ICCT Notes
for language learners, language coaches, and agency administrators
© Lonna J. Dickerson (2007)
Director, Institute for Cross-Cultural Training
W heaton College, W heaton, IL 60187-5593
http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/icct/
Is Pre-Field Language Study a Good Idea?
Have you been wondering if your new overseas-bound personnel should begin studying the language
before they arrive in their new country? Are you growing dissatisfied with the length of time and
amount of money it takes some of your on-field workers to gain a reasonable degree of proficiency
in their new language? Are you finding that some learners never do reach the level of ability they
need in order to handle effectively their everyday living and professional responsibilities?
On the other hand, you know that North American colleges and universities offer all sorts of language
courses—from Spanish to Mandarin Chinese to Kazakh. You also know that there are many millions of
immigrants, refugees and international students now living in North America. In nearly every city, there are
multiple opportunities to learn a new language and interact with a variety of speakers of that language. So,
with so many readily available learning opportunities and resources, is pre-field language study a good idea
for your personnel, or for some of your personnel?
An historical perspective
Had you asked this question 30 years ago, my answer would
probably have been, “No, not in most cases.” The reason? First of all, it
would have been nearly impossible to find a language course for any but
the most common languages. And even for French, German, Spanish
and Italian, available courses tended to focus primarily on learning
grammar and vocabulary with a heavy emphasis on the reading and
writing skills. Classes typically had 25 or more students. In some,
students got no more than two or three minutes of speaking time per
class; in others, they did a lot of speaking, but it was mostly repetition
after the teacher or practicing with memorized or almost-memorized
material. Students often found these courses to be boring and they
correctly saw little connection between what was going on in their French
or Spanish classes with how the language was used in real life. Penciland-paper tests on grammar points and vocabulary words were often
used to “prove” that a student was either a gifted language learner or one
who was certain to fail at ever learning a foreign language.
With so many positive
changes in language
learning methodology
and the availability of
courses for a wide
variety of languages,
we believe it’s a good
time to re-evaluate the
issue of when your
personnel might best
begin their language
study.
But since the early 1980s there has been a gradual shift away from the more traditional language
classes to ones that focus primarily on teaching students to communicate in the language. When we
compare the classes of 1977 with those of 2007, the differences are radical. Instead of a heavy emphasis
on reading and writing, the predominant skills are now what our overseas personnel need most—listening
and speaking, with learners engaged in oral interaction for most of each class period. Instead of the
exclusive use of pencil-and-paper tests, this type of testing is used little, if at all. Instead, nearly all
instructors in North American classrooms are more interested in determining their students’ ability to
handle tasks that involve unplanned conversational exchanges that are similar to real-life tasks.
Even more recently, many of the old audiotape courses—those that put listeners to sleep with hours
of repetition of phrases and sentences—are no longer on the market. Instead, they have been replaced
with courses on CD-ROMs and DVDs. The quality of the digital recordings is far superior to cassette tapes,
but much more importantly, many of the learning activities are now highly interactive. In addition, you can
now find courses for languages such as Arabic, Hindi, Indonesian, Polish, Russian and Thai.
With so many positive changes in language teaching methodology and the availability of courses for
a wide variety of languages, we believe it’s a good time to re-evaluate the issue of when your overseasbound personnel might best begin their language study.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of pre-field language study?
Here are some factors to consider. You may be able to come up with additional advantages or
disadvantages for your language learners.
Potential Advantages
! make an easier transition into the onfield environment
! be able to communicate, at least
minimally and perhaps fairly well, upon
arrival on the field
! save time and money once on the field
! build cross-cultural relationships and
make new friends more quickly
! begin cross-cultural work more quickly
! gain a more realistic perspective about
the challenges of language and culture
learning
! discover more about their ability to learn
a language and steps needed to learn
successfully—important for all learners,
but especially crucial for many older
learners and those with learning
disabilities
Potential Disadvantages
! if progress is too slow, become
discouraged and lose the necessary
confidence and motivation for language
learning
! if they cannot also interact with native
speakers, gain knowledge of language
without also building meaningful
relationships
! gain a working knowledge of the new
language without a corresponding
knowledge of the new culture
! without a knowledge of effective learning
procedures, pre-field learners may “spin
their wheels,” trying a little of this and a
little of that without any real success, thus
wasting time and money
! for some (e.g., women going to Middle
East), begin learning in an environment
that is more familiar and without so
many restrictions on opportunities to
practice the language
How can people make the most of their pre-field learning experiences?
Here are some practical pointers for overseas-bound individuals who wish to begin their language
learning before leaving North America. By following these suggestions, they can get an important headstart and at the same time lessen or even eliminate the potential disadvantages of pre-field language
study. We suggest you share these suggestions with your agency’s candidates and appointees.
Getting a Head-Start in Language and Culture Learning Before Leaving Home
1. As much as possible, make language and culture learning your goal, not just language learning.
W hile it is possible to learn some components of a language when you are thousands of miles from any
native-speaker contacts, you cannot learn the more subtle aspects of communication such as how native
speakers think and feel, and how they use their language in everyday situations. Keep in mind that these
socio-cultural aspects of language are just as important, and often much more important, than learning
grammar and vocabulary.
2. Learn how to be a more effective learner. Take a second language acquisition course before doing
any serious pre-field language learning. If you are not already very familiar with your new culture, or if
you have not studied intercultural communication, take a course in this area as well. These courses can
make a significant difference in how quickly and how well you learn the language and culture.
ICCT offers both courses during the same time period each June. The class hours are arranged so that
you can take either one course or both courses concurrently. W hile three weeks may sound like an
unnecessary expenditure of time and money, those who take advantage of this type of preparation
consistently report that in the long run good pre-field preparation saves both time and money.
3. Call on ICCT for help—and call on us as often as needed. If you take one of our ICCT pre-field
courses, you will automatically receive five years of free e-mail support, which means that we’re standing
by to help you with practical advice and encouragement wherever you are learning the language and
culture—in North America or on the field.
4. Use one or more of the following approaches to learning:
a. Take a language course. For the most popular foreign languages—and for many of the less
commonly taught languages—many colleges and universities offer courses that run from a week to
a semester in length. In many of these, learners are involved in actual communication from the first
day of class, thus providing a good foundation for continued on-field language learning.
b. Make new friends. Find native speakers of your target language who are living in North
America and work with them to learn both the language and culture. As much as possible,
cultivate cross-cultural friendships. Your pre-field second language acquisition course should teach
you how to learn from ordinary native speakers and give you practice in doing this, thus preparing you
to make the most of time spent with a native speaker.
c. If CD-ROM programs are available for your target language, purchase one or two programs.
Beginners should use the lessons primarily for listening practice. If you are also learning speaking
skills, be sure to check what you are learning from the CD with your native-speaker helper.
d. For some languages you can find some very basic online language lessons. These materials are
often no more than some basic vocabulary, a few common phrases, and perhaps simple greetings
and leave-takings, but they can be a helpful beginning.
5. Contact ICCT for more specific suggestions for pre-field and on-field learners.
Summary
With the right kind of preparation, nearly all pre-field personnel can benefit considerably from beginning
their study of new language and culture before leaving home. Then when they arrive on the field with some
knowledge of cultural norms and a head-start in the language, they will be able to adjust more quickly to their
new surroundings and learn more efficiently from the community of native speakers all around them.
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Institute for Cross-Cultural Training (ICCT), W heaton College, W heaton, IL 60187
2009 pre-field courses: Second Language Acquisition, Intercultural Communication, TESOL: June 15 - July 3
E-mail: icct@ wheaton.edu • W eb site: http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/icct/