Câu chuyện tiếng Anh - "Sao ông lại nỡ ..."

Mấy hôm nay vì có chuyện nhà tôi về Việt Nam, nên không có thì giờ update trang blog này. Ở quê thì có internet do Bưu điện xã quản lí nhưng tất cả 5 cái máy đều bị các khách hàng nhí chơi game! Ra Bưu điện tỉnh thì máy quá chậm nên chẳng làm gì được. Lên Sài Gòn thì đường truyền nhanh hơn và tốt hơn nhưng vì bạn bè níu kéo nên chẳng vào net.

Hôm nay mới về Sydney và đọc bài này trên mạng thấy vui vui. Điều này làm tôi lo lắng vì chúng tôi sắp có một hội nghị quốc tế với toàn những đồng nghiệp từ Á châu và quốc tế đến dự. Nếu diễn giả phe ta mà như ông giáo sư này chắc tôi “độn thổ” quá. :-)

Thật ra, ông giáo này đâu phải là trường hợp cá biệt. Trước đây, trong một diễn đàn quốc tế ở Mĩ, Bộ trưởng giáo dục NTN cũng có một bài nói chuyện (qua powerpoint) với nhiều – rất nhiều – sai sót về tiếng Anh. Thật là xấu hổ! (bài nói chuyện của ông NTN tôi copy lại dưới đây để các bạn theo dõi).

NVT

http://www.tuoitre.com.vn/Tianyon/Index.aspx?ArticleID=264895&ChannelID=13

Thứ Hai, 23/06/2008, 02:25 (GMT+7)

Sao ông lại nỡ ...

TT - Trong phiên họp toàn thể kết thúc hội nghị EuroViet lần thứ sáu về VN học do Đại học Hamburg tổ chức vào đầu tháng 6-2008, qui tụ hơn 100 nhà nghiên cứu từ khắp nơi trên thế giới (Pháp, Nga, Anh, Thụy Điển, Đan Mạch, Ba Lan, Úc, Mỹ, Canada, Hàn Quốc, Thái Lan, VN...), một nhà khoa học VN đĩnh đạc đi chầm chậm lên bục. Ông là giáo sư - viện trưởng một viện nghiên cứu VN học của một trường đại học vào loại hàng đầu đất nước.

Thật ra, đề tài của ông chỉ là một tổng kết thành tựu nghiên cứu của ngành VN học ở VN. Nhưng ngay cả điều đó cũng không ngăn được tôi, một học trò nhỏ ngồi tít ở hàng cuối cùng, cảm thấy lòng mình trào dâng một tình cảm lạ lùng, vừa hãnh diện vừa ngưỡng mộ đến nỗi suýt huých tay cô nghiên cứu sinh xinh đẹp người Ba Lan ngồi bên để thầm thì điều cô đã biết: "Nhà khoa học VN đấy!".

Đúng lúc ấy, bức màn trắng sau lưng ông sáng lên một màu xanh mát, chiếu nội dung tóm tắt của báo cáo. Mái đầu bạc hình như của Philippe Langlet, giáo sư danh tiếng người Pháp, se sẽ lắc.

Tôi gần như không tin vào mắt mình. Báo cáo bằng tiếng Anh chi chít lỗi chính tả, từ vựng, ngữ pháp. Ngay từ tiếng Anh Vietnamology (VN học) cũng bị viết sai thành Vietnamolody. Phần điểm tên các nhà nghiên cứu người Pháp thì tám tên ghi sai đến bảy, ví dụ Paul Pelliot thành Pau Pelliot, Emile Gaspardonne thành Emil Gaspardon, André - Georges Haudricourt thành André - Geoges Haudricourd, Madeleine Colani thành Madelein Colani...

Tôi len lén đứng dậy, chuồn ra ngoài hành lang. Ông nói một thứ tiếng Anh ngọng nghịu, điều ấy không hề gì: tiếng Anh không phải là tiếng Việt, đòi hỏi ông phải nói lưu loát là quá khắt khe. Nhưng phần trình bày bằng PowerPoint chuẩn bị ở nhà, hẳn ông tự tin lắm mới không cần nhờ một người giỏi tiếng Anh sửa chữa. Và tên của những nhà khoa học lẫy lừng và quen thuộc với ngành VN học của ông, làm thế nào ông có thể viết sai?

Sao ông lại nỡ như thế chứ?

Và tôi sợ hãi khi nghĩ tới tháng mười hai này cơ quan của ông là một thành viên chủ chốt tổ chức hội thảo quốc tế về VN học lần thứ ba.

ANH HOÀNG

=== Bài nói chuyện của ông NTN ====

LOOKING FOR WAYS TO CREATE TOP-CLASS UNIVERSITIES IN VIETNAM

Forum “Universities as Engines of Development”

(The New School, New York, 20 June 2007)

Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam

1. Cooperation situation:

1 The total number of scholarships provided by American organizations for Vietnamese Students in graduate programs since 1990 is 1200

- As the greatest outcome of the education and training relations, and

- great contribution into the education system, scientific and economic development of VN.

2 Many VN universities have established their cooperation with several US universities like:

- National Economics University and Washington University Boise University,

- Hochiminh Economics University and Harvard University,

- Can Tho University and Texas Tech University,

- Hanoi University and Hawaii University,

- Hanoi Polytechnic University and Troy University and North Central University, etc.

* This cooperation actively influenced the renovation of the curriculum, teaching methodology and scientific research of Vietnam universities, and

at the same time helped modernizing the education system with low cost, hence is considered as the second biggest outcome of the Vietnam-US cooperation in education and training.

*

Besides, education and training institutes of the U.S. also receive thousands of Vietnamese pupils and students to study English, secondary education, undergraduate and graduate education, research and scientific practice by various scholarship sources or self-financed study.

2. Scholarship programs

* International Fellowship Program – IFP of Ford Foundation (110 Master and PhD scholarships)

* Fulbright scholarship program (260 Master and PhD scholarships)

* Vietnam Education Foundation (230 scholarships, mostly PhD ones)

3. Establishment of a world class university in Vietnam

* The proposal of the Indochina program of Harvard University to establish a world class university in VN during the visit to the US by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in June 2005.

* A visit of high ranking VN delegation to study excelent private and public universities in Bremen (Germany) and in North Caroline and Texas in 2006. Useful lessons for Vietnam.

* However the financing arrangement of those high quality private universities in the US not suitable to Vietnam situation.

* MOET’s pilot advanced programs in 9 universities in 2005 applying the curriculums of the US universities including instruction content, methodologies, management, evaluation, etc.

* US teachers invited to teach at Vietnam universities.

* Instruction in English and accreditation by US prestigious accreditation agencies.

MAJOR ORIENTATION TO DEVELOP HIGHER EDUCATION UNTIL 2020:

Specific programs and plans to reform fundamentally and comprehensively the higher education to meet the demands of industrialization and modernization, global economic integration and society’s demand for learning opportunities:

*Resolution No 14/2205/NQ-CP on the fundamental and comprehensive reform of Higher Education in Vietnam 2006-2020.

* Program of training 20,000 doctors by 2020.

* The 10-year program for improvement of English teaching quality and application in Vietnam.

* Developing the training programs comparable to regionally and internationally recognized advanced universities and establishing some national and foreign top class universities in Vietnam.

1. Resolution No 14/2205/NQ-CP on the fundamental and comprehensive reform of Higher Education in Vietnam 2006-2020

* General Objectives: By 2020, Vietnam has an advanced HE system by international standards

* Specific objectives: Completion of the national network of Higher Education

Institutions (HEIs) (the Prime Minister has approved the master plan for university and college network in VN till 2020), new curriculums development,

quality assurance and accreditation, establishment some HEIs meeting international standards.

* Increasing HE enrollment to 200 students per 10,000 population by 2010, and 450 by 2020.

* At last 40% of instructors with masters degree and 25% with doctoral degree by 2010, most of instructors with doctoral degree by 2020.

* Increasing revenue from S&T to at least 15% of the total HEI revenue by 2010 and 25% by 2020.

* Improving development policies of HE to ensure the autonomy and accountability of HEIs, state management as well as the supervision and evaluation of higher education by the society.

2. Program of training 20,000 doctors by 2020

* Creation of 20,000 PhD as highly qualified teaching and research staff by 2020 (10,000 trained abroad, of which 2,500 by the U.S) (At present the ratio of lecturers holding PhD only 14%, those with professor or associate professor title only 6%. Currently the quality of PhD training is limited and only 500 PhDs trained annualy).

* The to-be-trained 2,500 PhD in the U.S will be the core group at VN universities to maitain and develop the cooperation in education, research and economy between Vietnam and the US in the future.

3. The 10-year program for improvement of English teaching quality and

application in Vietnam.

As consiquence English proficiency as an advantage of Vietnamese in 10 years’

time.

4. Developing the training programs comparable to regionally and

internationally recognized advanced universities and establishing some national and foreign top class universities in Vietnam through five following measures:

From 2006-2020, implementing so called advanced programs adopted from prestigious foreign institutions at developed Vietnamese universities:

9 universities (since 2006) in technical, naturalscientific and economic fields; other 9 universities (since 2008) in addition in medical, urban planning and construction fields; and additional 9 other universities (since 2010) in addition in social sciences and humanities.

Establishing a new university based on Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) - The Hanoi University of Science and Technology VAST is a major science center in VN with 210 Profs. and Ass. Profs. as the highest number of those compared to any university in VN.

Currently VAST trains annually 100 PhD and 150 Masters (a VN university on the average trains 15 PhD annually and 37.5% of VN universities offer PhD only).

VAST has the leading system of laboratories in Vietnam. The Hanoi University of Science and Technology would have a close cooperation with leading universities in Europe, Asia and the US in order to provide high quality training of Bachelor, Master and PhD.

The university would also attract Vietnamese professors living abroad to return to Vietnam to work and conduct research.

All lecturers are PhD holders.

The university will be granted autonomy in its operation and expected to come into operation in 2008.

* Developing Hanoi and Hochiminh City National Universities into high-quality

interdisciplinary research universities.

* Jointly established with foreign entities Universities: Vietnam-German University.

Teaching content and program will be adopted from 17 German universities,

languages of instruction will be English and German, teaching staff will include both Vietnamese and German.

The first President of this university will be a German professor.

The Governments of Vietnam and Hessen will provide appropriate financial support for the first phase of this university. The university is expected to come into operation in 2008.

* Attracting an US university to invest in Vietnam.

Recently, Intel Products Vietnam has worked with MOET to present the idea to

encourage a prestigious US university in IT and other related disciplines to open a new campus in Vietnam.

Intel will announce the name of this university by August 2007.

MOET has committed to facilitate the application procedures and ask the

Government for land support for this project.

The Government of Vietnam ccould consider to co-invest into this university.

The common features of the above Universities

* Being the high quality universities, centers for knowledge and new technologies creation of Vietnam;

being the pioneering research institutions of Vietnam in cooperation with foreign universities, research institutes and companies for the period after 2015.

* Being the key institutions in offering doctorate training for other universities and the whole economy as well.

(Currently out of 160 universities in Vietnam, only 60 (37.5%) offer PhD training, the rest 62.5% can not due to insufficient number of PhD lecturers and research facilities).

* Being the models for the effective management and international quality standards for Vietnam education (high quality of enrolled students and teaching

staff, highly competitive academic environment among lecturers and students,

high level of autonomy, strong research and consequent application of research outcomes, quality accreditation and commitment in policy and training outcomes

upon receipt of government funding).

* By 2020, a Vietnamese university should be listed among the top 200 universities in the world.

CALLING FOR SUPPORT FROM THE US

*Support of the US Gov. and Uni. for the program of training 2,500 PhD in the US from 2007-2020, mainly through the US National Academies and VEF.

* Establishment of HE quality accreditation system and ranking of Vietnamese HEIs.

* Support of the US Gov. and Uni. for partnerships between US and VN Uni. to implement advanced programs in 20 VN Uni. (2007-2020).

* Support for Intel Corporation and Vietnam to attract an US research university to invest in VN.

* Partnering some US Uni. with VN Uni. to establish a few number of high quality Uni. in Vietnam, listed among the top 200 Uni. in the world by 2020.