心胸開闊的國際人─  專訪  Dr. Nathan Jones            鍾乃森教授

清大外語系副教授  本校「國科會英語教學實驗計劃」指導教授

今天一跨進校長室，眉頭不由得緊了些，終於一場「超級中美訪談」就將展開，不敢直誇我們的訪談會對中美友誼有多大的幫助，但，對台灣.....對台灣科園實中同學的英文學習，應有不少的助益。我們就背負著這樣的重責，訪問Dr.Jones(鍾乃森教授)，嘖?想到是位外國人，頭頂上又蓋了一層烏雲。好在Dr. Jones 非常親切，適時化解我們的焦慮。
Dr. Jones出生於美國的科羅拉多州，十二年前即成為台灣女婿，現在有一個三歲的女兒。目前任教清華大學外語系，專心於英語教學及相關研究(他有一個博士、一個碩士及二個學士學位，主修高等教育學，Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages,International studies,政治學)
針對時下學習英文的熱潮，我們談到有許多的家長因深知學習英文的重要性，從孩子很小的時候便將孩子送去補習班，在半強迫的方式下要求孩子學習，Dr.Jones對此並不以為然，他認為無論學習任何一種語言，「興趣」乃是最重要的根基、最主要的支持學習動力。他舉了自己在小學時學習西班牙文的經驗為例，在他當時年幼的心靈中，一直有著墨西哥及南美國家發展落後不及美國的觀念，因而對於學習這些國家的母語西班牙文，一直深具排斥感。當然時至今日，他也深知西班牙文的美麗與內涵，然而卻因小時候的偏見造成他當時學習西班牙語的阻力。從這可以顯現出能夠真正發自內心的喜愛一種語言，從內激發出對這種語言的學習興緻，才是父母從小應啟迪孩子所要作的努力吧。

Dr.Jones也建議時下學習英文的青少年，應該多多涉獵自己有興趣的英文事物，諸如多閱讀英語生活雜誌、看沒有中文字幕的英文電影，甚至卡通也行。總之從生活中有趣的事情下手，英文便容易變得可親了。

提及多數學生都有閱讀的「空中英語教室」，有些同學心中不免有些疑惑，「通常一篇文章中，除了word bank中的字彙之外，課文內仍還有很多生字，有時候一篇整理起來，單字多達七、八十個，若全部背起來，實在是一件十分吃力的工作，有必要每一個不懂的單字都背嗎？」Dr. Jones表示，我們看空中英語教室、或其他稍高於我們英文程度的文章時，有時不是只為了學之前未曾碰到的生字，我們在文章中可以學到它的句法、文法，還有其內容帶來的新知，甚至可以複習以前曾學過的單字，背單字應不是唯一的目的。

身為台灣女婿的鍾乃森教授，在台灣生活這些年是否有什麼特別的經驗與感受，也是大家蠻好奇的。鍾教授表示，初到此地時很不能適應大家不排隊，擠成一團的情形，但習慣後，在加拿大，看大家排成一列緩緩地前進，反而嫌他們很慢。另外一件中外有異的事也很有趣，中國人到美國人家，進了門總是不由自主地脫下鞋，看得主人嘖嘖稱奇，反之，老中則無法想像老外居然就這樣把髒鞋踩在漂亮的地毯上。這些年下來，鍾教授入境隨俗，也相當認同進屋脫鞋較能維持清潔的概念，影響所及，連他一些遠在美國的親戚，現在也實施「脫鞋政策」了呢！

對久居異國的鍾教授來說，他除了兼具美國人、台灣女婿的雙重身分外，他更把自己看成一個「國際人」，他表示人不需太煩惱自己到底算是哪個民族或哪國人，每個文化的優點都值得好好學習。

訪問接近尾聲，問及鍾教授可否給我們一句座右銘時，鍾教授沈思了一會兒說：「Don’t worry to be happy.凡事都往好的方面去看吧！」的確，這次的採訪大都是用英文進行的，雖然溝通起來不像使用中文那般輕鬆，但卻也頗為新奇有趣，中國人學英文，總是難在不敢開口，這也剛好給了我們一個練習的機會，真的不用太擔心。Be happy!
 
 

中文撰寫 : 高中部 - 鄒涓涓 陳昱廷 黃書梅 張庭耀 英文撰寫 : Bilingual Department - Kevin Duh 指導老師 : 陳玲慧 老師

I was very worried when I arrived at the school administration building, for I was late for my interview with Mr. Jones. I feared that I might anger our guest with my tardiness. But I didn't. Our guest was a very friendly person and had a big smile on his face when I introduced myself hastily. Good, I was safe!
Very quickly Ms. Tiffany Chen, four Experimental students, and I started the interview. Mr. Nathan Jones, an American who prefers to be called an “international citizen,” was an Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Languages at Tsing Hua Univesity. If that wasn’t enough to earn your admiration for him, listen to this: he has taught himself to speak Chinese!
We asked him the secret to his success in learning Chinese. His answer was simple and succinct. Motivation. One has to love the skill or knowledge before one start working. “That’s called fire in the belly,” he said firmly. Once one has the motivation, the journey to the goal will be fun and exciting. Be it Chinese or English-he’s speaking of everything.
Remember what he said, because we tested his Chinese and it was true! His fluent Chinese was the direct result of a motivated heart. Then he gave us some tips to bear in mind when faced with a big challenge, such as learning a foreign language. “Set some daily goals. That way you can see your steady improvement,” he said earnestly, “Everyday, take a little step towards the long-term goal.” Copy that down!
One of the greatest questions a Bilingual can have is about his identity. Are we Americans or Chinese? Where do we belong? Mr. Jones answered, “You [should] think of yourself as a Chinese, an American, and an ‘international person.’” He continues: “We are citizens of the world. People like you-bilinguals, bi-culturals, and multi-racials-are the future. There will be more and more people like you. And that’s good.” Thanks to the internet, international travel, and international trade, the boundaries that previously separated nations and ethnic groups are rapidly breaking down. “And that’s good. You can go to the other countries and borrow what’s good.” For example, Mr. Jones and his relatives adopted the Chinese custom of taking off their shoes upon entering a house. That way he gets to keep his beautiful rugs clean. This is the essence of Mr. Jones’ words. In a global era when boundaries will no longer exist, it is important for different cultures to learn from each other.
Time flies whenever you’re having a great time. Very soon, it was time to say thank-you and goodbye to Mr. Jones.
His words “You are the future!” constantly echoed in my mind as I slowly walked back to the Bilingual Department. We are the future....