VOA慢速英语:A Community Helps Burmese Refugees Learn English

About eighteen thousand refugees from Burma have come to the United States each year since two thousand seven. Some have settled in Howard County, Maryland, between Baltimore and Washington. A local school began teaching English to the children of the refugees.
从2007年以来，每年有大约1.8万名难民从缅甸来到美国，有些人定居在位于巴尔的摩和华盛顿之间的马里兰州霍华德县。当地一所学校开始为难民儿童开展英语教学。
 
But while the children learned the language, their parents did not. That makes communication with teachers difficult.
但是，当孩子们学了英语，他们的父母却没有学。这使得他们很难与教师们沟通。

Currently almost fifty Burmese youngsters attend Bollman Bridge Elementary School. Laurel Conran is a teacher there.
目前，近50名缅甸青少年就读于Bollman Bridge小学。Laurel Conran就是那里的一名教师。
 
LAUREL CONRAN: "The main idea is the global idea."
LAUREL CONRAN：“其主要想法就是全球理念。”

She teaches English to speakers of other languages.
她给说其它语言的人士教英语。

LAUREL CONRAN: "Today we were doing text structures. I wanted them to know the vocabulary, the language of text structures, so when they go back into the classroom and work with their peers, they can do this successfully in the classroom."
LAUREL CONRAN：“今天，我们学习了文章结构。我想让他们知道词汇，语言文字结构。因此当他们回到课堂上与同伴们学习时，他们在课堂上就可以做到这些。”

One of her students is Tha Neih Ciang. Another student is Tha Neih's mother, Tin Iang. Ms. Conran practices English with Tin Iang at the mother's workplace. Many Burmese refugees work at Coastal Sunbelt Produce, a supplier of fruits and vegetables to restaurants and other businesses.
她的其中一名学生是Tha Neih Ciang，另一名学生是Tha Neih的母亲Tin Iang。Conran女士在妈妈们的工作场所和Tin Iang练习英语。许多缅甸难民在Coastal Sunbelt Produce工作，这是一家向餐馆和其它公司供应水果蔬菜的供应商。

Laurel Conran started classes at the company to help refugees from the country also known as Myanmar learn English.
Laurel Conran在该公司开设课程，以帮助缅甸难民学习英语。

LAUREL CONRAN: "The program is a six-week session. It's once a week, on every Wednesday, from twelve to one o'clock. So every Wednesday I go to Coastal Sunbelt."
LAUREL CONRAN：“该课程为期6周，买个星期的星期三上一次课，时间从12点到1点。所以每周三我都会去Coastal Sunbelt上课。”

As the Burmese workers eat lunch, they also practice their new language skills. They sit in small groups with an English-speaking volunteer.
由于缅甸工人吃午餐时也会练习他们学到的新的语言技能。他们与一名讲英语的志愿者坐成一小圈。

Lisa Chertok has a child at Bollman Bridge. She is also a manager at Coastal Sunbelt. She helped Ms. Conran develop the lessons, which she says have really helped.
Lisa Chertok有个孩子在Bollman Bridge小学就读。她还是Coastal Sunbelt的经理。她帮助Conran女士开设了这一课程，她说这确实有帮助。

LISA CHERTOK: "Well, when the Burmese employees got here, they were very, very shy. Now I find that they are more responsive as employees. They're more communicative. They're also, as parents, they are more involved in their children's school."
LISA CHERTOK：“恩，当缅甸的员工来到这里时都非常，非常害羞。现在我发现作为员工她们反应更快，有更多的交流。而作为父母，她们也更多参与到孩子们的学校中。”

Jonathan Davis is the principal of Bollman Bridge Elementary School.
Jonathan Davis是Bollman Bridge小学校长。

JONATHAN DAVIS: "I really see it as the beginning of a great partnership between a business and a school, and we've just begun to scratch the surface with how that could benefit, really, the greater community."
JONATHAN DAVIS：“我真的视之为企业和学校之间的一个伟大合作关系的开端。在如何让更大群体受益这点上，我们才刚接触到表面的东西。”

Mr. Davis hopes the lessons will help Burmese parents feel better about communicating with the school.
Davis先生希望这一课程能有助于缅甸父母对能够更好的与学校沟通。
 
JONATHAN DAVIS: "Even as simply as making a phone call to say that their son or daughter is sick, even if that's the amount of English that they have gotten from the program, that truly will help us."
JONATHAN DAVIS：“即使只是简单到拨打电话来告知说孩子生病了，哪怕这就是他们从这一课程中学到的全部内容，也将真正的抱住到我们。”

SPEAKER: "Please welcome Laurel Conran and Lisa Chertok."
广播：“请欢迎Laurel Conran和Lisa Chertok。”
For their work, the two women received a Community Builders Award from Howard County.
因为她们的工作，这两位女士获得霍华德县的社会建设者奖项。

LAUREL CONRAN: "I love this program. As a community we want to work together, collaboratively, because when everybody works together it is a win-win situation."
LAUREL CONRAN：“我喜欢这个方案。作为社会中的一员，我们要共同努力，合作。因为当大家一起合作就是一个双赢的局面。”