Passing The Local Students Union This Morning I Noticed A Number Of Chinese Students.

[sandyRoe]

They'd need to already have a sufficient command of English to enable them to study degree courses. Why study abroad when the language barrier could be a problem?

[youngmafbog]

Probably because it isnt a problem. There are many UK teachers out in China and they teach in English. One of my nephews is one, he speaks the local lingo but at school he teaches Chemistry in English.

[ToraToraTora]

Far east kids from educated families learn English from an early age. They are brought up that it's the way to get on in the world. My son is TEFLing in South Korea as we speak.

[bobbinwales]

Our unis have a strong reputation. They pay alot in overseas student fees to come here. A small number of course might be spies...

[Bazile]

How do you know they don't speak English ?

[bhg481]

You've only got to watch University Challenge to see how many foreign students we teach in the UK.

[sandyRoe]

Clearly they do speak English or they wouldn't be here.
Learning a complex subject in a language other than their mother tongue is a hurdle they could do without.

[youngmafbog]

Did you read what I wrote Sandy?

[douglas9401]

They're learning dialect and slang for when they're prodding us with sticks and shouting commands in the not too distant future.

[sandyRoe]

I did, yes.

[youngmafbog]

OK, so then you must understand that English becomes as common as their mother tongue?

I worked in Europe a fair bit. I found many, apart from the French, speak multiple languages and even during a conversation would drift in and out of differing ones. I also found many conversed in English even if nether were "British". Although a European Company the Official language was English (much to the annoyance of the French) being IT in a Bank many documents were very complex, they took it in their stride.

The thing is, "English" is the business language, the Chinese are fully aware of this and so they are bought up speaking it (those that are high enough up in the Party anyway).

The Indians do similar.

[bhg481]

I think that people whose first language is English don't realise how many other people speak several languages, English, I think, being favourite.
I was amused when talking to a Belgian. Being placed where they are on the earth they tend to learn all the local languages ie, English, French, Dutch and German. They laugh at our war films where the English speak English and the Germans speak English with a German accent etc. In Belgium films the English speak English, the Germans speak German and the French speak French.

[Old_Geezer]

Must limit the market for their films

[Hopkirk]

I don't think our universities would exist in their current form without the revenue from overseas students.

[youngmafbog]

//I was amused when talking to a Belgian. Being placed where they are on the earth they tend to learn all the local languages i.e., English, French, Dutch and German. //

Well not quite. The Walloons only speak French or a little English, bit dont call them French unless you fancy a black eye!

When we went up into the Flemish region we were told not to speak French, speak English only - There is a great deal of racism on Belgium.

I worked in Bruxelles for a number of years.

[bhg481]

ymb - you clearly have a wider experience of Belgians than I have if you spent time working there. The particular Belgian I met was over here to help us set up some computer security software which he was an expert on.

[Peter Pedant]

Flemish region we were told not to speak French, speak English only -

yeah I was told Flemish or English ( ik pratte Nederlands niet) impressed them but not French

sad...

[Peter Pedant]

yeah but no but
Broosel is legally bilingual ( use either language and not get cussed at)

[Maydup]

British universities market their courses to students from the Far East as they know they want a UK degree on their CV and can pay handsomely for it.

Language is no barrier for most of them learn English in nursery. The educated classes are fully bilingual by the time they are in High School.

[Barmaid]

How do you know that they are not english? They may have been born here and brought up here albeit with chinese heritage.

[jourdain2]

My granddaughter's old school has a boarding unit which is almost completely filled by Chinese and Russian children; at least it was at the beginning of this year, I don't know if the Russian students were allowed to stay on.
Granddaughter left for another school to start 6th Form last year - because she would have been in a minority of about 4 British pupils per class.
They start learning English early.
In France I found that I often tutored French teenagers in English - because they needed to improve it before they could take up training courses (usually wind turbine engineering) which were taught in English by German professors. The French do not generally see the need to speak anything other than French. Most of them never leave France, even for a holiday.