Jian and the Yalu River
I enjoyed the peaceful nature of my work in the office of the publishing house: proof-reading articles for inclusion in student magazines, consulting with the Chinese editors and sometimes contributing short pieces of my own, by request.
All the same, the occasional breaks that took me away on company business were welcome, and in September 2003, when I'd been about a month in China, I was sent to Ji'an, a town on the banks of the Yalu River, between China and North Korea. There, myself and two foreign editors were assigned separate hotel rooms to proof-read important examination papers.
They would determine the future careers of Chinese teachers, chosen by their regions to compete in Tonghua for chance to study in the UK.
As the extract illustrates, it wasn't so straightforward as it might seem, because we three foreigners brought our own differences of culture, gender and age to the task.
All the same, the occasional breaks that took me away on company business were welcome, and in September 2003, when I'd been about a month in China, I was sent to Ji'an, a town on the banks of the Yalu River, between China and North Korea. There, myself and two foreign editors were assigned separate hotel rooms to proof-read important examination papers.
They would determine the future careers of Chinese teachers, chosen by their regions to compete in Tonghua for chance to study in the UK.
As the extract illustrates, it wasn't so straightforward as it might seem, because we three foreigners brought our own differences of culture, gender and age to the task.
'Next day
we spent checking the examination papers, breaking off only for meals. Our task
was to proofread papers compiled by the Chinese editors for the upcoming
national competition. There were written papers with comprehension passages and
oral papers with questions to be checked and monitored for suitability.
Joseph and I had been drafted in for the final checking of questions in the oral sections. They would form the basis of interviews with teachers, to decide which of them should be rewarded with a spell of study-leave in England. The questions were mainly concerned with what the candidates knew already about life in England, although others were more controversial.
One or two questions in the ‘general conversation’ section didn't survive our scrutiny. One of these was ‘What is the meaning of life?’, which Katharine thought was perfectly OK.
‘Ah, the confidence of youth’, commented Joseph.
‘What do you think of ladies’ window-shopping?’ earned my veto. Political correctness had not gained much of a toe-hold in China, as far as I could see, but I seized the chance to make my own small contribution.
Joseph baulked at ‘Would you like to have a sex-change?’ because he thought it might embarrass the candidates. Given his status, as a member of a Franciscan Order, it might well have embarrassed him, although he was, like Chaucer's example, a very wordly monk.
I became very curious to meet the teachers and ask questions about their experiences of teaching English inChina
Joseph and I had been drafted in for the final checking of questions in the oral sections. They would form the basis of interviews with teachers, to decide which of them should be rewarded with a spell of study-leave in England. The questions were mainly concerned with what the candidates knew already about life in England, although others were more controversial.
One or two questions in the ‘general conversation’ section didn't survive our scrutiny. One of these was ‘What is the meaning of life?’, which Katharine thought was perfectly OK.
‘Ah, the confidence of youth’, commented Joseph.
‘What do you think of ladies’ window-shopping?’ earned my veto. Political correctness had not gained much of a toe-hold in China, as far as I could see, but I seized the chance to make my own small contribution.
Joseph baulked at ‘Would you like to have a sex-change?’ because he thought it might embarrass the candidates. Given his status, as a member of a Franciscan Order, it might well have embarrassed him, although he was, like Chaucer's example, a very wordly monk.
I became very curious to meet the teachers and ask questions about their experiences of teaching English in
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