Off topic: Looking for a person to read English with me Thread poster: raindrop7799
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raindrop7799 
United States
Local time: 12:32
English to Chinese
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Looking for a person to read English with me to improve my pronunciation, then I can help you to improve your Chinese pronunciation by reading Chinese too. Please contact me, looking forward to hear from you.
| | | | Henry Hinds
United States
Local time: 13:32
English to Spanish
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In memoriam | College or University | Jan 30, 2015 |
I would suggest going to a local college or university that offers classes in Chinese and making your request through one of the instructors. You would have a much better chance of finding someone than here.
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:32
Member (2008)
Italian to English
raindrop7799 wrote:
Looking for a person to read English with me to improve my pronunciation, then I can help you to improve your Chinese pronunciation by reading Chinese too. Please contact me, looking forward to hear from you.
Why not watch the BBC News online?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-14563857
| | | | | With all due respect... | Jan 31, 2015 |
Tom in London wrote: raindrop7799 wrote:
Looking for a person to read English with me to improve my pronunciation, then I can help you to improve your Chinese pronunciation by reading Chinese too. Please contact me, looking forward to hear from you. Why not watch the BBC News online? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-14563857
If the OP is in the USA, perhaps the local TV, wherever they are, will be a closer match.
The gentleman who taught me English mostly from the ground up had been a BBC newscaster in WWII. This took place in the mid-1960s. Ten years later, it took me about a month in Los Angeles for a complete conversion. Nowadays I couldn't "fake" EN-UK to save my life, if I had to.
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:32
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| You saw the light? | Jan 31, 2015 |
José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
.... it took me about a month in Los Angeles for a complete conversion
Wow - a religious experience in LA !!
| | | | | In fact I did! | Jan 31, 2015 |
Tom in London wrote: José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
.... it took me about a month in Los Angeles for a complete conversion You saw the light? Wow - a religious experience in LA !!
That was the start. After working 14 years for American companies in Brazil, being one of the few locals who didn't mind (nor get tired) from spending days at work with expats who didn't learn to speak Portuguese, plus countless trips to the US, it sort of seeped in.
Every now and then an American comments on my "sense of humor" when I try to explain that I'm Brazilian. An occasional Brit on Skype or phone will say "Aw, suh, yaw're Amarican, yaw'll haff taw spayk slawar, playz."
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The way you wrote that, makes me think of my British English as a second language I learnt while in Mexico and then coming to live in California! My "conversion" took a lot more than one year, haha...
LuLu Barrientos
| | | | | Countless anecdotes about such incidents | Feb 1, 2015 |
Lourdes Barrientos wrote: The way you wrote that, makes me think of my British English as a second language I learnt while in Mexico and then coming to live in California! My "conversion" took a lot more than one year, haha... LuLu Barrientos
Here in Brazil, I saw literally hundreds of Portuguese immigrants who went through a much deeper "conversion" to become "Brazilians". Item #6 on this page highlights why it involves more than UKxUS English. It's worth mentioning that not all who moved here did it.
Anyway, one such case I had business with told me that once, after a somewhat long conversation with a Brazilian, that other person suddenly realized it and exclaimed in surprise, "You are Portuguese!", to which he replied, "Yes, nobody's perfect."
Stephen Fry on this video gives a glimpse on the strain Hugh Laurie was under to keep two variants under the same hat.
An afterthought on this discussion here led me to a somewhat sad conclusion. In many countries, the average citizen's language standard has gone down, perhaps too much. We, as professional translators, are required to master (at least) two languages better than their respective average native speakers.
I don't mean it's widespread, but in Brazil I see foreigners writing better Portuguese than the typical "average" local. To keep myself to ONE example, I read part a fellow translator's 400-page PhD thesis. On top of the subject being very interesting, it was written in such brilliantly crafted PT, that I had a hard time to stop reading it, to go care for some urgent work requests. So I wrote an e-mail to compliment on her writing style. On her reply, she explained, "I am Italian. I only began learning Portuguese at age 30, when I moved to Brazil." Dumbfounded!
In the USA, I see second or third-generation native Americans who speak English with a heavier foreign accent than mine, mostly ES, IT, CN, JP, among a few others. So I realize that my EN-US accent might be not really that good, they merely lowered the bar.
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Jessica Noyes
United States
Local time: 15:32
Member
Spanish to English
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| Idea for the original poster | Feb 1, 2015 |
I suggest you ask among any "senior citizens" volunteer program in your area, or look around yourself to find a (perhaps) lonely elder with a perfect command of English. Put a note up on retirement home bulletin boards.
I once knew a young Japanese woman who met with a retired school teacher three times a week. The teacher was glad to have the company and use her skills with a motivated pupil. A Thai friend of mine was recently tutored (for free) by an eighty-year old, and that worke... See more I suggest you ask among any "senior citizens" volunteer program in your area, or look around yourself to find a (perhaps) lonely elder with a perfect command of English. Put a note up on retirement home bulletin boards.
I once knew a young Japanese woman who met with a retired school teacher three times a week. The teacher was glad to have the company and use her skills with a motivated pupil. A Thai friend of mine was recently tutored (for free) by an eighty-year old, and that worked well until he died. I imagine there are many others out there would be pleased to pass on their knowledge to someone like you who is eager to learn.
The older person gets connected to the community and has a new friend, the student acquires the knowledge. ▲ Collapse
| | | | raindrop7799
United States
Local time: 12:32
English to Chinese
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TOPIC STARTER
Thank you so much for such a good advice, I'll try.
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