50 years have passed, from the Foreign Language Department, Hanoi National University to the Department of Foreign Languages, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU today, there have been many generations of students graduating from that famous school. Equipped with initial foreign language knowledge, proud of the dynamism and sensitivity that the characteristics of the major have imparted to them - foreign language students have grown up and become famous in many different areas of social life. Nowadays, when foreign languages are an indispensable skill in the context of international integration, teaching and learning foreign languages have more and more issues that need to be addressed. Dr. Lam Quang Dong - Head of the Department of Foreign Languages, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU, talks about this issue.
- Dr. Lam Quang Dong, when you were a student of the 28th class of Hanoi University, what was the position of foreign languages in university subjects and in social life?[img class="caption" src="images/stories/2008/11/13/img_7887.jpg" border="0" alt="Dr. Lam Quang Dong at the 50th Anniversary of the Faculty of Foreign Languages (Hanoi University of Science)" title="Dr. Lam Quang Dong at the 50th Anniversary of the Faculty of Foreign Languages (Hanoi University of Science)" width="240" height="160" align="right" ] -
Dr. Lam Quang Dong(
Dr. LQĐ): In the early and mid-1980s, Russian was dominant due to the friendly and cooperative relationship with the Soviet Union. English and French were still considered "capitalist" so society was still reserved, although there was some cooperation with English and French speaking countries, French was a little more open because the France-Vietnam relationship was better than with England and the US. Job opportunities for Russian students were much higher than for English and French students. Therefore, Russian students (language majors and non-language majors) made up the majority. Some Russian students, due to overcrowded classes, had to switch to French to fill the French class (there were too few French students from high school taking the university entrance exam). English students were more stable. Apart from the language majors who were students of the Faculty, foreign languages in general were only considered a minor subject, with little time, mainly focusing on teaching grammar and reading comprehension using traditional methods. Listening and speaking skills were not considered important. In general, foreign languages have a secondary position in university subjects as well as in society. -
So what difficulties do you, your teachers and your peers encounter in studying and researching your field of study?-
Dr. LQĐ: There were many difficulties in terms of equipment as well as books, textbooks, and learning materials. Many textbooks were handwritten or mimeographed. There were no cassettes to listen to tapes or discs. Fortunately, there was a language lab where pronunciation could be practiced occasionally. Mostly, we learned by rote, mainly from teachers. There were almost no reference materials. If we went to a foreign language bookstore or a used bookstore and found a good and cheap book, or were lucky enough to borrow one, we would read, ponder, and practice translating until the book was completely worn out. If there were any difficult points, we would ask our teachers and seniors. Thanks to that, we knew quite well, spoke and wrote correctly, and grasped many subtleties in language usage, even though our listening and speaking ability at that time was not as good as we wanted.
The 50th anniversary celebration of the Foreign Language Department of Hanoi National University a few days ago witnessed the successful and even famous return of many students of the Foreign Language Department in many social fields. Were the students of the Foreign Language Department “lucky” to step into society at the right time when the country’s socio-economic life was shifting towards international integration, so they had the opportunity to use and maximize the knowledge they learned in university?[img class="caption" src="images/stories/2008/11/13/img_0019x.jpg" border="0" alt="First-year students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in English class" title="First-year students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in English class" width="240" height="160" align="left" ] -
Dr. LQĐ: It is true that when the country enters a period of innovation and integration, opportunities open up for foreign language students. However, opportunities will not be effective if people do not have the ability to grasp and take advantage of them, as well as the capacity and effort to improve themselves. As Associate Professor Dr. Pham Trong Quat said in his speech at the Commemoration Ceremony on November 9, foreign language students in particular and university students in general, learning a foreign language means being equipped with a sharp tool to access the enormous scientific knowledge of humanity.
At home, mother is the first, child is the second. Out on the street, there are many people who are smarter than us.- Only by looking out into the world can we see what we need to learn to improve ourselves - both as individuals and as a country. When studying a foreign language, in addition to cultural, social, historical, and political knowledge of the native country, language students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages are trained in many skills: logical thinking, analytical/synthetic thinking, presentation skills, writing skills, etc. in both foreign languages and Vietnamese. This is an important foundation for them to continue studying many other majors and succeed in many fields, including becoming experts with PhD degrees in many other scientific fields, as you saw among the alumni attending the 50th Anniversary Ceremony on November 9th.
- Is it easier for foreign language students to make a living than students of many other majors?-
Dr. LQĐ: It cannot be said to be easier. Many people have had to work very hard, struggle, find ways to make a living and move up. And currently, there are still some former TNN students whose lives are facing difficulties. In particular, Russian language students have had to switch to other foreign languages, mainly English, to work and even have had to learn other professions to make a living. They may have many opportunities to work for international agencies, or go abroad (also reluctantly - many brothers and sisters still wish it were better to work in their homeland), so in terms of income, they have an advantage over many other industries.
According to you, why is foreign language teaching at universities still ineffective?-
Dr. LQĐ: This is a long story to analyze. In summary, there are three basic problems that I mentioned in the article in the VNU Science Journal in 2007: First, the foreign language training strategy at the State level and the national strategy on foreign language use are still incomplete. The foreign language training program at all levels in the education system is not unified, inherited and developed, and the focus on skills is not reasonable. Therefore, the higher level of education must be taught from the beginning, not inheriting the results of the previous level, causing a waste of time, money, and effort of the State as well as of the individual learners. Second, about foreign language teachers: teachers of less used foreign languages such as Russian and French are now gradually "having to sit idle" because there are no students to teach. English or Chinese teachers are overloaded. Therefore, there needs to be a national strategy as I just mentioned. Due to overload, they have few opportunities to study and research to improve their theoretical knowledge of foreign languages and foreign language teaching. Most of them have almost no opportunity to go abroad for training, internship or higher education. This has a significant impact on the quality of foreign language teaching. Third, on the part of learners: there is no appropriate investment in time, effort and materials to learn foreign languages. There is no suitable foreign language learning method. They are not proactive in studying and practicing foreign languages. Some still have the mindset of studying for the sake of studying without determining to use foreign languages in their future work. We still say that the success of learning a foreign language depends only 30% on the teacher, and 70% on the self-training of the learner, just like a person teaching/learning to swim. The mentality of being reserved, hesitant, afraid of making mistakes when speaking and writing, and often inserting each word of a foreign language into the structure of Vietnamese - these are major obstacles for foreign language learners. [img class="caption" src="images/stories/2008/11/13/img_0145.jpg" border="0" alt="First-year students still have to learn to count and practice simple pronunciation" title="First-year students still have to learn to count and practice simple pronunciation" width="240" height="160" align="right" ]
- Combining foreign language and major is still a difficult thing for many students and young staff today. Some people compare learning a foreign language to climbing a greasy pole, climbing up and then falling down. What do you think about this, Doctor?-
Dr. LQĐ: Also due to the above reasons. Learning a foreign language without practice and regular use cannot be good and is very easy to forget. That is why there is such a situation of "climbing a greasy pole", in university you have to re-teach the general education program, in graduate school you have to repeat what you learned in university, every word looks familiar, but you don't understand it thoroughly, you use it wrongly, you can't even write or say a sentence with correct grammar and clear meaning, and when listening, many students - sorry - are like ducks hearing thunder.
It is known that the Department of Foreign Languages, University of Social Sciences and Humanities has proposed to the school a plan to train bachelors in foreign languages. Could you please tell us more about this idea and the Department's expectations for the future development of this project?-
Dr. LQĐ: This is a training model that has been implemented in many countries, and is beginning to be implemented in our country. It is also a model to overcome the weak foreign language situation as we just mentioned. To be good at foreign languages, learners must have learning methods, programs and conditions like a language major student, must practice foreign languages from morning to night, at all times, in all possible circumstances like a language major student. But only foreign language knowledge is not enough to meet the needs of the job. Therefore, it is necessary to equip students with both the necessary specialized knowledge and skills to ensure the ability to have jobs for students after graduation. This trend is inevitable now as well as in the future. At the same time, it is necessary to promote the existing strengths of the majors of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities with the model of combining foreign languages and majors that the University is proposing. For now, we focus on two majors: Tourism and Management to successfully pilot, then we will continue with other majors of our School.
- Nowadays, there are young people who choose a roundabout way in their career, that is, they want to study a university degree in a foreign language and then study a second degree in another major they intend to pursue to ensure that they have both a foreign language and their own expertise. According to you, what are the two sides of this decision?[img class="caption" src="images/stories/2008/11/13/img_0031x.jpg" border="0" alt="Foreign language class of students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities" title="Foreign language class of students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities" width="240" height="129" align="right" ] -
Dr. LQĐ: That is a correct decision. It is possible to study in parallel, semi-parallel or consecutively to obtain both foreign language and professional degrees, depending on the learner's ability and conditions. One of these three ways is very feasible and as far as I know, the joint program between the University of Economics and the University of Foreign Languages, VNU has begun to be planned. That program meets this need of learners and in my opinion, VNU needs to support and create a more open mechanism, especially regarding tuition fees and revenue and expenditure regimes to implement models like this. Otherwise, a significant source of funding will go into the pockets of foreign universities or their branches in Vietnam, not our own University. Thus, VNU will have more difficulty in achieving the goal of "reaching international standards".
- Can you predict what the trend of teaching foreign languages in universities and the trend of using foreign languages in society will be like in the near and further future?-
Dr. LQĐ: It is a bit difficult to predict. I only have suggestions as well as see that the trend of studying and training foreign languages in universities and using foreign languages in society as mentioned above is inevitable if the Vietnamese people and the country of Vietnam really want to improve the quality of training in the education system and want to integrate with the world "without dissolving", still preserving our national identity.
- So, what advice do you have for young people who want to have good foreign language skills to advance in their careers?-
Dr. LQĐ: If you want to swim well like Yet Kieu and Da Tuong, you have to practice swimming by yourself every day, with the guidance of a coach. Learning a foreign language is the same. Be proactive, positive, learn and practice foreign languages everywhere, everywhere, learn from every possible source, with appropriate methods. Practice speaking, writing, and thinking "in a foreign language" diligently. Take advantage of all available equipment and materials. Consolidate and expand your background knowledge - the "background" of history, culture, and society of our country as well as of the native country, because using language is never separate from that "background". A few brief words, hope you find them useful and can apply them to improve your foreign language proficiency. Wish you success.
- Thank you Dr. Lam Quang Dong for this conversation.
•Thanh Ha (perform)
