TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING COURSE

TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING COURSE

 

EDUCATION

 

 

                                       SARATOV 1999

 

 

HISTORY OF AMERICAN EDUCATION

 

Americans have shown a great concern for education since early colonial times. Among the first settlers, in fact, there was an unusually high proportion of educated men. In the Massachusetts Bay colony in the early 1600s there was an average of one university man to every 40 or 50 families - much higher than in Old England. Some of these men, many of them graduates from Cambridge, came together and in 1636 founded Harvard College, 140 tears before American independence. Before the Revolution in 1776, nine colleges had already been opened in the colonies, most of them later becoming universities.

 

From the 1640s on, Massachusetts required all towns with more than 50 families to provide a schoolmaster at public expense. Other colonies also made provisions for free public schools. In the course of the 17^th century, for instance, free schools had been established in a number of places such as New Haven, Hartford, New London and Fairfield. Many academies (schools offering a classical education as well as more practical training) opened throughout the next century.

 

The movement for free public schools gained its greatest momentum in the 1830s, however. By 1850, every state had provided for a system of free public schools open to all and paid for by public taxes. By the same tear, state-supported colleges and universities had already been established in many states.

 

By 1900, There were almost a thousand institutions of higher education in the U.S. Among them were law and medical schools and hundreds of small, four-tear liberal arts colleges. There were many other institutions of higher learning which emphasized everything from the training of teachers to the pulling of teeth.

 

Today, there are some 43 million students in public schools at the elementary and secondary levels, and another 6 million in private schools throughout the country. In other words, 88 percent of American children attend public schools and 12 percent go to private schools. Four out of five of the private schools are run by churches, synagogues, or other religious groups. Any year, about 12 million Americans are enrolled in the over 3, 000 colleges and universities of every type: private, public, church-related, small and large, in cities, counties, and states. Close to 80 percent of the college percent are enrolled in privately supported universities and colleges.

 

Most historians agree that a great deal of the economic, political, scientific and cultural progress America has made in its relatively short history is due to its commitment to the ideal of equal opportunity. This is the ideal of educating as many Americans as possible, to the best of their abilities. There can be little doubt that American education in its aim to provide equality of opportunity as well as excellence has raised the overall level of education of Americans. It has encouraged more Americans than ever before to study for advanced degrees and to become involved in specialized research. The belief that the future of society depends on the quality of its educated citizens is widely held. It explains why a great many Americans are still willing to give more money to education, even during times of economic difficulty.

 

 

Educational Vocabulary

 

state and independent/public/ private institutions

local education authorities

the chief education officer

 

pre-school institutions

nursery school; day nursery; kindergarten; playgroup

 

primary school

the infant/the junior department

elementary school

secondary school

grammar/technical/modern school

eleven-plus examination

comprehensive school

catchment area

high school

special school/special education

boarding schools

day schools

to pay fees

single-sex schools/coed or mixed schools

preparatory school

Common Examination for Entrance to Public Schools/Common Entrance (exam)

 

Further education

higher educational institutions

university/college/polytechnic/academy

manager/governor

head teacher; headmaster/mistress

deputy head teacher

head of the department

parent-teacher association (PTA)

parents’ committee

 

court; council; senate

chancellor; vice-chancellor; registrar; secretary; treasurer; bursar

faculty; faculty board; dean; faculty meeting

department; staff meeting

Chair

external department; extra-mural department

 

admission; to admit

to apply; application; applicant; to apply for admission

to be accepted/ rejected; to get in(to)

to enter/ entrance; entrance requirements

full-time students; part-time students

full-time courses; part-time courses; sandwich courses

 

 

school teacher; head teacher; assistant (teacher)

class/form teacher; form tutor

subject teacher/specialist

teaching staff; to be on the permanent staff; staff meeting

tenure

university teacher/lecturer

academic/teaching staff; the faculty

professor; reader (in); lecturer; senior lecturer; assistant

tutor

 

form; year; grade

stream; streaming; unstreamed classes; classes of mixed ability

band; set; group; house

pupil; student; undergraduate/postgraduate; graduate

academic year; term session

holidays/vacations; to break up (for the holidays); go back to school

sabbatical (year); study leave

 

academic standards/achievements/progress/research/career/awards

compulsory/optional/core subjects

curriculum; extra-curricular/after-school activities

to educate; educator

grant; stipend

humanities

to instruct; instruction

project

scholar; scholarly; scholarship

syllabus

tuition

vocation; vocational

 

CONTROL OF EDUCATION

 

There are two significant influences on American education which give it its present character, its size, and its great variety at all levels. The first influence is legal, or governmental. The second is cultural.

 

The United States does not have a national system of education. Education is considered to be a matter for the people of each state. Although there is a federal Department of Education, its function is merely to gather information, to advise, and to help finance certain educational programs. Education, Americans say, is “a national concern, a state responsibility, and a local function.” Each of the 50 states legislatures is free to determine its own system for its own public schools.

 

State constitutions give the actual administrative control of the public school districts within the 50 states. School boards made up of individual citizens elected from each community oversee the schools in each district. They set school policy and actually decide what is to be taught.

There is, then, a very large amount of local control. The public schools are very much community schools. They must have local public support, because citizens vote directly in how much they want to pay for school taxes. They must represent local wishes and educational interests, as those who administer the schools are elected by the community.

 

There are a great many city or county-owned colleges and universities, and many are supported by the states. In general, colleges and universities, whether state or private, are quite free to determine their own individual standards, admissions, and graduation requirements.

The major result of this unusual situation is that there is an enormous amount of variety and flexibility in elementary, secondary, and higher (university) education throughout the nation. For example, in about 60 percent of the states, local schools are free to choose any teaching materials or textbooks which they think are appropriate. In the remaining states, only such teaching materials may be used in public schools which have been approved by the state boards of education. Some universities are virtually free to residents of the state, with only token fees. Others are expensive, especially for out-of-state students, with tuition fees in the thousands of dollars each year. Some school systems are, like their communities, extremely conservative, some very progressive and liberal. These and other substantial differences must always be considered when describing American schools.

 

Because local and state taxes support the public schools, there are also significant differences in the quality of education. Communities and states that are able or willing to pay more for schools, buildings, materials, and teachers almost always have better educational systems than those that cannot or do not.

Local control of the schools has also meant that there is a great deal of flexibility. There is much opportunity to experiment and to fit programs to local wishes and needs. State-supported universities and colleges also to some degree tailor their courses of study to the needs of the states and the students.

Dictation-translation

GOALS OF EDUCATION

 

The cultural influences on American education are just as important, but more difficult to define. Basically, Americans have always aimed for equal opportunity in education, regardless of social class, national origin, or racial or ethnic group. A high general level of education has always been seen as a necessity in this democratic society. Education in America has also traditionally served the goal of bringing people together, that is, of “Americanization”. Schools in the U.S. serve to bring together the hundreds of various cultural and linguistic groups, religions, and social and political backgrounds represented by millions and millions of immigrants.

 

But largely, education has been seen as a way of “bettering oneself, ” of “rising in the world, ” as a fundamental part of the American Dream. Thus the millions of immigrants coming to America often tied their hopes for a better life to a good education for themselves and, most importantly, for their children. The social and economic mobility of Americans comes largely from the easy access to education that most Americans have enjoyed. The first step up - whether the ultimate goal was money, status, power, or simply knowledge - usually started at the school door.

 

 

SCHOOL EDUCATION

 

The American system of education differs somewhat from the systems of other countries. There are free, state-supported, public schools which the majority of American children attend. There are also a number of private elementary and secondary schools where a fee is charged for admission and children are accepted or rejected on the basis of an examination.  These include a few parochial or church-supported schools, usually Catholic, which also charge a fee.

 

Under the United States Constitution the federal government has no power to make laws in the field of education; each state is fully responsible within its own boundaries. Each state has an educational administration, not subject to federal control, and the state authorities lay down general principles concerning the organization of schools and such matters as the ages of compulsory education. With so much local control the standards of education provided in different parts of the Unite States are by no means uniform. In the south the authorities spend much less per student than in most other parts; more people are illiterate, more people leave school early, and fewer go to universities. Another complication is that in older parts of the north-east there is more private education than in the mid-west or far-west.

 

Elementary education begins at the age of six with the first grade and continues through to the eighth grade. Attendance is compulsory in most states until the age of sixteen or until the student has finished the eighth grade. The elementary school is followed by four years of secondary school or high school. Often the last two years of elementary and the first years of secondary school are combined into a junior high school. The elementary schools tend to be small, serving families within the immediate area. The high schools are generally larger and accommodate students from four or five elementary schools.

 

Admission to the American high school is automatic on completion of the elementary school. The American high school offers the types of courses that are usually found in separate schools in Europe. A wide variety of courses is possible in a large high school. During the four-year high school program, the student studies four or five major subjects per year, and classes in each of these subjects meet for an hour a day, five days a week. Students must complete a certain number of courses in order to receive a certificate of graduation.

 

Private secondary schools are becoming more and more popular with well-to-do parents who think that public schools are not able to provide the atmosphere and standards desirable for their children.

 

Most schools start at the kindergarten level. There are some school districts that do not have this beginning phase, and others which have an additional ‘pre-school’ one. There are almost always required subjects at each level. In some areas and at more advanced levels, students can choose some subjects. Pupils who do not do well often have to repeat courses, or have to have special tutoring, usually done in and by the schools. Many schools also support summer classes, where students can make up for failed courses or even take extra courses. 

In addition to bilingual and bicultural education programs, many schools have special programs for those with learning and reading difficulties. These and other programs repeat the emphasis of American education on trying to increase equality of opportunity. They also attempt to integrate students with varying abilities and backgrounds into an educational system shared by all. At the same time, many high school students are given special advanced coursework in mathematics and the sciences. Nationwide talent searches for minority group children with special abilities and academic promise began on a large scale in the 1960s. These programs have helped to bring more minority children into advanced levels of university education and into the professions.

 

Like schools in Britain and other English-speaking countries, those in the U.S. have also always stressed ‘character’ or ‘social skills’ through extracurricular activities, including organized sports. Because most schools start at around 8 o’clock every morning and classes often do not finish until 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon, such activities mean that many students do not return home until the early evening. There is usually a very broad range of extracurricular activities available. Most schools, for instance, publish their own student newspapers, and some have their own radio stations. Almost all have student orchestras, bands, and choirs, which give public performances. There are theater and drama groups, chess and debating clubs, Latin, French, Spanish, or German clubs, groups which meet after school to discuss computers, or chemistry, or amateur radio, or the raising of prize horses and cows. Students can learn flying, skin-diving, and mountain-climbing. They can act as volunteers in hospitals and homes for the aged and do other public-service work.

 

Many different sports are also available, and most schools share their facilities - swimming pools, tennis courts, tracks, and stadiums - with the public. Many sports that in other countries are normally offered by private clubs are available to students at no cost in American schools. Often the students themselves organize and support school activities and raise money through “car washes”, baby-sitting, bake sales, or by mowing lawns. Parents and local businesses often also help a group that, for example, has a chance to go to a state music competition, to compete in some sports championship, or take a camping trip. Such activities not only give pupils a chance to be together outside of normal classes, they also help develop a feeling of “school spirit” among the students and in the community.

 

HIGHER EDUCATION

 

The first universities were developed by private charitable organizations, many of which were religious bodies. The private universities are still very important, and most of the best-known institutions, such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton, are private. Some of the state universities are general universities providing all faculties and all types of instruction, but there are also some state colleges for particular subjects, such as agriculture. Not long ago some of these special colleges have been converted into general universities. Such universities provide education to residents of the state either free of charge or at a fee, though students have to pay for the cost of living while they are studying. Some universities are provided by municipalities of large towns, and some which were originally private are now partly or even wholly supported by the municipalities. The great private universities have many advantages - age, tradition, long-established reputations. They are constantly appealing for funds from their ‘alumni’ (former students) and often obtain immense sums.

 

Private universities have between 500 and 30, 000 students, and some have increased rapidly in the past years. The fees vary from $5, 000 to over $10, 000 a year. Private universities vary very much in standards and reputation, from the world-famous and select to the cranky and the obscure. 

The American ideal of mass education for all is matched by an awareness that America also needs highly trained specialists. In higher education therefore, and especially at the graduate schools (those following the first four years of college), the U.S. has an extremely competitive and highly selective system. This advanced university system has become widely imitated internationally, and it is also the one most sought after by foreign students. 

 

While the American education system might put off selecting students until much later than do other systems, it does nonetheless select. And it becomes increasingly selective the higher the level. Moreover, because each university generally sets its own admission standards, the best universities are also the most difficult to get into.

 

Some universities are very selective even at the undergraduate or beginning levels. Needless to say, those children who have attended better schools, or who come from families with better educated parents, often have an advantage over those who don’t. This remains a problem in the U.S., where equality of opportunity is a central cultural goal. Not surprisingly, the members of racial minorities are the most deprived in this respect. 

 

HAWAII PACIFIC UNIVERSITY

 

Choosing a college or university is an important and difficult decision. Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) offers a variety of opportunities that attract students from all 50 states and more than 70 countries around the world. Here are several reasons why so many students choose HPU:

 

Tuition: Tuition is kept as low as possible, while maintaining superior educational programs (average class size is between 20 -25). Rated as one of the best buys in higher education in the United States, regular tuition for the 1994 academic year is $6, 300; tuition for the Marine Science program is $8, 200 and for students in their final two years of the Nursing program, tuition is $10, 200. In addition, Hawaii Pacific offers a full range of financial assistance programs.

 

Location: Hawaii Pacific is comprised of two campuses - the Main Campus in downtown Honolulu, the business and financial center of the Pacific, and the Hawaii Loa Campus, a lush, 135-acre site in Kaneohe just eight miles away. While the Hawaii Loa Campus is the site of the School of Nursing and Marine Science program, a wide selection of courses are offered as well. Students may take classes on both campuses by taking a 15-minute ride on the free shuttle service connection. This combination provides students the best of both worlds: a vibrant downtown campus, and a more traditional college setting on the Hawaii Loa Campus.

 

Career Oriented: Hawaii Pacific students receive a career-oriented approach to their majors. Many students work while enrolled in school and, at HPU, your work can enhance your academic program of study. This past school year, the Career Placement Center assisted more than 1, 5000 HPU students to find jobs related to their area of academic interest. These students are participating in what are called cooperative education and internship programs. Our goal is to have every HPU student graduate with an excellent academic degree and a resume with practical work experience to compete in the market place and succeed. Our professional staff can help you find the work experience that best complements your needs and academic goals.

 

Housing: Our Housing Office offers many services and options for students. Residence halls with cafeteria service are available on the Hawaii Loa Campus; university-sponsored apartments are available in Waikiki for those seeking a more independent living arrangement.

 

Applying: Our application process is not complicated. Each student’s application is reviewed on its own merits. Just as important as your grade point average, are the types of classes you are taking and the extracurricular activities in which you participate. We are looking for students with the ability and motivation to do college-level work. Since we accept students on what is called a rolling basis, there is no set deadline for applications. It is recommended that you apply as early as possible during the year prior to the semester you wish to attend. We will notify you of your admissions status within two weeks of receiving a complete application.

 

STANDARDS

 

Those who believe that American schools are more play than work overlook an important fact: a high school diploma is not a ticket that allows someone to automatically enter a university. Standardized examinations play a decisive role at almost every level of education, especially in the admission to colleges and universities. Students who wish to go to a good university but only took high school courses that were a “snap, ” or who spent too much time on extracurricular activities, will have to compete with those who worked hard and took demanding courses. 

 

There are two widely used and nationally-administered standardized tests for high school students who wish to attend a college or university. One is the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), which attempts to measure aptitudes in verbal and mathematical fields necessary for college work. The other is the ACT (American College Testing program), which attempts to measure skills in English, mathematics, and the social and natural sciences. Both tests are given at specific dates and locations throughout the O.S. by non-profit, non-governmental organizations. The tests are used by universities as standards for comparison, but are not in any way “official.” With so many different types of high schools and programs, with so many differences in subjects and standards, these tests provide common, nationwide measuring sticks. Many universities publish the average scores achieved on these tests by the students they admit. This indicates the ”quality” or level of ability expected of those who apply.

 

Similar testing programs exist at higher levels, as well. Someone who has already finished four years of university and wishes to go to a law or medical school is also required to take standardized tests. These tests have been agreed upon by the various law and medical schools and are administered nationwide at scheduled times. Like the SAT or ACT, these tests are not official or governmentally controlled. Other examinations, however, are official and usually quite difficult. For example, even after someone has studied for many years and earned a medical degree from a university, this still does not mean that he or she can begin to practice in the O.S. The individual states require still further examinations.

 

Other pressures also operate at the university level. Most universities require mid-semester and final (end-of-semester) examinations. It is possible, as a great many students have learned, to “flunk out” of a university, that is to be asked to leave because of poor grades. And most students who have scholarships must maintain a certain grade average to keep their scholarships.

 

Since tuition fees alone can be rather high at most colleges and universities, a large number of students hold jobs besides studying. These part-time jobs may be either “on campus” (in the dormitories, cafeterias, students services, in research, and in teaching and tutoring jobs) or “off campus” (with local firms and businesses, in offices, etc.). In addition, there are work-study programs at a number of universities, and financial assistance programs which are provided by the states and the federal government. Students who must work as well as study are the rule rather than the exception. Students also cannot simply move from one university to another, or trade places with other students. Before changing to another university, students must first have been accepted by the new university and have met that university’s admission requirements.

 

The competition and pressures at many universities, especially at the higher, “graduate” levels, are not pleasant. Nor are they evident in the popular picture of “campus life.” However, this system has been highly successful in producing scholars who are consistently at the top or near the top of their fields internationally. One indication of this can be seen by looking at the textbooks or professional journals used and read in foreign universities and noting the authors, where they teach and where they were trained.

 

Another indication is the number of Americans who have won Nobel Prizes. Americans have won 146 Nobel Prizes in the sciences - physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine - since the awards were first given in 1901. If the U.S. is still distant from the aim of educating everyone well, it has at least done a good job with many.

 

 

Dictation - translation

Act as interpreter.

1.

М-р Степанов: Мистер Холмс, могу я задать Вам несколько вопросов?

 

Mr. Holmes: Yes, of course.

 

С. Интересно, сколько предметов изучают ваши учащиеся за год в средней школе?

 

H.  At least four or five majors plus classes in physical education, music and art.

The major subjects most often are: English, Social Studies, Math, Science, and a foreign language.

 

Сколько раз в неделю проводятся занятия по основным предметам?

 

These classes meet five times a week in an academic program. However, if a student does decide to major in art, for example, then he’ll attend art classes daily instead of only two or three times a week.

 

А как у вас с проблемой неуспевающих учащихся? Многим ли приходится повторно заниматься в одном и том же классе?

 

It’s different here. In contrast to your school system, if one of our high school students fails a course, he doesn’t have to repeat the entire year. He only has to repeat that particular course the following term.

 

Очень интересно. Между прочим, американские коллеги говорили мне, что ваша средняя школа плюс два года колледжа могут быть приравнены к нашей средней школе. Так ли это?

 

Yes, I’ve also heard that and it’s probably about right.

 

А кто субсидирует школы?

 

The schools are largely supported out of state funds. The state allots money according to the number of students attending the public schools. 

 

Означает ли это, что школы, имеющие одинаковое число учащихся, субсидируются одинаково?

 

Not quite. Each locality may decide to vote additional taxes so that their Local Board of Education will have larger funds for facilities and teachers’ salaries. The richer the locality, the larger the sums allotted to the schools.

 

Вероятно поэтому многие школы в Гарлеме находятся в таком плачевном состоянии. Я посетил одну из них: не хватает учителей, школьные здания нуждаются в ремонте. Кстати, есть ли у вас общегосударственное министерство просвещения? В нашей стране есть и общегосударственное и региональные министерства просвещения.

We do not have a separate Federal Department of Education. But we do have an office of education which is located in Washington, it is part of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. It has very little influence in most school matters since the individual states have full authority in the sphere of education. However, since the 60s it has gained influence through its federally funded programs to assist economically disadvantaged minority groups.

 

Простите, я задал слишком много вопросов; Вы, вероятно, устали.

 

Oh, no, I’m enjoying the talk.

 

2.

 

Mr. Brown: Mr. Sokolov, you are welcome to ask me questions.

 

М-р Соколов: Спасибо. Я слышал о том, что некоторые колледжи и университеты субсидируются религиозными организациями. Что это означает?

 

It simply means that these are private institutions founded and supported by a particular religious group. The majority of these schools do not discriminate in their admission or teaching policies.

 

Получают ли студенты стипендию в высших учебных заведениях?

 

Yes, not the majority, but those who demonstrated superior achievements in their studies. There are also scholarships granted to those students who show good potential for higher education.

 

Я читал статью о том, что многим американским студентам приходится работать, чтобы иметь возможность заплатить за обучение.

 

Yes, many of the students have part-time jobs to help them get through college. And colleges often adjust their time-tables so that students can work part of the time.

 

Как построена программа в колледже? Специализация начинается с первого курса?

 

The first two years in most colleges are in fact equivalent to continuation of secondary education. During this time certain courses in English, social sciences, natural sciences and so forth are usually completed before a student begins an intensive study in his special field. Most of the time, in this case, a student will have to limit his program to only two or three courses a term. By the way, it may take him longer than the usual four years to complete the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree.

 

Понятно. Означает ли степень бакалавра, что студент получил какую-то специальность?

 

Not necessarily. Students take an additional degree if they wish to specialize. This is called a Master of Arts or Master of Science degree.

Боюсь, что я утомил Вас своими вопросами. Последний вопрос: много ли афро-американцев и пуэрториканцев среди студентов высших учебных заведений?

 

I don’t know what the figures are, but in recent years there has been an especially noticeable increase in the number of African Americans enrolling in colleges.

 

Благодарю вас. Вы мне очень помогли разобраться в системе высшего образования в вашей стране.

 

That’s O.K. I was happy to help you.

 

 

Tapescript

TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING COURSE

 

EDUCATION

 

 

                                       SARATOV 1999

 

 

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