VOA慢速英语:Making Friends Not Always Easy for Foreign Students
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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
A recent story in the Chronicle of Higher Education said many foreign students report feeling lonely or unwelcome in Australia. Those feelings are among the reasons why Australia is taking a close look at its international education industry. The government has formed an advisory council to help develop a five-year national strategy for the future of international education in Australia.
But wherever international students go, making friends may not always be easy. The Journal of International and Intercultural Communication recently published a study done in the United States.
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| Students walk by a display about China at Stearns High School in Millinocket, Maine, in 2011. The public high school began recruiting foreign students in an effort to raise money to avoid cuts in programs, and in response to a shrinking student population |
Elisabeth Gareis of Baruch College in New York surveyed four hundred fifty-four international students. They were attending four-year colleges and graduate schools in the American South and Northeast.
Students from English-speaking countries and from northern and central Europe were more likely to be happy with their friendships. But thirty-eight percent of the international students said they had no close friends in the United States.
And half of the students from East Asia said they were unhappy with the number of American friends they had. Professor Gareis says thirty percent said they wished their friendships could be deeper and more meaningful.
ELISABETH GAREIS: "Students from East Asia have cultures that are different on many levels from the culture in the United States. But then there's also language problems, and maybe some social skills, such as small talk, that are possibly not as important in their native countries, where it's not as important to initiate friendships with small talk."
She says many East Asian students blamed themselves for their limited friendships with Americans.
ELISABETH GAREIS: "The vast majority blames themselves, actually for not speaking the language well enough, not knowing the culture well enough. There were also some comments about the college environment, like many of them were in the natural sciences or worked in labs where they were surrounded by other East Asians."
VOA's Student Union blogger Jessica Stahl did her own survey to find out how American students and foreign students relate to each other. More than one hundred students, about half of them American, answered her online questions.
Half of the international students and sixty percent of the Americans said they related as well or better to the other group than to their own group.
Professor Gareis says students who make friends from their host country return home happier with their experience.
ELISABETH GAREIS: "International students who make friends with host nationals are, overall, more satisfied with their stay in the host country. They have better language skills, they have better academic performance and they have better attitudes toward the host country."
And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm Jim Tedder.
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Contributing: Ira Mellman and Jessica Stahl
This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。
A recent story in the Chronicle of Higher Education said many foreign students report feeling lonely or unwelcome in Australia. Those feelings are among the reasons why Australia is taking a close look at its international education industry. The government has formed an advisory council to help develop a five-year national strategy for the future of international education in Australia.
《高等教育纪事报》最近一篇报道称，许多外国学生称在澳大利亚感到孤独或不受欢迎。这些感受是澳大利亚密切关注其国际教育产业的原因之一。澳大利亚政府已经成立了一个咨询委员会，帮助开发澳大利亚国际教育未来五年的国家战略。
But wherever international students go, making friends may not always be easy. The Journal of International and Intercultural Communication recently published a study done in the United States.
但不管国际学生去哪，交朋友可能不总是那么容易。《国际及跨文化交流》杂志最近发表了在美国进行的一项研究。
Elisabeth Gareis of Baruch College in New York surveyed four hundred fifty-four international students. They were attending four-year colleges and graduate schools in the American South and Northeast.
纽约巴鲁克学院的伊丽莎白·加赖斯(Elisabeth Gareis)调查了454名国际学生，他们就读于美国南部和东北部的四年制大学和研究生院。
Students from English-speaking countries and from northern and central Europe were more likely to be happy with their friendships. But thirty-eight percent of the international students said they had no close friends in the United States.
来自英语为母语国家以及欧洲北部和中部的学生可能对他们的友谊更为满意。但38%被调查的国际学生中表示，他们在美国没有亲密朋友。
And half of the students from East Asia said they were unhappy with the number of American friends they had. Professor Gareis says thirty percent said they wished their friendships could be deeper and more meaningful.
一半来自东亚的学生表示，他们不满意自己交的美国朋友的数量。加赖斯教授说，30%的受访者表示，他们希望自己的友谊更深入更有意义。
ELISABETH GAREIS: "Students from East Asia have cultures that are different on many levels from the culture in the United States. But then there's also language problems, and maybe some social skills, such as small talk, that are possibly not as important in their native countries, where it's not as important to initiate friendships with small talk."
加赖斯：“东亚学生有着在很多层面上和美国不同的文化，然而紧接着还有语言问题，可能还包括社交技巧，像寒暄，这在他们国内可能并不重要，在那里通过寒暄激发友谊并不重要。”
She says many East Asian students blamed themselves for their limited friendships with Americans.
她表示，许多东亚学生将自己和美国人友谊有限的原因归咎于自己。
ELISABETH GAREIS: "The vast majority blames themselves, actually for not speaking the language well enough, not knowing the culture well enough. There were also some comments about the college environment, like many of them were in the natural sciences or worked in labs where they were surrounded by other East Asians."
加赖斯：“绝大多数人归咎于自己，实际上是由于语言不够好，不太了解美国文化。此外还有一些对高校环境的意见，像他们中的许多人在自然科学领域，或在实验室工作，身边都是其他东亚人的。”
VOA's Student Union blogger Jessica Stahl did her own survey to find out how American students and foreign students relate to each other. More than one hundred students, about half of them American, answered her online questions.
美国之音学生联盟的博主杰西卡·斯塔尔(Jessica Stahl)进行了自己的调查，以了解美国学生和外国学生如何相互关联。一百多名学生参与了她的网上调查，其中约一半是美国学生。
Half of the international students and sixty percent of the Americans said they related as well or better to the other group than to their own group.
一半的国际学生和60%的美国学生表示，他们和非国人的关系一样好，甚至更好。
Professor Gareis says students who make friends from their host country return home happier with their experience.
加赖斯教授称，和东道主学生交朋友的国际学生回国后对自己的经历更为满意。
ELISABETH GAREIS: "International students who make friends with host nationals are, overall, more satisfied with their stay in the host country. They have better language skills, they have better academic performance and they have better attitudes toward the host country."
加赖斯：“总体而言，和东道主学生交朋友的国际学生对他们在东道国的停留更为满意。他们语言技能和学术表现更好，对东道国态度也更好。”
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