Language Programmes

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 1. English component in the Certificate for Teaching and Learning

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 2. In-Service Language Course

• Tailor-made for administrative staff of USM

• Learners are taught communication skills commonly used in their workplace (e.g., greetings, giving instructions, describing processes, making comparisons, dealing with problems, complaining and apologising, etc.)  

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• Qualified, highly experienced and professional teaching staff, have been a great success for the many students who have studied here;  

• Fully-equipped language classrooms and laboratories complement our language teaching and learning efforts, ensuring the successful language acquisition of our learners.
    

Objectives  

• Facilitate the building of interpersonal relationships;  
• Foster mutual understanding and respect;  
• Help understand where cross cultural differences lie;  
• Explore ways in which differences can be resolved through a common cultural framework;  
• Compare and contrast cultures for better understanding;  
• Understand the historical, political, education and economic backgrounds of the host country 
    
  

Course Contents

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4. Spoken English for Technical Staff

• Tailor-made for technical staff of any department of USM
    
• Learners are taught skills needed in their workplace (e.g., telephoning, asking for assistance and responding politely, expressing opinions and making suggestions)
    
• Learners are given opportunity to practice the language skills peculiar to their department

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5. Short-Term Language Courses

FOR ADULT LEARNERS

If you are interested in learning Malay, English, Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish or Thai at a distinguished language faculty on the idyllic isle of Penang, the School of Languages, Literacies and Translation, Universiti Sains Malaysia has a course which will perfectly suit all your needs and interests.   

Besides serving the university community, the School has also opened its doors to members of the public to give them the opportunity to learn a new language for many purposes; work, social, leisure, or just as part of an individual’s life-long learning experience. Thus far, working adults from companies, factories, and other organizations in administrative and managerial positions have come to our shores to learn a language of their choice. 

At the School of Languages, Literacies and Translation, USM, we offer a wide range of courses designed to meet your needs and help you achieve your goals.

• Learn the language you need for work: attending meetings, interviews, telephoning, writing reports and doing business.  
    
• Learn the language you need for social purposes:  meeting people, getting to know people, talking about oneself, talking about jobs, making plans, giving opinions, agreeing and disagreeing.  
  

Special Features  

• placement test to ensure a class at the right level 
    
• on-going progress checks  
    
• homework to provide more practice  
    
• multi-national classes
    
• at least one lesson a week in the computer laboratory 
    
• course materials provided
    
• use of the Study Centre after lessons
    
• end of course certificate with hours of study  and level of achievement  
    

Among the courses offered include:-

1. Conversational Malay for Foreigners

2. Conversational English I

3. Conversational English II

4. Business English

5. Pronunciation

6. Conversational Japanese

7. Conversational Arabic

8. Conversational German

9. Conversational Korean

10. Conversational Chinese

11. Conversational Spanish

12. Conversational Thai

The course emphasizes the oral communicative skills which will enable students to communicate confidently and effectively in social interactions and at the workplace as well as understand basic aspects of the Malay culture and Malaysian society.

Conversational Thai

This course emphasizes the oral communicative skills which will enable students to communicate confidently and effectively in social interactions as well as understand basic aspects of the Thai culture.

Conversational Japanese 

This pre-elementary course will be taught in “Romaji” with the emphasis on aural-oral communicative skills. The reading and writing of Japanese scripts are not taught.  At the end of the course, students will be able to understand basic aspects of the Japanese culture and use about 300 words to converse with a certain degree of confidence and fluency within the context of daily social situations, which can be applied to the workplace.

Conversational Korean

This course emphasizes the oral communicative skills which will enable students to communicate confidently and effectively in social interactions as well as understand basic aspects of the Korean culture.

Conversational Chinese

This course emphasizes the oral communicative skills which will enable students to communicate confidently and effectively in social interactions as well as understand basic aspects of the Chinese culture.

Conversational Arabic

This course emphasizes the oral communicative skills which will enable students to communicate confidently and effectively in social interactions as well as understand basic aspects of the Middle Eastern culture.

Conversational English I & II

English plays an important role in many areas of one’s working life. With globalisation and the widespread use of information technology at the workplace and in society, almost every one is required to have a good command of English. Employees who are able to converse well in English will not only project a good image of their companies but also ensure that efficiency and effectiveness prevail at their workplace. 

This course is offered to help individuals who intend to hone their English conversational skills in order to be efficient, productive and marketable now as well as in the future.

Course Description 

These elementary and intermediate courses are designed for adult learners, especially working adults, who wish to improve their English conversational skills in a variety of typical social and    workplace situations – situations which professional people are likely to meet while at work or at social functions. 

The duration of each course is 40 hours and the classes are conducted twice weekly over 10 weeks. A variety of activities such as pairwork, role-play, simulations are carried out to make lessons interesting.

Aims 

• develop their proficiency in listening and speaking; 
    
• communicate confidently and effectively in social interactions and at the workplace;
    
• converse in English intelligibly and with accuracy and fluency.
    

English Pronunciation

Language is a means of communication. The three components in language are structure (grammar), meaning (vocabulary/lexis) and the sound, stress and intonation patterns (pronunciation). This course is designed to enhance students’ articulateness and accuracy in pronunciation to enable them to communicate more effectively in their social and occupational settings. The lessons learnt in this course will be an added advantage to students in their pursuit of professional excellence.

Course Description 

This course involves the study of the English sound system. It introduces the description and classification of speech sounds. This course is a practical starting point for students who have a strong understanding of the language and want to improve their English pronunciation. It starts with an introduction to the nature and organs of speech with the basic pronunciation guides including work on the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) and is followed by continued refinement of English pronunciation skills. It also focuses on improving pronunciation through the recognition of the “time-stresses” character of English. 

Aims

• develop skills in perceiving and articulating speech sounds specifically;
    
• improve their pronunciation in general.

Business English

English plays an important role in many areas of one’s working life. With globalisation and the widespread use of information technology at the workplace and in society, almost every one is required to have a good command of English. Employees who are able to communicate well in English will not only project a good image of their companies but also ensure that efficiency and effectiveness prevail at their workplace. 

This course is offered to help individuals who intend to hone their English communication skills in order to be efficient, productive and marketable now as well as in the future.

Course Description 

This 10-week intermediate part-time course is designed to help adult learners of English improve their communicative skills in order to function effectively in an English-speaking work environment. Learners will be given the opportunity to express business concepts through the processes of synthesizing, summarizing, analyzing, criticizing and discussing ideas in oral presentations, role-plays, meetings and discussions. Pronunciation will also be taught to enable learners to enhance their business communication skills. Learners will practise writing structures for the workplace that include writing e-mail messages, business letters, job application letters, memorandums and mini business reports. In addition, they will improve their vocabulary through reading activities and group discussions.

Aims

• develop the four language skills to a level which would enable them to communicate effectively in the occupational context;
    
• communicate efficiently and confidently in discussions, meetings and other work- related situations.

Conversational Spanish

This course emphasizes the oral communicative skills which will enable students to communicate confidently and effectively in social interactions as well as understand basic aspects of the Spanish culture. 

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