1、This is the VOA Special English Education Report.这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。A recent story in the Chronicle of Higher Education said many foreign students report feeling lonely or unwelcome in Australia. Those feelings are among the reasons why Australia is taking a close look at its international education in
2、dustry. The government has formed an advisory council to help develop a five-year national strategy for the future of international education in Australia.高等教育纪事报上最近的一份报道称,许多外国学生称在澳大利亚感到孤独或不受欢迎。也部分因为如此,澳大利亚开始审视其国际教育产业。澳大利亚政府组建了咨询委员会来开发澳大利亚未来国际教育的一个五年国民战略。But wherever international students go, makin
3、g friends may not always be easy. The Journal of International and Intercultural Communication recently published a study done in the United States.但不管国际学生去哪,交朋友可能不总是那么容易。国际及跨文化交流杂志最近发表了在美国进行的一项研究。Elisabeth Gareis of Baruch College in New York surveyed four hundred fifty-four international students.
4、 They were attending four-year colleges and graduate schools in the American South and Northeast.纽约巴鲁克学院的伊丽莎白加赖斯(Elisabeth Gareis)调查了454名国际学生,他们在美国南部和东北部上四年的大学和研究生院。Students from English-speaking countries and from northern and central Europe were more likely to be happy with their friendships. But
5、thirty-eight percent of the international students said they had no close friends in the United States.来自英语为母语国家以及欧洲北部和中部的学生可能对他们的友谊更为满意。但38%被调查的国际学生中表示,他们在美国没有亲密朋友。And half of the students from East Asia said they were unhappy with the number of American friends they had. Professor Gareis says thir
6、ty percent said they wished their friendships could be deeper and more meaningful.来自东亚的学生中有一半的人称对交的美国朋友数量感到不满,加赖斯教授说30%的学生城希望建立更深厚更有意义的友谊。ELISABETH GAREIS: Students from East Asia have cultures that are different on many levels from the culture in the United States. But then theres also language pro
7、blems, and maybe some social skills, such as small talk, that are possibly not as important in their native countries, where its not as important to initiate friendships with small talk.加赖斯:“东亚学生有着在很多层面上和美国不同的文化,然而紧接着还有语言问题,可能还包括社交技巧,像寒暄,这在他们国内可能并不重要,在那里通过寒暄激发友谊并不重要。”She says many East Asian student
8、s blamed themselves for their limited friendships with Americans.她说许多东亚学生将与美国学生友谊缺乏的原因归于自身。ELISABETH GAREIS: The vast majority blames themselves, actually for not speaking the language well enough, not knowing the culture well enough. There were also some comments about the college environment, like
9、 many of them were in the natural sciences or worked in labs where they were surrounded by other East Asians.加赖斯:“绝大多数人归咎于自己,实际上是由于语言不够好,不太了解美国文化。此外还有一些对高校环境的意见,像他们中的许多人在自然科学领域,或在实验室工作,身边都是其他东亚人的。”VOAs Student Union blogger Jessica Stahl did her own survey to find out how American students and forei
10、gn students relate to each other. More than one hundred students, about half of them American, answered her online questions.美国之音学生联盟的博主杰西卡斯塔尔(Jessica Stahl)做了自己的调查,以了解美国学生和外国学生如何关联。100多名学生在线回答了问题,其中有一半是美国人。Half of the international students and sixty percent of the Americans said they related as we
11、ll or better to the other group than to their own group.一半的国际学生和60%的美国学生表示,他们和非国人的关系一样好,甚至更好。Professor Gareis says students who make friends from their host country return home happier with their experience.加赖斯教授说,那些与东道国学生交友的学生归国后对自己的经历感到满意。ELISABETH GAREIS: International students who make friends with host nationals are, overall, more satisfied with their stay in the host country. They have better language skills, they have better academic performance and they have better attitudes toward the host country.加赖斯:“总体而言,和东道主学生交朋友的国际学生对他们在东道国的停留更为满意。他们语言技能和学术表现更好,对东道国态度也更好。”