totally lost in class as every instruction given is in Japanese. I could not understand the grammar taught, and I spent endless time ploughing through the dictionary.

Working adults who have to juggle career and family have hardly the time and energy to learn a language in a totally immersive environment. And this is even more so in older adults who have not attended formal schools.

At The InkSmith, you learn languages and soft skills in the language that you are comfortable in. Because we, the language craftsmen, believe and know you learn and absorb better and faster this way.

The InkSmith is able to provide quality bilingual training because not only are the trainers NIE trained, TESOL qualified, and effectively bilingual/ trilingual; they are also experienced interpreters and translators.

If you want to write effective emails, persuasive reports, or to give an engaging presentation; The InkSmith understands you and caters to your needs.

« back