Step 1: Know the Rules, Step 2: Break 'em

A comment in response to this post:

"You probably should have taken some classes in understanding different cultures before you went over there.

There are plenty of "English-speakers" who use that exact terminology. Different cultures say different things- who are you to be the judge of what is correct or incorrect? Because it is in the dictionary??? If everyone spoke using words and meanings strictly from the dictionary, that would include some pretty boring conversations and no differences between cultures and areas. I am guessing you are looking for cookie-cutter speakers throughout the world?

For example, many people say "Hey mama" to any adult woman. "whats up sister??" "Hey brother" These are all common in the English speaking world and pretty much everyone would understand it is not a "literal translation"."

Of course, thank you for the comment. Blogs are for voicing your opinion and experiences, and that's exactly what's happening here.

To start of my response, I'm going to point out how it was very thoughtful of you to say "English-speakers," as opposed to "native English-speakers." Even putting the term in quotes was a good idea. If that sentence read "There are plenty of native English-speakers who use that exact terminology," it would hold a different meaning. For example, I speak Chinese (to what degree is besides the point) and therefore am a "Chinese-speaker." Of course I'm not a native Chinese-speaker, so I would never assume that what I say is accurate, nor would I ever expect a native Chinese-speaker to accept my translations as more correct than theirs.

I have to commend how, while accusing me of over-playing my role as an English language Teacher, you were also able to point out one of the staples for an English learner. In response to your questions "who are you to be the judge of what is correct or incorrect? Because it is in the dictionary???" I have to say "yes" to the latter (and I assume the former is rhetorical). I've provided for you here and here a link to two of the most recognized English proficiency exams in the world, taken by many English learners in Taiwan. They are for a large part the ultimate goal for many Taiwanese, as the scores can help them get into universities around the world, get high-paying jobs, etc. I honestly don't think I can take your implied advice and be more accepting to what many consider to be "slang" definitions, or to be more accurate, definitions that don't appear in the dictionary. I would have a hard time keeping a tutoring job if I told a business executive studying for his TOEIC exam, "Well, I mean, I don't say it, and it's not in the dictionary, but I think some small town in northern Canada might use this definition for this word, so, you know, on your TOEIC exam, keep your eyes open for this option as well." The bottom line is that if you are learning English, an English Dictionary is your best bet for an accurate definition.

In your comment, you also mentioned that " Different cultures say different things-" which, due to a lack of language specificity, is quite obvious. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and agree with you on the point that "Different native English-speaking countries say different things." As far as many Taiwanese English schools are concerned, many only accept applicants who have a passport from The United States, Canada, Australia, England, New Zealand, or South Africa. Some of them even request that a specific dialect be taught (I have English and South African friends who have been asked to change their accents). It can be even further generalized that even among these 6 countries, only either American English or British English is spoken. Although I see the distinction between the two, I'm fully aware that we have more than two choices of English in the world. It can not go without saying that even within one of these English-speaking countries, the lexicon changes from state to state, city to city, and even from household to household. It would be foolish to not recognize that even through all of these subtle differences, there is a common thread that can always be referred back to and understood by everyone, which can be located in the dictionary.

It should be noted that neither Taiwan nor China are included in the list of countries whose applicants can teach in Taiwan. It is, of course, because they predominantly speak Mandarin Chinese. English and Chinese developed and evolved quite literally on opposite ends of the world. I can't understand how you think that somebody who is learning English can get away with directly translating something and assuming it is correct. You asked me "who are you to be the judge of what is correct or incorrect?", but I think the more appropriate question should be directed at the Chinese speaker, "Who are you to assume that what you say in Chinese is the same as what is said in a language that has nothing to do with yours?" Is that not defining ethnocentrism? If you were learning a new language, would you assume that the correctness of English should then be applied to whatever language it is you are learning? For your own sake, I hope you would abandon English syntax and semantics and let the native-speakers decide what is correct.

While this may be beyond the point, I should mention that the majority of the people I teach are children. I kind of am looking to make cookie-cutter speakers out of my students, because that's essentially how we communicate with other English-speakers around the world. It's like that saying that is something along the lines of "you have to know the rules before you can break them." You've taught swimming, so you know that before you teach a kid how to do dive or do a flip turn, they need to know how to float and breath properly. Similarly, I'm going to use an English dictionary and my own personal 24 years of experience to teach my students the worldwide accepted foundations and exact rules of the language (for example, that there is a clear difference between a "sister" and a "cousin") before I teach them how to watch a Wayans Bros movie.

Furthermore, in response to this point "If everyone spoke using words and meanings strictly from the dictionary, that would include some pretty boring conversations and no differences between cultures and areas" , I'm going to take the exact opposite point of view; the conversation would not be boring at all because each participant has an extremely large vocabulary to choose from, knowing full well that the listener will understand what they are saying. The conversation would be smooth and uninterrupted. If I, as an English teacher, and my many peers teaching English worldwide, let things such as "cousin," and "toast," slip by as acceptable speech under your suggested notion that "different cultures say different things," the English language would undergo a rapid evolution that would probably branch of into completely different languages. If I condone Chinese-English direct translations, where do I draw the line? Once I've given the pass to do so, Chinese English-speakers will walk around saying either "You good," "You very," or "You okay," instead of the traditional English greeting of "hello." If I don't correct my students' pronunciation when they say "mep" instead of "map," then I have 15 students who have just invented one of your so-called "different things." Then take into consideration how many people they speak to. If they each convince 2 people that their teacher said "mep" is acceptable, now there are 45 people saying "mep." The cycle continues, and one kid with really bad pronunciation accidentally said "nep," so now there are a branch of people saying "mep" and "nep." Say that happens with 50 different words, and now let's let these students speak with students from around the world, and you will be delighted to know that instead of "pretty boring conversations," you will have people speaking entirely different languages and not being able to communicate at all.

In essence, your entire comment is a contradiction. You seem to be implying that "in the English speaking world," not only is there a globally accepted dialect of English known as "Chinese English," but that Chinese-English direct translation should not be held within any boundaries, which would ultimately mean that they won't need English teachers to correct them. They would need only to rely on the very book you seem to have condemned: The Dictionary.

In conclusion, I only would like to ask for the name of the institution and for the email address of the instructor who teaches one of the courses you mentioned in the first sentence of your comment. I would like to ask how they figure "understanding different cultures" in any way means "let them speak English how they want."