The final post

Finally comes the final post. Actually I felt a little bit sentimental at the pizza feast treated by madam Fazilah after our last tutorial, which was just another saying, “All good feasts come to an end.” This module gives me the most supports, inspirations and gains during my stay in NUS and this research group is the most harmonious one amid all the groups I’ve been in. Jay did a lot to improve my writing and oral presentation, and even helped me to revise my paper in another module, to which I’d like to express my greatest thanks. He is the one who can always grasp the big picture and the always cheerful Shi Chie has many awesome ideas to share. Of course I will not forget the cold and sarcastic Alex, who takes a judgmental look at all our work, and makes our research more all-rounded.

The most important skill I’ve acquired is how to make a professional oral presentation. In fact I did not have the concept of how an oral presentation should be before I came here, because in Chinese schools little emphasis is laid on the presentation, even for university students. After observing the presentations made by all my classmates, I realize that the PowerPoint slides should be concise and to the point, and that the presenter should be capable of holding the attention of the audience by applying different methods to make the presentation catchy and thought-provoking.

Another portion that gives me a lot of enlightenment is how to write an application letter and resume. First of all, I became aware of my problems in writing according to the peer review from my classmates. Additionally, it seems that creative ideas won’t always help because I tried to make my resume look more colourful and eye-catching and Mdm Fazilah advised me not to. However, I am relatively satisfied with my performance in the mocking interview, for which I made a lot of preparations so that I wouldn’t be too nervous during the interview.

After all, this learning process is really fulfilling and rewarding, which will also become a part of the wonderful memories of my study here. I see another kind of teaching method that is different from what I see in China; I choose a module that can equip me with some very pragmatic skills that can help me make early preparations for the future; I encounter a responsible and warm teacher and a group of young people with great ideas and positive energy. Just like what I’ve been told by a Japanese teacher from another module, “That is why you are here, in NUS, Linna.”

Reflection on Oral Presentation

 

This is my last presentation here in NUS and of course I took it very seriously because I hope my study here could have a nice ending pose. Thanks to the help from all of my teammates, I didn’t make my presentation as unprofessional and dragging as what I did in my home university. So in this blog, I am going to reflect on my work during this group project in terms of preparation, delivery and use of slideware.

I was responsible for the survey design, distribution, results collection and data analysis before our oral presentation, so that I am the most suitable person to address this survey report and make it a plus to our big picture. My intention was to make this part concise and to the point and at the same time not frigid and dull. So when I wrote my handscript, I tried to add my own experience and some humour to the result analysis in order to resonate with all the audience. Thus I think I was well-prepared and fully aware of what I was going to talk about. Alex, Jay and Shi Chie kept reminding me to “have the highlights in mind” before the preparation, which was directive and helpful. The PowerPoint slides were also improved by these three science guys. The data was added into corresponding pie charts and the bar graphs were complied to a single format so that the slides looked more professional. I did learn a lot from them about how to prepare for this oral presentation.

I was undoubtedly a little bit nervous when it was my turn to stand in front of the audience. My biggest weakness was that I could not get rid of my handscript, and my utterances were not fluent enough. That reduced my use of eye contact with the audience and necessary gestures to enhance my convincing image. As Madam Fazilah said, I looked less natural, relaxing and confident because I had to refer to my notes from time to time. However, this handscript was necessary for me because I did not want my speech to be dry and ungrammatical. I have to admit that public speaking skills are the biggest stumbling block for me in terms of my English proficiency. I will sharpen my spoken English further in the future.

After all, this experience is really fulfilling and rewarding, and the process of working with my teammates were very delightful, especially when we decided to shoot some funny pictures to create humour sense in our performance. Anyway, the work is done now and I am quite relieved!

Evaluate Intercultural Behaviour

With China being more and more open to the whole world, intercultural communication becomes an inevitable part in the daily life of many Chinese people. As a student in the Translation Faculty of Foreign Language School, I’ve encountered some American teachers who taught us American Culture. One of them, whose name is Steve, really leaves a deep impression on me.

Once Steve taught us about American food and he started commenting on the Western food in China: “The taste of the steaks and hamburgers in China is really bad! KFC sucks, McDonald’s sucks, and Pizza Hut also sucks! I really miss the homemade sandwiches and cupcakes in my hometown. You should have a try at the authentic American food to refresh your impression on it.” He did have the floor to judge whether this food in China is delicious or not. We didn’t make any response to him, although the western food in China doesn’t taste so bad for us like what he remarked and we did feel uncomfortable at his comments.

In another class which talked about America music, he delivered an even harsher review of the Chinese pop songs. He was playing Pop Rock music to show the musical achievement in America during the past 50 years. “When I am listening to these pieces of music, I feel that they are just awesome! Really amazing. The Chinese pop songs I’ve heard in the streets here are nothing compared to these. The Chinese songs are commercial and the singers just take it as a job to earn money. And the melodies are manufactured, in a rough way.” At that time I got angry about his words, not because his negative comments on Chinese pop music, but because he made judgements according to his very little knowledge of it. So this time I asked him: “Excuse me sir, would you like to name just ten Chinese pop singers?” His embarrassment could be easily captured by us. Then he changed his topic to his favourite American singer.

In this case I share with you above, I am not trying to indicate that Americans are very impolite and boastful. But Steve’s intercultural behaviours are a little bit egocentric. In his conception, American food and music are the best perhaps because he has been exposed to them since he was born. But things in China are different and it is difficult for him to appreciate the difference in the attitude of embracing cultural diversity, instead of from the perspect of a native American. This kind of intercultural communication barrier exists everywhere, not only in this case. Actually I feel the Chinese food in Singapore is also not as tasty as what I eat in China, but I should not tell Singaporeans that Chinese food here sucks. Instead, the different taste is a kind of different culture which I should respect and embrace.

What’s more, I can also discover the cultural difference between America and China from this case. Steve gave his remarks in a quite outspoken way while. Chinese students wouldn’t show him our unhappiness straightforwardly. (I also did not express my unhappiness directly in the second story.) Steve himself also admitted that Americans are not good at hiding their true feelings and thoughts. But for Chinese, “face” is really an important thing, not only ours, but also others’. That determines the difference in the way we express our opinions and emotions. If we want to promote effective communication between Steve and us, we definitely need to learn more about each other’s culture characteristics and expressive pattern.

I have to admit that sometimes I am also quite outspoken. It is also important for me to learn how to communicate with others in a tactful way and to realize effective communication. Anyway, hope my stay in Singapore will help me in term of intercultural communication.

MIIS~

 

 

 

Position: postgraduate of Montery Institute of International Studies

(This Institute plays the most leading role in the field of translation and interpretation. The United Nation will recruit interpreters from its Translation and Interpretation Program. And I am dreaming of pursuing my further study there)

 

Requirements:

1.Applicants to the translation and interpretation programs must have native or near-native proficiency in English and at least one of these languages: Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

2.Non-native English speakers must provide evidence of English proficiency from either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examinations.

 

Preparations:

1.Strengthen your general knowledge of economics, history, the law, international politics, and scientific concepts and principles

2.Improve your public speaking skills.

3.Hone your analytical skills

4.Fine-tune your writing and research skills

 

OK.. Following are my resume and cover letter..

Linna Ge

Room 306 Building No.4 Fengyuan                                                                Phone No: 13186273481

Wuhan University, Hubei Province, PRC 430000                                          gelinna0304@gmail.com

OBJECTIVE:

Post-Graduate Position in the Translation and Interpretation Faculty of 

Montery Institute of International Studies

SUMMARY

Undergraduate with agile thinking, solid professional foundation and good communication skills. Available for hosting ceremonies.

HONORS AND EXPERIENCE:

◆Won prizes in the Translation and Interpretation Contest of Hubei Province

First prize in 2012

Second prize in 2013

◆Won merit-based scholarship

Second prize in 2011/2012 academic year

◆Exchange Student at National University of Singapore in 2nd semester 2012/2013 academic year

Got recommendation and appreciation from Tean Lam YEO (Shaun) [Adjunct Assistant Professor :: Department of Chinese Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:: NUS]

◆Vice President of the Girls’ Department in the Students Union of Wuhan University in 2012/2013 academic year

EDUCATION:

Bachelor of Arts in Translation and Interpretation, June 2015
Wuhan University, Hubei Province, PRC
Graduated with a GPA of 3.8 on a 4.0 scale [ranked the first 10% of all the graduates]

Courses taken included:
Theory and Skills of Translation

English-Chinese consecutive interpretation

Business English

English Shorthand

SKILLS:

◆Speaking Standard Mandarin

passed the Putonghua Proficiency Test with a first rate

◆Hosting Ceremonies

hosted the New Year Celebration of the Translation and Interpretation Faculty in 2nd semester 2012/2013 academic year

◆Good at using Microsoft Office Word, Powerpoint and Excel

    passed the National Computer Rank Examination

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linna Ge

Room 306 Building No.4 Fengyuan                          

Wuhan University, Hubei Province, PRC 430000

Phone No: 13186273481

gelinna0304@gmail.com  

 

February 18, 2013

 

Ms. Carol Johnson

Recruiter for Admission

Monterey Institute of International Studies Admissions Office

460 Pierce Street

Monterey, California 93940 USA

Tel. 831.647.4123

carol.johnson@miis.edu

 

Dear Ms. Johnson

I got much information about this Translation and Interpretation Program from the official website of the Montery Institute of International Studies. I am genuinely interested in it, and believe that my education and experience are eligible for the position.

It is indicated that candidates are required to have language proficiency and standardized test scores. These are demonstrated by my high scores in IELTS test during my freshman year and I also received high commendation from my lecturers. I also have extensive experience in hosting public events, such as the New Year Celebration of the Translation and Interpretation Faculty in Wuhan University. This has given me an invaluable opportunity to present myself in public venues. Thus I am sure my public speaking skills will meet your demands.

Furthermore, I was an exchange student at the National University of Singapore in 2013, where I had many opportunities to interact with the professors and local students in English and discuss about contemporary social issues. Another thing worth emphasizing is that my communication skills are also polished up because of my study in NUS. This experience allows me to become a more mature and analytical person.

I look forward to talking with you about this opportunity. It will be my great pleasure if I can have the chance to study in MIIS and try to “be the solution”. Please feel free to contact me at 13163273481 or gelinna0304@gmail.com should you need additional information.

Thank you very kindly for your consideration.

 

Yours sincerely                                                

 

Linna Ge

 

 

 

 

Give me more suggestion please~~ I really need instructions!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold War among Girls

After reading the blog assignment, I immediately came up with a very typical interpersonal conflict, which occurred in my dormitory life when I was at my home university. To narrate the story more concisely, I would like to make some adaptations.

There are four girls living in the same dorm, Alison, Bonnie, Cathy and Dian. We can call them A, B, C and D, who became very close friends in the first semester. It seemed that the four girls were in harmony but actually there did exist some problems. A started to pour a lot of complaints on RenRen (the Chinese version of Facebook) since the second semester: “My roommates are always trying hard to lose weight. What’s wrong with them?” “I never make noise when you are doing your stuff but you guys never care about me. ” B, C and D felt really angry about A’s behaviour but they decided to pretend not seeing those complaints and keep showing kindness to A so that their relationship would not be awkward. But one day A posted a complaint which was really malicious. B could not tolerate any more so she questioned A on why she was so resentful of the others. A was angry about B’s interrogate and later never talked to B any more. The four girls split into two sides, one is A, the other is B, C, and D, and then the cold war started.

According to my analysis, the lack of efficient communication is the main cause of the problem. I believe every dormitory will more or less have some internal problems. Alison chose to complain in RenRen rather than talk to the other girls when she felt dissatisfied with them. Maybe it is because she thought it was embarrassing to unveil her dissatisfaction by conversations. So she tried to arouse their attention by RenRen. The other girls pretended not to notice the problem in order to keep harmony. Perhaps they believed they’d better not to bother and make the dormitory atmosphere awkward. I think they could have handled this problem in an earlier state if four of them had a heart-to-heart talk and enhance mutual understanding.

Since their relationship has already worsened, I suggest they write e-mails to each other and confess their true feelings and thoughts if it is really embarrassing to talk about the problem face- to- face. Then here is my question for you now: Do you think it was right for B to interrogate to A’s face?

 

ES2007S Why effective communication skills are important to me.

Hello, everyone! My name is Ge Linna. I am an exchange student from China and I major in translation and interpreting in my home university, Wu Han University. I really appreciate the opportunity to experience a different life here in NUS, which is quite amazing and fantastic. I've chosen this module, Professional Communication, for I think effective communication skills are quite important to me. This kind of importance highlights itself  in some aspects of my life.
Firstly, I don't think I am a tactful person. Once I greeted one of my classmates (girl) who was in a tank top and a mini skirt: “Wow! You may even wear less!”She didn’t reply and just forced a smile. Minutes later I realized how rude it was to say so and I immediately apologized to her. But I don’t want this kind of inappropriate wording to occur any more. Actually I always try not to be too outspoken and comment without thinking twice. Thus I think I really need to learn effective communication skills.  
Careerwise, it is also a necessity to grasp the gist of professional communication, especially for a qualified interpreter. Since we will be the media to convey the information, it is quite significant to do the demanding job in an appropriate manner. I am interested in this challenging work and I would like to endeavor to be a professional interpreter. Well, may the dream come true!
I missed the reception party in the building I live here and missed the chance to make news friends in the first place. Till then I still don’t have many friends in my building. I really want to change the situation and be friend with them. So I am really in need of effective communication skills now!!!