Delta 4 featured a story about foreign PhD students learning Dutch and English. This article, Foreigners can choose between Dutch and ‘Dunglish’, was too general.
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Most PhD students from European and former Warsaw Pact countries have little difficulty learning both Dutch and English, some people from Russia and the former GDR excepted. For students from the former East Germany, Russian was their second language and few of them learned English.
Applicants from the US and Great-Britain have the advantage that their English is perfect; but they have the disadvantage of having little experience in learning a second language. Chinese people have usually received some education in the English-language; however, quite a few of them have difficulty with pronunciation.
PhD-students from the former Warsaw Pact countries and China often seize the opportunity to live in The Netherlands. Following Dutch courses is irrefutably useful, therefore, enabling them to function properly within a Dutch company. PhD students from Western Europe, the US, and Japan often move on to laboratories abroad or return home to their native countries. For them, learning Dutch makes less sense.
Language courses for PhD-students must be designed for their particular situations. TU Delft must remain flexible on this point. An introductory English course is useful for PhD candidates from the former East Germany and Russia. For Chinese students, a course that concentrates on good pronunciation is important, in English as well as in Dutch. Evening courses in Dutch and a refresher course in English should also be offered.
Many foreign PhD students bring their partners with them to Delft. These partners should also be able to follow language courses. After all: there’s a long waiting list for language courses. By the time a person can enrol in a course, they’ll no longer as highly motivated.
Pieter Jonker, department of pattern recognition, faculty of Applied Sciences
Delta 4 featured a story about foreign PhD students learning Dutch and English. This article, Foreigners can choose between Dutch and ‘Dunglish’, was too general.
Most PhD students from European and former Warsaw Pact countries have little difficulty learning both Dutch and English, some people from Russia and the former GDR excepted. For students from the former East Germany, Russian was their second language and few of them learned English.
Applicants from the US and Great-Britain have the advantage that their English is perfect; but they have the disadvantage of having little experience in learning a second language. Chinese people have usually received some education in the English-language; however, quite a few of them have difficulty with pronunciation.
PhD-students from the former Warsaw Pact countries and China often seize the opportunity to live in The Netherlands. Following Dutch courses is irrefutably useful, therefore, enabling them to function properly within a Dutch company. PhD students from Western Europe, the US, and Japan often move on to laboratories abroad or return home to their native countries. For them, learning Dutch makes less sense.
Language courses for PhD-students must be designed for their particular situations. TU Delft must remain flexible on this point. An introductory English course is useful for PhD candidates from the former East Germany and Russia. For Chinese students, a course that concentrates on good pronunciation is important, in English as well as in Dutch. Evening courses in Dutch and a refresher course in English should also be offered.
Many foreign PhD students bring their partners with them to Delft. These partners should also be able to follow language courses. After all: there’s a long waiting list for language courses. By the time a person can enrol in a course, they’ll no longer as highly motivated.
Pieter Jonker, department of pattern recognition, faculty of Applied Sciences
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