日本高中英语水平达不到政府规定的标准 [美国媒体]

Japan's high school English proficiency falls short of gov't targets

日本高中英语水平达不到政府规定的标准



English proficiency of students at Japanese public junior and senior high schools is improving but remains well behind government targets, an education ministry survey showed Friday.

日本教育部周五公布的一项调查显示，日本公立初中和高中学生的英语水平有所提高，但仍然远远落后于政府规定的标准。

Aiming to enhance students' English ability ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the government has set targets for results in the Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency, which assesses examinees' skills on a seven-stage scale with Grade 1 being the highest qualification.

为了在2020年东京奥运会之前提升学生的英语能力，政府制定了“艾肯实用英语能力测试”指标，该考试将对考生的技能分成七级进行评估，其中一级为最高级。

The government seeks to have a majority of students acquire proficiency equivalent to "Grade 3" or higher by the time they graduate from junior high school, and "Grade Pre-2" or higher by the time they leave senior high school.

政府努力期望大多数学生在初中毕业时达到相当于“三级”或更高程度的水平，在高中毕业时获得相当于“二级”或更高水平的能力。

But as of December, only 40.7 percent of third-year junior high school students and 39.3 percent of third-year senior high school students met the targets, although the percentages respectively rose 4.6 percentage points and 2.9 points from a year earlier.

但截至去年12月，只有40.7%的初三学生和39.3%的高三学生达标，尽管这一比例比去年同期分别上升了4.6个百分点和2.9个百分点。

Eiken tests, administered by the Eiken Foundation of Japan and backed by the education ministry, are one of the most widely used English proficiency tests in Japan.

艾肯考试是日本使用最广泛的英语水平测试之一，由日本艾肯基金会管理，并得到了教育部的支持。

While the education ministry said the survey shows student English proficiency has improved overall, the results varied greatly among Japan's 47 prefectures, prompting the ministry to call for sharing successful practices to improve English education and narrow disparities.

尽管教育部表示，调查显示学生的英语水平总体上是有所提高的，但日本47个省的结果对比差异很大，这促使教育部呼吁成功的学校分享他们方法，以改善英语教育，缩小各地差距。

By municipality, Fukui Prefecture cleared the target for junior high school students with the highest ratio of 62.8 percent, followed by the city of Saitama at 58.9 percent and the city of Yokohama at 54.0 percent. Fukuoka, Osaka, Tokyo, Kumamoto and Ishikawa prefectures achieved the goal as well.

市政府公布显示，福井县初中生达标比例最高，占到了62.8%；其次是58.9%的埼玉市和54%的横滨市。福冈、大阪、东京、熊本县和石川县也实现了这一目标。

Fukui also fulfilled the target for senior high school students with 52.4 percent, while all the other 46 prefectures failed to meet the goal.

福井还以52.4%的比例实现了高中生的指标，而其他46个县都未能达达成这一目标。

The ministry also released the results of a separate English proficiency measurement survey covering 60,000 third-year junior high school students and 60,000 third-year senior high school students, which also failed to meet government-set targets.

教育部还公布了另一项针对6万名初三和6万名高三学生英语水平测试结果，该调查也未能达到政府设定的目标。

The results were particularly low for speaking and writing by senior high school students, with less than 20 percent achieving the targets.

结果显示，高中学生的口语和写作成绩最差，达标人数不足20%。

Teachers also failed to meet targets set by the government to have at least 50 percent of junior high school teachers and 75 percent of senior high school teachers holding an English proficiency level equivalent to "Grade Pre-1," the second-highest ranking equivalent to a university student level.

政府规定的教师标准，初中未达要求的至少有50%，而参加测试的高中老师，75%的人水平靠近“一级”标准。排名第二，相当于大学生水平。

Some 33.6 percent of junior high school teachers and 65.4 percent of senior high school teachers reached the desired level, respectively up 1.6 points and 3.2 points from the previous year.

（达标的老师中）初中教师占33.6%，高中教师占65.4%，分别比上年增长1.6和3.2%。


SchopenhauerApr. 7  07:03 am JST
Learning spoken English should be done outside schools and listening comprehension tests should not be included in entrance examinations of colleges. It is acquired by habit and environment. It produces unfairness to students who live in remote areas and cannot have chances to talk with English speaking people. There is a tendency in Japan to praise those who speak English and they speak with foreigners ostentatiously.

英语口语的学习应在校外进行，听力测试不应包括在大学的入学考试中。这技能要靠习惯和环境才能获得的。对生活在偏远地区的学生很不公平，他们没有机会与讲英语的人交谈。在日本有一种倾向，就是赞美那些会说英语的人，他们会炫耀和外国人讲话。

Michael JacksonApr. 7  07:23 am JST
Why do they have to tie everything to the Tokyo Olympics, does that mean no stop once they're over?

为什么他们要把一切都与东京奥运会联系起来，这是否意味着一旦奥运会结束了，就不搞英语达标测试了吗？

Tommy JonesApr. 7  07:26 am JST
Schop: Its called preparing your citizens to be able to function in a globalize world in which English is the language of business.

学校：号召全体公民准备好在一个全球化的世界中发挥作用，英语是商务语言技能。

Michael JacksonApr. 7  07:31 am JST
My comment should read "they'll stop", but auto-correct had other ideas

我认为应该是“会停止”，但是会实行其它新想法。

oldman_13Apr. 7  07:42 am JST
Embarrassing to say the least.

会因为难为情讲的少        

don-in-japanApr. 7  07:44 am JST
The ridiculousness of asserting that you cannot learn a language in schools...

荒谬的断言，怎么可能在学校学习语言呢…      

maybeperhapsyesApr. 7  07:57 am JST
If they would listen to the native English teachers. Those who have taught in many schools for many years, they'd all tell you the same thing. Too much focus on grammar, reading and writing. Not saying those are not important, but when you have students taking English classes 8 times a week...and only one of those classes is conversation based...the answer is right there. And one 50 minute class with 20 or more other students doesn't buy you a lot of talk time.

如果他们愿意听从母语为英语的老师意见。或是那些在许多学校已经教课很多年人的建议，他们都会告诉你同样的事情。过分注重语法、阅读和写作。不是说那些不重要，但是当你每周有8节英语课的时候……只有一节用来会话…结果就很明显了。一节50分钟的课程，有20个或更多的学生，不会有多少练习会话的时间。        

Aly RustomApr. 7  08:14 am JST
Eiken tests, administered by the Eiken Foundation of Japan and backed by the education ministry, are one of the most widely used English proficiency tests in Japan.
And stupidly enough NEVER taught at schools. If the gov wants higher eiken scores, they are going to have to instruct the BOEs around the country to make it the national textbook. But how can the students excel in eiken when most schools don't even teach it??
Its called preparing your citizens to be able to function in a globalize world in which English is the language of business.
Well said Tommy. The idea that the Japanese learn english because America makes them is laughable to say the least. English is the language of global business, and if and when Japan gets to a stage to where it feels it doesn't need english then its time to return to the Edo period of isolation.

艾肯测试，受日本荣研基金和教育部的支持，在日本是使用最广泛的一种英语水平测试。
傻乎乎的在学校学习是不够的。如果政府想要取得测试高分，首先应该有统编的教材。大部分学校都不教授学生如何应对艾肯测试吗？
学校就只管号召全体公民准备好在一个全球化的世界中发挥作用，并告诉大家，在这个世界里英语是商务语言。
汤米说得好。至少说日本人之所以学英语是因为美国让他们学的，这想法是可笑的。英语是全球商业语言，如果日本真觉得不需要学英语，那么它就该回到江户时期了。

Haaa NemuiApr. 7  08:27 am JST
Just out of curiosity, how many of you have sat through and supervised the students during the Eiken tests?

只是好奇，有多少人被督促去参加艾肯测试？

SchopenhauerApr. 7  08:45 am JST
Speaking English acquires superficial knowledge while reading ability of English acquires deeper knowledge. I do not need speaking ability of English to exchange with you. I have not spoken English for decades and I have not been abroad in my life.

英语口语只是肤浅的知识，而英语阅读才能获得更深的知识。我不需要英语口语能力来和你交流。我已经几十年没说英语了，我的生活中又不需要出国。

kurisupisuApr. 7  08:48 am JST
Teachers in schools are managed from the top down-when my son suggested that there could be some time allocated for Eiken study once a week, at lunchtime he was rebuffed!
This might not be the case in many other schools but generally teachers will do as they are told and Eiken is considered an extra curricular activity.
CALL is also a rare option in public schools (due to low funding) so don’t expect young Taro to ever acquire linguistic competency since his stress, pronunciation, etc have never been listened to enough, let alone corrected.
Never mind though, it’s too late now...

学校的老师的管理都是从上到下的，当我儿子想分配些时间（每周一次）给艾肯测试时，在吃午饭的时候他被拒绝了！
其他许多学校的情况可能并非如此，但一般老师会告诉他们这是一项课外活动。
在公立学校里，计算机辅助语言学习也是一种奢侈行为（由于经费不足），所以不要指望年轻人的英语语言能力有多好，因为他们从来没有机会练习重音，发音等，更不用说纠错了。
虽然无关紧要，现在已经太迟了…

Ricky KaminskiApr. 7  08:59 am JST
It’s the test based teaching that is the problem ya donkeys! I live in Fukui and believe me students still can’t speak English to save their life. They may have been cohersed into spending long hours doing muti choice question tests over and over but it doesn’t mean jack. Eiken is a farce and the whole approach to the global language is misguided and self defeating. Hide behind as many scores and figures you like. Strike up a conversation and see for yourself.

教学根本就是为了应付测试的！我住在福井，相信我，学生甚至不会用英语求助。他们可能花了很长时间一遍又一遍地做多项选择题测试，但这并不意味着有提高。艾肯是一场闹剧，对这种全球性语言的整个观点是错误的，弄巧成拙。问题隐藏在你喜欢的分数和数字后面。不信找人来段对话，自己看看。

thepersoniamnowApr. 7  09:24 am JST
No really? I’m so shocked!
Good luck keeping on doing things you always have been.

真的吗？我很震惊！
祝你好运，请坚持下去

GoodlucktoyouApr. 7  09:28 am JST
the way the world is going, i think Chinese may be more useful.

照世界的发展趋势，我认为中文可能更有用。

billygonzoidApr. 7  10:08 am JST
Disillusioned is right. Students are taught grammar but are not taught how to use it or develop it. Rather than just upping the complexity of grammar levels, it would be better to get students to figure out how to use the grammar they know first.

幻灭是对的。学生学习语法，但没有被教授如何使用或应用它。与其仅仅提高语法的复杂程度，不如让学生们先弄清楚如何使用他们已经知道的语法。

JimizoApr. 7  11:11 am JST
Stop force-feeding English to Japanese students. Make it an option and focus on those with the capacity and desire to learn it. I’ve lost count of the number of times a new initiative to raise the standard of English has been rolled out with predictably miserable results. Stop wasting tax and stop wasting lesson time on this.
I’d forgotten just how bad the level of English among the majority of Japanese people is until I visited Spain this year. I came across quite a few Japanese people ( mostly in their twenties ) who were just incompetent when faced with simple, understandable English. We are talking ordering in a restaurant level. Many didn’t even seem to have the capacity to offer a simple ‘gracias’ as a sign of courtesy to the Spanish people speaking a second language. The pronunciation of Spanish thankfully provided some with much amusement.
Flogging a dead horse.

停止向日本学生灌输英语吧。让它成为一个选项，集把资源中于那些有能力和渴望学习它的人。我已经不知听到多少次提高英语水平的新举措已经推出，但结果糟糕。别浪费税收了，别浪费时间了。
我都记不起大多数日本人的英语水平是多么糟糕了，直到我今年访问西班牙。我遇到很多日本人（大多是二十多岁），他们面对简单易懂的英语时都很无力。我们正在讨论在餐厅点什么菜。英语是西班牙人民的第二语言，许多人甚至练简单的“谢谢”都发不好音。幸好西班牙语的发音给人带来了许多乐趣。
鞭策死马是没用的。

dcog9065Apr. 7  11:19 am JST
Who cares that much, most of these kids won’t use English too much anyway as the domestic economy is easily big enough. There’s enough low quality English teachers in Japan anyway, best if a good portion are replaced or made redundant.
Learning Mandarin will likely become a more attractive option for many kids very soon anyway as the vocab part would be much easier I assume

不管怎么说，这些孩子中的大多数都不会太多的英语，因为国内经济还行。日本的英语教师素质也不高，最好的办法是更换或裁掉一部分英语教师。对许多孩子来说，学习中文普通话可能是一个更有吸引力的选择，我认为这部分的发音会容易得多。

HarukaApr. 7  11:34 am JST
But as of December, only 40.7 percent of third-year junior high school students and 39.3 percent of third-year senior high school students met the targets.
How come I have never met one of them that can actually speak to me even about the weather?

有40.7%的初三生和39.3%高三生达标了。为什么我从来没有遇到过一个，他们可以和我谈论天气不？

JimizoApr. 7  11:37 am JST
Learning Mandarin will likely become a more attractive option for many kids very soon anyway as the vocab part would be much easier I assume
I speak basic Mandarin badly. I’d say Mandarin is more difficult to learn than English. My Japanese coworkers who attended Mandarin classes agreed.

对许多孩子来说，学习中文普通话可能是一个更有吸引力的选择，我认为这部分的发音会容易得多。
我中文说得不好。我想说普通话比英语更难学。我参加普通话课程的日本同事也同意这点。

These statistics are based on Eiken scores in both public and private high schools. Eiken is a step test mostly based on memorised responses and answers. I work as a TEAP examiner a few times a year. The TEAP test is a much better structure that shuns memorised responses and gives a much clearer indication of the examinee's English comprehension level. It is also not a 'step-test'. It is one test with one score.
As for the speaking: From 2020 universities will require an English interview test as part of their entrance exams. The high schools are panicking about this, especially the private high schools. However, the interview will typically be based around memorised responses to set questions. This is because the private universities want the students' money, so they will not fail them.
The English education of Japanese will never improve until there is a purpose for learning it. A purpose besides passing a test. I cannot count the amount of times I've heard a student say, "This is Japan! I don't need English!" Although, I have never heard one tell me in English, of course.

这些统计数据来源于公、私立高中艾肯测试的分数。艾肯是一个阶段性测试，分数主要基于记忆反应和答案。我在一年当过几回相关测试的主考人。技能评估考试回是一个更好的结构，避免依靠记忆力得分，能更清楚的展示考生的英语理解水平。它不是一个“阶段测试”。这是一次考试，成绩只有1分。至于口语方面：从2020起，大学将要求进行英语面试考试，作为入学考试的一部分。高中对此感到恐慌，尤其是私立高中。然而，面试通常是以记忆式的回答为基础的。这是因为私立大学想要赚学生的钱，所以他们不会辜负他们。日语的英语教育要有目的才能得到改善。除了以通过考试之外为目的。我数不清有多少次听学生说：“这是日本！我不要学英语！当然，我从来没有听过有人用英语这么说。

SchopenhauerApr. 7  03:08 pm JST
After all, we do not need English very much to live in Japan. Many necessary foreign words are already in our life written in katakana and used daily. We have a fine language. We do not feel we have to speak English.

毕竟，我们在日本生活并不太需要英语。我们的生活中已经有许多必要的外来词用片假名书写，每天都在使用。我们的语言很好。我们不觉得我们非得说英语。

zichiApr. 7  03:18 pm JST
Guess you don't do much internet work or coding all of which requires some degree of understanding English words. We have several students who are also learning computer science at uni's. Then there are the hundreds of thousands of translators, interpreters, movie dubbing and voiceovers.

我猜你不会做网络工作相关或者编码的，所有这些都需要有一定程度的英语单词当基础。我们有几个学生在大学学习计算机科学。还有不少翻译员、口译员、电影配音等。

Tommy JonesApr. 7  03:28 pm JST
We do not feel we have to speak English
You speak for all 120+ million Japanese? If so, then you all seem to want to watch your economy sink from 3rd even lower.

我们不觉得我们非得说英语？
你说的是1.2亿多所有日本人？如果是这样的话，你们等着看你们的经济从第三下降到更低吧。

SchopenhauerApr. 7  03:45 pm JST
Let those who need English in their professions learn English. I do not think all the Japanese have to learn English as a compulsory subject at public schools. If it is going on as a national project. Something is wrong. Not all the jobs in Japan take English.

让那些需要专业英语的人去学习英语。我不认为所有的日本人都必须在公立学校把英语作为必修科目。如果这是一个国家项目，那么它出毛病了。不是所有日本的工作都会用到英语。