However, the way we use words can differ in strange and terrifying ways. Political discussions with the in-laws often take some very odd turns thanks to our different understandings of the notion of a 'conservative'...
Not very different. You chaps tend to observe Noah Webster's spelling reforms, there are a number of lexical differences (sidewalk/pavement and so on) and one or two small grammatical differences (largely related to local dialects, in my experience), but nothing so great as to make either English incomprehensible to the other.
If I were you, before I started spreading links to the website about, I'd at least get rid of the spelling mistakes and, in spite of the almost overpowering amount of experience you speak of, to write 'curriculum vital' (sic) screams 'lack of professionalism' to me.
I have a feeling you'd probably be a fascinating person to meet, but covering so many fields of work, even taking into consideration that at the age of 43 you've had fair time to do it, makes it sound a bit like 'Jack of all Traders and Master of None' to me. Perhaps this sounds unfair and I certainly wish you all success in your projects but I think there's quite a bit of work necessary before it all looks and sounds really convincing.
OK, I've got to be blunt with you: there was something vaguely non-native speaker about some of the passages on your website. Odd for an English teacher, I thought. Then I clicked on the link you provide in the US vs UK English section and discovered that those passages were, indeed, written by a non-native speaker of English!
Now, I don't know if you have some professional or personal relationship with the author of that article, but copying and pasting his words without checking them for errors first is somewhat inadvisable to say the least.
EDIT: Is any of the writing on your website your own work? I've just discovered that a substantial portion of the "learning through art" section is copied and pasted from another website: http://godfreyl.ism-online.org/
Ah, I thought one sentence odd too, but being out of 'native English speaking' practice and not having much association with Americans anyway I thought it might be genuine American English.
Seems there is 'some' demand specifically for American English...just found this...
When I said add links, I was also meaning she better add links since she is completely stealing word for word the information on that other website! You also have to think of a links page as a sort of bibliography or works cited page just like in a research paper. And, she should make reference to that wherever she decided to hit the copy and paste button.
There are enough differences to cause problems if you have to take an exam set under the European Common Framework for English (ECFE). Here is a summary .
In our local Swiss school they teach according to the ECFE and will not accept US English in their exams. During class they sometimes get comprehension exercise in which the speaker is Irish , Welsh or Scottish as well as standard British English, but no US speakers....
Over 20 years ago when I came here first, it was very popular to go to the States for English and indeed several of my colleagues did this. But now a days around here most kids seem to head for Brighton or Dublin...
My students are primarily children, and my specialty is teaching them English language by using art and music as teaching tools.
The adult section was not designed by me and was crafted by my husband who was born and raised in Korea until the age of 18 when he moved to England. He has been living in France for the last 20 years and obviously has strong opinions about British English vs. American English because he had worked in Finance and IT fields. I for one, would have been happy to leave that section off the website completely.
Not trying to start a debate about what is the preferred method of English. I am simply looking for website feedback. I prefer to work with young children, and may delete the adult section and the section on American English too.
I wrote the Bio, and that is it. The "children" section has valuable information and doesn't matter where it came from as long as it gets the point across to parents. I am an artist and educator, not a webpage designer. That is why I am here asking for feedback. Keep in mind that I also asked for constructive criticism and not just criticism with judgmental fingers pointing and laughing.
Indeed. But the website doesn't contain your husband's opinions. It contains the opinions of some francophone translator working in SE Asia, lifted word for word.
That's really bad form, and needs to be addressed without delay.
On the contrary, it matters a great deal where the information comes from. The person who wrote that article put a lot of work into it and deserves credit for that. To simply lift the article without acknowledgment of the author is plagiarism.
If you want to use other people's writing on your website, you need to seek their permission and give them due credit. Passing off other people's words as your own is dishonest and unprofessional.
If my criticism saves you from a world of legal pain, surely you can acknowledge that it's "constructive"?
Switch to wordpress or some such thing. It is way simpler and easier to maintain those things. You can even jazz up the thingy by a paid wordpress theme if you want.
You can even host it for free for a year on amazon .
...and there are such things as plagiarism checkers on-line, some for free, which not only tell us if phrases are being 'quoted' but also, where applicable, where they came from. The results make interesting reading...
OK we are critical, but, as DB says, better we found it out and you mention your sources than you get into legal trouble later. Of course, as you may use a pseudonym on here, it could be your own article in the Harvard Educational Review.
You say "My students are primarily children, and my specialty is teaching them English language by using art and music as teaching tools." but then write later on the above quote.
What do you mean "doesn't matter where it came from as long as it gets the point across?" This is your main focus to teach children through art...so it matters a whole lot, which is problem number 1. Problem number 2 is plagiarism is against the law.
Problem 3 is, if there was any part at all that you should have written yourself from your own experiences it would be the section about teaching the children through art and music.
The concept of teaching children through art and music is absolutely wonderful and honestly would like to see it be done with adults as well. I think I would learn french (which I struggle with) faster if I could put words to music and art in a classroom environment.
So that's my constructive criticism. I'd also like to see you scrap the whole darn website, find a template program and start over, re-evaluate what you are really trying to sell and focus solely on that, discover on your own if you have the capabilities to actually teach (which you probably do), and relate to the public what, how and why your teaching methods work, IN YOUR OWN WORDS!
I wish you the best of luck!
By the way, I'm no website designer either, but it hasn't stopped me from creating three websites and a blog. If you need sites with web hosting, I'm certain we'd all be happy to suggest a few.
I would go one further and say that your website probably doesn't even need more than a couple of pages, or possibly only one.
The american english stuff could just go - most parents won't freak out between english, british or american, as long as you are a native speaker and the classes are fun and interesting. Most of the time the difference are minimal, and it's easy enough for kids to learn along the way that there are some differences (with specific spelling of specific words) but otherwise, it's not really relevant to a beginner.
Lose the drop down menu. Make a single front page of your name, how to contact you and where you are located (even a map is pointless, everyone knows how to use google maps these days). A downloadable pdf of your current fee structure, plus some sort of sign up sheet that people can fill in and email to you, or send via post, or bring along at their first appointment, would be plenty.
And the other thing, do you separate your classes into specific age groups ? You list the range as 5-18 years, but does that mean my 5 year old is going to be in a class with an 18 year old ? Maybe you can break down your age ranges and give them titles and then list three things you do for each age range to teach language.
Sort of like the local swimming pool or a karate group - they give an age range, a decription of the level and it has a special name. That shows that you also have a developmental understanding of what is particularly interesting for each age range, and how you can tap into that with your lessons...
And I agree. All your basic info should be in French, up-front. I find it *astonishing* that a language school that offers beginner lessons, will promote itself to 'beginners' in the language that they are trying to teach.
When I went looking for language classes in Zurich, I chose one based on their website which was fairly organised in English, and explained clearly how German lessons would be delivered. Any website that was not clearly expressed in English, got skipped over.
"Sure, I'm a beginner, I know zero German, so I'm going to read your website in German, and call you up and try to make an appointment in German "
This, what you say here, isn't anything to do with web design. To put it plainly, it is highly unprofessional to cut and paste text from someone else's website without accreditation. I would even go a step beyond and ask permission before pasting long pieces or whole texts. Short snippets can be pasted and referenced (including a link to the whole text), but don't, for the love of Jeezy Creezy, steal someone else's work to profit from it. It's called plagiarism, and it's particularly abhorrent if you are going to make money this way.
Trim the excess fat. Have a good look at what other similar businesses' websites look like. Ask friends to proofread, edit, and critique what you've written. Ask them to be tough on it, because new visitors will be critical and turned off by an unprofessional website that doesn't match the service being offered. Google "language schools" and spend a couple of hours noting down the things their websites have in common, then find ways to do that with your own unique touch.
Good luck!
Spot on - where it comes from does matter a very quick google on the text in the childrens sections shows direct theft has occcurred. The childrens section seems to have numerours direct sections which have been plagarised from "The Languages of Learning" by Karen Gallas
If you publish then expect a legal case to be presented at you of of copyright theft! This is something that happens regularly and I am with the observation of Tracy, this is theft and there is no place for it.
I suggest the entire sections that have been copied give adequate rcognition after you obtain permission alternatively rewrite them.
Interesting stats -- thanks.
The trouble is, the relative currency of the English variants is skewed by the web. More US English seems to get pumped out than British English.
This is a hot topic at work. The company I work for has offices in more than 20 countries, and customers in almost 100. Should the marketing people be writing UK or US English?
It's easy to get emotional about it, but I've become less so over the years. The plain fact is that no one cares too much. If we are producing marketing that will only ever be read by Americans, it makes sense to -ize. If Brits, -ise.
I was always taught that what counts is using the same spellings consistently. I don't care much if a brochure (say) is UK or US-spelt. But I do care if it's half and half. That is just careless and unprofessional.
So I would drop all that "we're taking over the world" stuff. It's an uncomfortable metaphor for wider cultural attitudes that many, particularly the French, will not be slow to pick up on. What's wrong with explaining, as you teach, that by the way, such and such a word can be spelt in two ways, but that it's not a big deal, so don't worry about it...? If you stress the US English thing too much, you will confuse people, and give the impression that the differences are greater than they really are.
I had a quick look at the website in question, and would have to agree with most of the opinions, and certainly with Dougal's Breakfast 's comments about plagiarism. That is a horrendous no-no. I would be less polite than some. It is downright theft, and illegal.
And the comments from others about advertising English language tuition in English, are spot on. Beautifully paradoxical!
All that said, I wish you well. Swallow your pride; take on board at least some of the comments, and all the best for your venture.