Schmied C21 LSP
English 21:
from language teacher to
language service provider ?
"Challenges" Usti 23/11/07
Josef Schmied
Chair English Language & Linguistics
Chemnitz University of Technology
www.tu-chemnitz.de/phil/english/schmied
josef.schmied@phil.tu-chemnitz.de
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Schmied C21 LSP
0. Adapting language teaching to
the 21st century
Features of 21st century
Def. Language Service Provider (LSP)
applied language teaching - job perspectives
Norms?
Technology support
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Introduction
Features of the 21st Century
globalisation --> English as lingua franca (e.g. China)
technology --> Web 2.0
Challenges of new technologies
e-learning
web translation
web publication
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Defining the Language Service Provider

new teaching philosophy:
the teacher as facilitator
– esp. e-learning



translating, esp. EAP/ESP
editing
academic writing
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1. New users

in the European Union, esp. CEE
– multilingualism
– early learning:
kindergarden + primary school

in China
– good English
– standard norms, e.g. lexical choices
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Graddol 2006: 88
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2. New Functions: lingua franca
A lingua franca (Italian literally meaning Frankish language, see
etymology below) is any language widely used beyond the
population of its native speakers. The de facto status of lingua
franca is usually "awarded" by the masses to the language of the
most influential nation(s) of the time. Any given language normally
becomes a lingua franca primarily by being used for international
commerce, but can be accepted in other cultural exchanges,
especially diplomacy.
A synonym for lingua franca is “vehicular language.” Whereas a
vernacular language is used as a native language in a single speaker
community, a vehicular language goes beyond the boundaries of its
original community, and is used as a second language for
communication between communities.
The term lingua franca is also applied to international auxiliary
languages meant specifically for communication between speakers
of different native languages. Examples include Esperanto, etc..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingua_franca
Schmied C21 LSP
2.1. Lingua Franca in the European
Union
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English is the current lingua franca of international business, science,
technology and aviation, and has displaced French as the lingua franca
of diplomacy since World War I.
The modern trend to use English outside of English-speaking countries
has a number of sources. Ultimately, the use of English in a variety of
locations across the globe is a consequence of the reach of the British
Empire. But the establishment of English as an international lingua
franca after World War II was mostly a result of the spread of English
via cultural and technological exports from the United States as well
as its embedding in international institutions; for instance, the seating
and roll-call order in sessions of the United Nations and its organs is
determined by English alphabetical order, and, while there are six official
languages of the United Nations, only two (English and French) are
working languages, and, in practice, English is the sole working
language of most UN bodies.
A landmark recognition of the dominance of English in Europe came in
1995 when, on the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden, English
joined French and German as one of the working languages of the
European Commission.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingua_franca
Schmied C21 LSP
2.2. Academic Writing



teaching EAP/ESP in other faculties
teaching ERASMUS courses
teaching specialised classes
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2.3. Isssue: native-speaker norms?
The role of the native speaker
-> the WWW as “corpus”?
represents polycentric standards?
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3. New Tools
3.1.
3.2.
3.3.
3.4.
Collocate Finder
Translation Memory Systems
Web Phrase Count
Multilingual Translation Corpus
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3.1. Collocate Finder
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3.2. Translation Memory Systems
A translation memory, or TM, is a type of database that is used
in software programs designed to aid human translators.
Translation memories are typically used in conjunction with a
dedicated computer assisted translation (CAT) tool, word
processing program, terminology management systems,
multilingual dictionary, or even raw machine translation output.
A translation memory consists of text segments in a source
language and their translations into one or more target
languages. These segments can be blocks, paragraphs,
sentences, or phrases. Individual words are handled by
terminology bases and are not within the domain of TM.
Research indicates that many companies producing multilingual
documentation are using translation memory systems.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translation_memory
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3.3. Word Phrase Count: interface
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3.3. Web Phrase Count: results
different than different from different to
relative:
0.181 %
.uk
140,000,000 intrasite share: 6.6 %
1.379 %
1.179 %
50.4 %
43 %
relative:
0.702 %
.ca
69,800,000 intrasite share: 22.5 %
2.292 %
0.13 %
73.4 %
4.2 %
relative:
0.558 %
.au
20,800,000 intrasite share: 4.8 %
6.683 %
4.327 %
57.8 %
37.4 %
relative:
1.589 %
.us
54,800,000 intrasite share: 33.1 %
3.047 %
0.16 %
63.5 %
3.3 %
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3.3. Word Phrase Count: diagram
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3.4. EU Translation Corpus
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Multilingual Translation Corpus: different

ep-00-02-15.txt: 190
English: The document mentions common values on different occasions.
Unfortunately, I find the reference to the relevant standards to be lacking. This raises the
question as to what these standards and values are based on. I am convinced that the
Bible, God' s word, is the only pure source of proper standards and real values. In the
tradition of our continent, this realisation is an important one which merits recognition.
German: Mehrfach ist in dem Papier von gemeinsamen Werten die Rede. Leider
vermisse ich den Hinweis auf die dazugehörenden Normen. Ich frage mich, wo Sie diese
Normen und Werte hergenommen haben. Nach meiner Überzeugung ist die Bibel, das
Wort Gottes, die einzige reine Quelle anspruchsvoller Normen und echter Werte. Diese in
der Tradition unseres Kontinents gewachsene Erkenntnis ist ein entscheidendes Element,
das gebührende Anerkennung verdient.
French: Il est plusieurs fois question des valeurs communautaires. Hélas, je ne vois
pas la trace des normes requises. La question se pose de savoir de quoi s'inspirent ces
normes et ces valeurs. Je suis convaincu que la Bible, la parole de Dieu, est la seule
source pure de bonnes normes et de valeurs véritables. Dans la tradition de notre
continent, cette notion est un élément important qui mérite d'être reconnu.
Spanish: Varias veces se mencionan en el texto los valores comunitarios. Por desgracia
se echa en falta la mención a las normas correspondientes. Se suscita la pregunta de
dónde salen las normas y los valores. Estoy convencido de que la Biblia, la palabra de
Dios, es la única fuente pura de buenas normas y de verdaderos valores. En la tradición
de nuestra parte del mundo, este concepto es un elemento importante que merece
reconocimiento.
Schmied C21 LSP
4. New learning
the teacher as facilitator
= someone who skillfully helps a group of people
understand their common objectives and assists
them to plan to achieve them without taking a
particular position in the discussion. The facilitator
will try to assist the group in achieving a consensus
on any disagreements that preexist or emerge in
the meeting so that it has a strong basis for future
action. The role has been likened to that of a
midwife who assists in the process of creation but is
not the producer of the end result.
particularly important in e-learning
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4.1. TWiki
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4.2. Internet Grammar
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4.3. Issue: evaluating sources
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4.3.1. Angle of Vision
= the way that a piece of writing gets shaped by the underlying
values, assumptions, and beliefs of the author so that the text
reflects a certain perspective, worldview, or belief system. The
angle of vision is revealed by internal factors such as the
author’s word choice (especially notice the connotations of
words), selection and omission of details, overt statements,
figurative language, and grammatical emphasis; and by external
factors such as the politics of the author, the genre of the
source, the politics of the publisher, and so forth.
(Ramage, John D./John C. Bean/June Johnson 6th ed. 2004.
Writing Arguments. A Rhetoric with Readings. NewYork:
Longman, 376).
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4.3.2. Degree of Advocacy
= the extent to which an author unabashedly takes a
persuasive stance on a contested position as opposed to
adopting a more neutral, objective, or exploratory stance.
When a writer has an ax to grind, you need to weigh carefully
the writer’s selection of evidence, interpretation of data, and
fairness to opposing views. Although objectivity is itself an
“angle of vision” and no one can be completely neutral, it is
always useful to seek out authors who offer a balanced
assessment of the evidence. Evidence from amore detached
and neutral writer may be more trusted by your readers than
the arguments of a committed advocate.
(ibid, 377)
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4.3.3. Reliability
“Reliability” refers to the accuracy of factual data in
a source as determined by external validation. If
you check a writer’s “facts” against other sources,
do you find that the facts are correct? Does the
writer distort facts, take them out of context, or
otherwise use them unreasonably?
A reliable writer acknowledges these controversies
and doesn’t treat disputed data as fact.
Furthermore, if you check out the sources used by
a reliable writer, they’ll reveal accurate and careful
research – respected primary sources rather than
hearsay or secondhand reports.
(ibid, 378)
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4.3.4. Credibility
“Credibility” is similar to “reliability” but is based on
internal rather than external factors. It refers to the
reader’s trust in the writer’s honesty, goodwill, and
trustworthiness and is apparent in the writer’s tone,
reasonableness, fairness in summarizing opposing
views, and respect for different perspectives (what
we have called “ethos”). Audiences differ in how
much credibility they will grant to certain authors.
Nevertheless a writer can achieve a reputation for
credibility, even among bitter political opponents,
by applying to issues a sense of moral courage,
integrity, and consistency of principle.
(ibid, 378)
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4.4. Evaluating a Web Site I
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(Ramage, John D./John C. Bean/June Johnson 6th ed. 2004.
Writing Arguments. A Rhetoric with Readings. NewYork:
Longman, 380)
Criterion 1: Authority
 Is the author or sponsor of the Web site clearly identical?
 Does the site identify the occupation, position,, education, experience,
and credentials of the site’s authors?
 Does the introductory material reveal the author’s or sponsor’s
motivation for publishing this information on the Web?
 Does the site provide contact information for the author or sponsor
such as an e-mail or organization address?
Criterion 2: Objectivity or Clear Disclosure of Advocacy
 Is the site’s purpose (to inform, explain, or persuade) clear?
 Is the site explicit about declaring its author’s/sponsor’s point of view?
 Does the site indicate whether authors are affiliated with a specific
organization, institution, or association?
 Does the site indicate whether it is directed toward a specific
audience?
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4.4. Evaluating a Web Site II
Criterion 3: Coverage
 Are the topics covered by the site clear?
 Does the site exhibit suitable depth and comprehensiveness for its
purpose?
 Is sufficient evidence provided to support the ideas and opinions
presented?
Criterion 4: Accuracy
 Are the sources of information stated? Can you tell whether this
information is original or taken from someplace else?
 Does the information appear to be accurate? Can you verify this
information by comparing this source with other sources in the field?
Criterion 5: Currency
 Are dates included in the Web site?
 Do the dates apply to the material itself or to its placement on the
Web? Is the site regularly revised and updated?
 Is the information current, or at least still relevant, for the site’s
purpose?
(ibid. 380)
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5. New teaching: curricula
TUC
BA new modules: professional skills
MA Advanced English: media module
MA ELIC (=English as a Language of
International Communication)
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BA TUC Modul: professional skills
Qualifikationsziele:
1. In IT lernen die Studierenden den Unterschied zwischen den
klassischen, gedruckten und modernen, elektronischen
Informationsträgern kennen:
- Wörterbücher/CD-ROMs sowie Online-Ressourcen,
- Internet-Suchmaschinen und die kritische Bewertung ihrer Ergebnisse
je nach spezifischer Relevanz,
- CD-ROM- und Internet-basierte CALL-Software im weitesten Sinne.
- andere Suchstrategien (Konkordanzen, etc.) in literarischen und
anderen Textsammlungen (British National Corpus).
2. Im Berufsalltag geht es sehr häufig um den Umgang mit Fachtexten
in der Fremdsprache, sowohl rezeptiv als auch produktiv.
Die Studenten lernen
- Besonderheiten der Struktur und Terminologie von wissenschaftlichen
Texten, v.a. Unterschiede in Vokabular, Grammatik und Stil in versch.
Textsorten,
- Unterschiede zwischen mutter- und nicht-muttersprachlichen und
geistes- und naturwissenschaftlichen Texten im Englischen.
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5.1. Teaching Writing
defining scholarly writing (vs. creative writing):
consists of certain conventions that can vary between disciplines:
* an argument or interpretation
* data and evidence that is reliable and verifiable
* citations and bibliography or works cited
other characteristics include:
* research--a review of literature peer reviewed by scholars
* introduction, body paragraphs (with evidence), conclusion
* strong thesis and topic sentences
* strong organization (IMRAD?)
* demonstrates clear, critical thinking
* a comparison of claims to the claims of others
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5.1.1. Teaching Academic Writing in
discourse context
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Reading - Speaking - Writing (in hypertext formats)
Reading is the cognitive process of deriving meaning from written or
printed text (including Braille).
It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing
information and ideas. Effective readers use decoding skills (to
translate printed text into the sounds of language), use morpheme,
semantics, syntax and context cues to identify the meaning of
unknown words, activate prior knowledge (schemata theory), use
comprehension, and demonstrate fluency during reading.
Although reading print text is now an important way for the general
population to access information, this has not necessarily been the
case historically around the world. With some exceptions, only a
small percentage of the population in many countries was
considered literate before the Industrial Revolution.
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5.1.2. Writing Norms
Usage vs. Systems Norms
Prescription can refer both to the codification and the enforcement of
rules governing how a language is to be used.
Description observes and records how language is used in practice, and
which is the basis of all linguistic research. Serious scholarly
descriptive work is usually based on text or corpus analysis, or on
field studies, but the term "description" includes each individual's
observations of their own language usage. Unlike prescription,
descriptive linguistics eschews value judgments and makes no
recommendations.
Prescription and description are often seen as opposites, in the sense
that one declares how language should be while the other declares
how language is. But they can also be complementary, and usually
exist in dynamic tension. Most commentators on language show
elements of both prescription and description in their thinking, and
popular debate on language issues frequently revolves around the
question of how to balance these.
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Conclusion
backing up skills with research:
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culture-specific usage of hedges
culture-specific usage of cohesive devices
culture-specific use of precision and clarity
numbers, charts vs. photographs, maps, illustrations
collaboration and exchange of university
departments with Language Service
Provioders
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