INTRODUCTION
Language proficiency plays a crucial role in career advancement and salary potential, with bilingual individuals often earning more than their monolingual counterparts As Vietnam embraces global integration and expands its economic relations, English has emerged as the dominant international language, essential for navigating global markets.
Somehow, many head hunters and employers in Vietnam prefer recruiting people who not only specialize in their fields but are also able to speak
According to a 2019 assessment by Satander Trade Hub, Vietnam ranks as one of the most appealing destinations for foreign direct investment (FDI) in Asia, attracting significant investments primarily from Japan, South Korea, and Singapore.
Many foreign corporations have established branches in Vietnam, creating numerous career opportunities for Vietnamese workers However, this influx of companies also presents challenges, as local employees must compete with both fellow Vietnamese and foreign candidates for top positions Consequently, proficiency in foreign languages has become essential for Vietnamese employees to enhance their competitiveness in the job market.
Japanese, Korean and Chinese as well becomes the huge advantage to be outstanding
HUFLIT, a private university located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is committed to fulfilling social demands for well-trained human resources The institution focuses on harnessing the potential of its students, particularly undergraduates in the Foreign Language department, to prepare them for the workforce.
The Languages Department offers students the opportunity to learn an optional language alongside their major, English However, many students struggle with mastering both languages simultaneously, leading to poor performance or failure in the optional language Consequently, some students find themselves at a standstill, unable to effectively manage their studies in both their major and optional languages.
The language acquisition process is inherently challenging, making it difficult for many Foreign Language (FL) learners Numerous researchers have conducted surveys to explore these difficulties experienced by learners.
7 surrounding multilingual ability such as its beneficial impacts on intellectual improvement by Kluger in the article "How the Brain Benefits
From Being Bilingual" (2013) and Vince in “The Amazing Benefits of
Being Bilingual” which was published in BBC newspaper (2016) Gandara
Acevedo's research (2016) highlights the significant role of bilingualism in driving economic growth Despite this, there is a lack of studies addressing the challenges faced by students in acquiring a second language As a senior in the Department of Foreign Languages, I find it essential to conduct a survey to assess the attitudes of English-major students towards the optional language courses at HUFLIT.
This article aims to explore the challenges faced by HUFLIT students in learning two languages simultaneously By understanding these difficulties, the study seeks to identify effective solutions that will not only help students succeed in their coursework but also enable the Department to enhance the overall quality of language instruction at HUFLIT.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Bilingualism is defined as the ability to use more than one language, with Baker (2001) emphasizing this capability Bloomfield (1933) described bilingualism as fluency in two languages akin to a native speaker, while Haugen (1953) and Weinreich (1953) suggested that even those who speak two languages imperfectly can be considered bilingual Consequently, determining who qualifies as bilingual can be challenging In 2006, Baker further elaborated on the definition of "bilingual."
" Bilinguals use their two languages with different people, in different contexts for different purposes
Levels of proficiency in a language may depend on which contexts (e.g street and home) and how often that language is used." (Baker, 2006)
Many researchers also shared the view with Baker (2006), especially Garcia
(2011) when he described bilingualism as "not one plus one" progress
Similarly, Myers-Scotton named this type of bilinguals "dominant bilingual" So far, we can accept that English-majored students at HUFLIT as bilinguals
Bilingualism acquisition has been a significant area of research, with terms like "simultaneous bilingualism," defined by Houwer (1996) as learning both languages at the same time, and "sequential bilingualism," where one language is acquired before the other (Flynn et al., 2005) In Vietnam, freshman students typically have a long history of English learning, as it is a compulsory subject in secondary and high school curricula Moreover, English-majored students are expected to learn English alongside an optional language Consequently, this research paper will address both forms of bilingualism.
1 The challenges of simultaneous and sequential bilingual acquisition
A 2016 article by Elbes highlights that multilingualism has long been a goal for experts seeking access to knowledge in foreign languages, particularly in the fields of science and medicine This strong desire for bilingualism is easily understandable due to the numerous benefits it offers.
To achieve fluency in a new language, learners must dedicate significant time and effort They face various challenges that need to be addressed, as identified by linguistic experts, which span multiple aspects of language acquisition.
Pronunciation is a crucial element of learning a second or foreign language, as it significantly impacts a native speaker's ability to comprehend a nonnative speaker's expressions (Leather, 1983) Each language features its unique pronunciation system, highlighting the importance of mastering these sounds for effective communication.
In 1980, Culter pointed out that the most common pronunciation error was
Lexical stress errors are a significant area of study, as highlighted by Culter, who referenced evidence from Fromkin's papers from 1973 and 1976 Culter also analyzed various corpora related to these errors and proposed several hypotheses to explain the underlying causes Additionally, Ababneh (2018) contributed to this field with further research on lexical stress errors.
Arabic students learning English as a foreign language often struggle with pronunciation, particularly with word stress Many students, regardless of their major, frequently fail to emphasize the correct syllable in certain words, leading to noticeable errors (Ababneh, 2018) This issue highlights the importance of addressing stress patterns in language instruction for Arabic speakers.
In a study conducted by Caramazza et al (1973), the pronunciation of six common stop-vowel syllables was analyzed among bilingual French-English speakers The results revealed a lack of proficiency in phonetic perception among the participants.
Besides, Ellis and Beaton (1993) provided examples of the varied
The concept of "articulatory features" is illustrated through a comparison of five Chinese words that share the same pronunciation but differ in tone, resulting in distinct meanings This phenomenon is similar to the challenges faced by foreigners learning the Vietnamese accent, which can be difficult to master and remember Conversely, Vietnamese speakers often have a tendency to incorporate diacritics into their speech when communicating in foreign languages, reflecting a habitual linguistic adaptation.
Meara (1980) highlights that vocabulary is often viewed as the most significant challenge by foreign language learners, resulting in the acquisition of only basic lexis after an extended period of study.
Language learners have once experienced forgetting vocabularies which have just been learned Groot & Keijzer (2000) from the University of
Amsterdam demonstrated that learners are confused by complete discrepancies among the meanings of a word as well as the variety of word- types in different languages
However, in 1913, Ronjat published a book instructing how to raise a kid bilingual, which took his son as a model of the bilingual acquisition of
French and German Fortunately, Louis, Ronjat's son, performed the remarkable ability in both languages Besides, a study was conducted by
A study by Kaushankaya et al (2009) examined the impact of bilingualism on vocabulary acquisition in novels, revealing that bilingual individuals demonstrate superior word-learning abilities compared to their monolingual counterparts This research highlights the advantages of bilingualism in enhancing vocabulary development.
Besides, there are many studies which put the advantages of bilingualism into doubt According to Leopold (1949), her daughter who was exposed in
The confusion in vocabulary usage between English and German is evident, as highlighted by Otheguy et al (2010), who noted that Spanish-English speakers often prefer the Spanish term "edificio" when referring to buildings or schools.
Similarly, Arsenian (1945); Darcy (1953) and Macnamara (1966) pinpointed symptom of lexical decline on bilingual children
Grammar could be one of the issues that FL learners are concerned about due to its complexion According to The TELF Academy's blog on August
2017, students have to struggle with sentence structures in various languages which are constructed in assured order For instance, on
Vnexpress newspaper, Pham (2016) pointed out one of the challenges
Vietnamese may face when learning Japanese that the vast difference in
Japanese grammar; while Vietnamese and English are SVO language (
Subject - Verb - Object), Japanese is set up by SOV order Similarly,
Dopke (2000) notes that English-German students consistently use -VO word order in German sentences, while German allows for both -VO and -OB structures Volterna et al (1978) found that bilingual adolescents often apply identical syntactic rules across their two languages Meisel (1989) supports this view, stating that bilinguals struggle to differentiate between distinct grammatical frameworks, a phenomenon described as "fusion" by Wolck (1994).
The interaction between spoken and written language significantly influences linguistic development, with reading and writing fluency being key components (Garton et al., 1998; Hatano, 1995) Consequently, literacy, particularly alphabet knowledge, is essential for effective language acquisition.
However, people who learn Chinese, Korean, and so on which use hieroglyphic characters can find it difficult to acquire the alphabets
Chinese alphabet contains over 80,000 characters, and learners are required to comprehend at least 3500 standard Chinese (Wagner,2011) Pham (2016) also continued that Japanese has 3 alphabets such as "Hiragana",
Japanese writing utilizes three scripts: "Katakana," "Kanji," and "Hiragana," each serving distinct purposes These scripts are pictographic, which can pose challenges for sequential bilinguals, particularly those accustomed to the Roman alphabet Oriyama's study (2001) indicated that Japanese-English students in Australia experienced delays in achieving Japanese literacy.
Besides, an investigation was conducted by Raynolds (2010) to compare the English spelling of Spanish-English children with native English ones
Bilingual kindergarteners were found to have made more mistakes than the
12 monolingual group on ending stop consonants, which were phonetically different in English and Spanish
2 The influence of motivation in sequential bilingual acquisition
The classification of motivation in language acquisition
Gardner and Lambert (1972) found out the role of motivation in the progress of second language acquisition [SLA] They also defined it as two categories:
- Integrative motivation - In this type, learners acquire a language because of their interest in the country of the language they are learning
- Instrumental motivation - In this type, learners consider the target language necessary for their career or study
Dửrnyei (1994) also claimed that "L2 motivation is an eclectic, multifaced construct"; so that he elaborated the model of motivation in SLA as three aspects of language:
- The social dimension - "the exact nature of the social and pragmatic dimensions of L2 motivation is always dependent on who learns what languages where."
- The personal dimension - in which, the SLA motivation is contributed by self-determination, self-efficacy, self-confidence, and need for achievement, etc
- The educational subject matter dimension - which includes:
METHODOLOGY
As an aspiring teacher, I am motivated to explore the challenges faced by my peers and fellow English majors in learning two languages simultaneously This exploration will enhance my teaching and learning strategies, enabling me to support less successful students in the future Given my limited time as a senior, I recognize the importance of conducting a survey to identify the underlying causes of this phenomenon A quantitative approach, particularly descriptive research, is most suitable for this purpose, as it allows for precise measurements and evaluation of statistical data within the appropriate context.
2003) Therefore, the methods mentioned below would be used:
(1) Questionnaire: (Appendix A) I examine students' attitude toward the obstacles they have found when learning another language at the same time
(2) Interview: (Appendix B) I have interviewed two lecturers who are teaching French and Japanese for English-majored students in order to approach teachers’ attitude toward the obstacles of bilingual acquisition
This research paper is set in the context of Vietnam, particularly in the Ho
Chi Minh City University of Foreign Language - Technology Information
(HUFLIT) All the participants major in English Consequently, they have experienced at least once the "optional language" subjects ranging from
Japanese to Chinese, which results from the requirement of the Foreign
Language Faculty in the recent years In spite of being the same
Department, these undergraduates have diverse backgrounds when they've enrolled in various fields of English including Pedagogy, Business,
Translation and Interpretation Moreover, they are studying in different school years As the result, their view points toward this topic can be considered objectively and reliably
There were two lecturers coming from Faculty of Oriental Studies participated in short interviews which aims to identify English-majored
17 undergraduates' struggles and weaknesses when studying the optional language subject under teacher's observations Two interviews were also executed separately
On the 6th week of the research process, I have sent the link of questionnaire powered by Google Form to several private groups of
HUFLIT students, especially English-majored undergraduates Fortunately, this questionnaire was responded positively by 46 English-majored participants after 2 weeks
After gathering coded data, I recognized the need for feedback from lecturers teaching optional language subjects With the help of friends, I obtained contacts for two lecturers specializing in French and Japanese I conducted informal interviews during the 8th and 9th weeks of my research, where both lecturers willingly shared their perspectives on the performance of English-majored students in their classes, as well as their own experiences with bilingual acquisition during their studies.
The survey utilized a questionnaire titled "The Obstacles of English-Majored Students When Studying the Optional Language at HUFLIT," which was developed based on insights gathered from previous research discussed in Chapter 2.
The questionnaire comprised 13 questions aimed at targeting specific subjects for the study The initial three questions focused on narrowing down the participant pool, while the subsequent seven questions explored their attitudes towards the optional language subject, including obstacles and preferred learning styles The final three questions sought to understand their perspectives and expectations regarding potential solutions The format of the questionnaire was multiple choice.
Participants were asked to select the most appropriate answers in the survey Prior to its distribution, the questionnaire was submitted to and approved by the lecturer The purpose of this questionnaire was to gather comprehensive insights.
- The difficulties student could get when learning two languages at the same time
- The reason why they had chosen their own optional language
- The specific study plans to solve this barrier
- Their expectations from the Department to figure out this issue
- Their possible solutions for the optional language subject
- Their points of view about the importance of this subject
A total of 50 undergraduates from the Foreign Languages Department at HUFLIT successfully completed and returned the questionnaire, facilitated by Google.
Forms' technology (powered by Google), the data collected from the questionnaires was analyzed and illustrated into 12 charts
A recent data analysis derived from interviews with two college lecturers teaching Japanese and Chinese to English-major students revealed insights into undergraduates' classroom abilities and behaviors The lecturers also discussed their personal experiences with language acquisition The interviews were recorded and transcribed, with the full transcripts to be presented later in this paper.
RESULTS
This chapter investigates the challenges of being trilingual through an analysis of research findings A questionnaire survey was conducted with 46 English-majored students from HUFLIT and two lecturers responsible for optional language subjects to identify and clarify the issues of simultaneous language learning The results are presented in 12 charts for enhanced understanding.
Three charts above indicate background information of participants of this survey There are 26 seniors, 4 juniors, 13 sophomores, and 3 freshmen
Currently, nearly 70% of students are enrolled in at least one optional language course, with half selecting Japanese as their preferred language Additionally, 21.7% of undergraduates have chosen to study Chinese, while 15.2% of English majors are learning French Only 13% of students are pursuing Korean, a language introduced in 2016 due to a shortage of instructors This variety in language choices reflects the diverse perspectives that will be explored in this paper.
The pie chart reveals the frequency of participation among English-majored undergraduates in an optional language course A significant portion, nearly 40%, reported retaking the course more than three times, while 23.7% and 10.5% attended the classes two and three times, respectively In contrast, only 26.3% of students had taken the course just once This data indicates that many English-majored undergraduates are facing challenges with the optional language course.
The pie chart illustrates the reasons why English-majored undergraduates selected their current language of study Notably, 50% of participants based their choice on personal feelings Additionally, 23.9% consulted friends and family before making their decision, indicating the importance of social influence Furthermore, 17.4% of students took social demand into account when choosing their optional language, highlighting a growing awareness of language relevance in society.
Only 8.7% of students selected the optional language recommended by the department, highlighting the need for tailored instruction for English-majored freshmen This suggests that students should have the opportunity to choose a language that aligns with their abilities in addition to English.
The bar graph illustrates the language acquisition phase of English majors, focusing on their learning outside the classroom Among 46 volunteers, only 11% (5 participants) reported dedicating over 5 hours per week to studying the optional language Additionally, 32.6% of students engaged in occasional learning of the language outside of class.
Many English majors report that they rarely, if ever, engage with the textbooks for their elective language courses.
The chart illustrates the methods used by English majors to learn and practice a foreign language, revealing that nearly 70% of students engage in self-study, a practice endorsed for its numerous advantages in higher education However, Benson (2007) highlights important considerations regarding this approach.
Learners do not inherently acquire self-directed learning skills merely by being placed in situations with limited options (p.22) Over 20% of participants enrolled in language center courses, while only 8.7% engaged in group learning with friends The high cost of private tutoring rendered one-on-one classes unaffordable for most This highlights a significant lack of community-driven initiatives, such as language clubs, that could facilitate learner connections through interactive communication activities.
The graph illustrates the various challenges students face in learning an optional language, highlighting difficulties in grammar structure, pronunciation, vocabulary, and fundamental skills such as speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
The very first one is grammar which made up 52,2% percent of the total
Basic skills, accounting for 26.1%, are a significant concern for undergraduates, particularly in mastering grammar, which is seen as a major obstacle for HUFLIT juniors in effectively using the language.
22,2 percent of the total, grammar structure is absolutely an aspect of each language that HUFLIT students struggle with
The bar graph illustrates the perceptions of English-majored students at HUFLIT University regarding the difficulty of the optional language syllabus A significant portion of participants, 41.3%, rated the courses as medium in difficulty, while 37% of the respondents found the subjects challenging to pass Additionally, 8.7% of students described the material as extremely difficult Conversely, only a small number of undergraduates reported that they could manage the optional language courses with ease This data indicates a pressing need for adjustments in the curriculum and examination formats.
The graph illustrates the challenges faced by English-majored undergraduates in mastering optional language subjects, with 37% of participants attributing their difficulties to significant differences between their chosen optional language and their primary field of study.
In a recent survey, 30.4% of students felt that the Department's challenging tests were overly demanding, while 23.9% attributed their struggles to limited study time Additionally, only 4.3% of undergraduates disagreed with the teaching styles of their lecturers Notably, one student highlighted that the most difficult aspect of learning English was finding a way to express themselves in the language.
The graph above reveals how English-majored students improve the results of optional language subjects The majority of those who were asked
A significant majority of volunteers (76.1%) preferred to dedicate more time to their chosen subjects In contrast, 15.2% expressed interest in switching to a language that better matched their skills Some participants opted to decrease the number of subjects they took each term to focus more on the optional language Notably, one student considered changing their major to one that did not necessitate bilingual proficiency.
The graph indicates what English-majored students expected from the department in order to improve that situation Nearly half of volunteers
DISCUSSTION
The original hypothesis and objective
This paper aims to explore the challenges faced by English-major students when learning two languages concurrently The research focuses on the experiences of both undergraduate students and their difficulties in managing dual language acquisition.
The department identifies various factors contributing to the failure of English-majored students in optional language subjects, enabling us to develop effective solutions for this issue.
The findings indicate that many students make impulsive decisions regarding their optional language selection, often influenced by friends and family rather than careful consideration This suggests that English-majored students may lack sufficient motivation in their language choices Notably, only 4 out of 46 participants reported following the Department's guidelines when selecting their optional language Additionally, 47.8% of undergraduates expressed a desire for more comprehensive guidance This highlights the ineffectiveness of the Department's orientation meetings in providing adequate instruction for freshmen on choosing the right language to study.
English-majored students often neglect the study of optional languages, as confirmed by two lecturers who observed that many students underestimate these subjects This lack of commitment is reflected in the coded data, which shows that most students do not complete homework or prepare adequately for these courses The absence of Introjected regulation, defined as the acceptance of externally imposed norms that pressure students to behave, contributes to their insufficient motivation in acquiring the optional language Consequently, their progress in language acquisition remains hindered.
Then, according to the tenth pie-chart, there are many students struggling with the differences between their main language and the optional one
Grammar was regarded as one of the biggest barriers for HUFLIT juniors to
Over half of the participants reported difficulties in using language correctly, highlighting the complexity of grammar structures and collocation systems across different languages Even among languages that share the same alphabet, variations in the order of sentence elements—such as subjects, objects, and verbs—can lead to confusion.
English and French; which was pinpointed by French lecturer at HUFLIT
Inconsistencies in English grammar can arise for students majoring in English who lack a solid foundation in language structure Additionally, many of these students often feel insecure about their fundamental skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
A significant 30.4% of volunteers attributed their struggle in optional language subjects to the demanding knowledge load, yet most participants rated the course difficulty at HUFLIT as medium or above Interestingly, only 17.4% of volunteers suggested that the Department should lessen the knowledge load for each course, indicating a conflict among students Consequently, it appears that the optional language syllabus and examinations are unlikely to be the primary factors contributing to this failure.
A significant 23.9% of English-majored students expressed concerns about insufficient time to engage with optional languages This issue warrants careful consideration, especially since nearly 77% of participants believe that dedicating more time could address the problem Thankfully, few undergraduates have opted for drastic measures, such as switching majors, indicating a preference to explore solutions within their current academic paths.
Finally, there are few undergraduates claimed that the teaching style of
At HUFLIT, lecturers have not actively engaged with students in their learning processes, leading many students to rely on self-study as their primary learning strategy However, as noted by Benson (2007), simply placing learners in a self-directed environment does not inherently develop their ability to manage their own learning Furthermore, as highlighted earlier, English-majored students appear to struggle with motivation in their language acquisition journey, which encompasses the critical aspect of self-determination (Dürnyei, 1994).
Zimmerman et al claimed that self-regulatory is one of the decisive factors of success in school (2001) In the nutshell, the inappropriate learning style
34 of English-majored undergraduates can be considered one of the obstacles of the optional language acquisition
Finding out the obstacles of learning two languages at the same time can advantage not only undergraduates but also the English Department
English-majored students can recognize their shortcomings in order to improve their result and impress employers with multilingual ability
Besides, the Department also supports the students' studying appropriately
However, there are several obvious limitations in my research First of all, the results are not convincing enough since there are a limited number of
English-majored students responding to the questionnaire
Both lecturers interviewed agreed that English-majored undergraduates need to enhance their attitude towards optional language subjects; however, they did not suggest any measures to engage students in these courses Consequently, the goals of my study remain unfulfilled.
A limitation of the study is that the questionnaire focuses solely on the study habits and attitudes of English majors, while it seldom addresses the curricular activities available to students for language practice.
I find that my limitations can make way for further studies I hereby suggest some topics for researchers who are interested in this field:
- Kinds of curricular activities which promote bilingual/multilingual ability
- The Inspiration in the progress of second language teaching.
CONCLUSION
Language has been a key factor for not only the career path of Vietnamese youngster but also the economic expansion Acknowledging its importance,
This research aims to identify the challenges faced by students learning two languages simultaneously and to explore potential solutions for better language acquisition English-majored undergraduates often struggle to differentiate between their primary language and the optional language, leading to confusion and mixing Additionally, the guidance provided by the English department to help freshmen select an appropriate optional language appears to be insufficient Therefore, further investigation in this area is essential to enhance the quality of education and training for English-majored students.
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Questionaire: The obstacles of English-majored students when studying the optional language at HUFLIT
I am Lam Khanh Hong, an English-majored senior As you all know, we have to complete 4 credits of an optional language as a compulsory subject besides
English However, there are many undergraduates in our Department find it difficult to acquire and repeat this subject at the end
This questionnaire is designed to assess your perspective on the challenges encountered while learning the optional language We kindly request that you complete this form, and we greatly appreciate your assistance.
2 What is your optional language?
3 Why did you choose that language?
4 How much time do you spend for that subject per week?
=< 2 hours/week 2 - 4 hours/ week >= 5 hours/ week
5 How do you learn that subject?
Study in the language center
6 Which aspect do you find difficult when learning the optional language?
Basic skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing)
7 Rate the level of difficulty of the optional language subject at HUFLIT
8 What is the reason that you find this subject difficult to acquire?
Inappropriate teaching styles of lecturers
Big differences between the secondary language (English) and the third language
9 What can you do to improve this situation?
Register less subject in each semeter
Spend more time on this subject
Choose the language which is suitable for your ability
10 What do you expect from the department in order to improve this situation?
Reduce the number of credits of this subject
Offer comprehensive guideline when the students decide their own third language
Consider the third language as an optional subject
11 As the English-majored student, do you think it is necessary for you to learn another language besides English?
A: Today is Friday 24th May This interview is for my research paper, and I am so grateful for you being here Please introduce yourself a little bit
B: I'm a teacher at HUFLIT, and I've worked here for more than 30 years as a lecture on a course of French When I was an undergraduate, I majored in
French and English was my optional language
A: So you had experienced several obstacles when learning two languages at the same time, hadn't you?
B: Not actually You know, I had learnt French before acquiring English
Both languages are kindred so that I found it easier to learn English after mastering French
B: I think it can be challenging for English-majored students to study
Learning French can be challenging due to its complex grammar structures that require memorization However, Vietnamese speakers may find an advantage in French pronunciation, as it shares similarities with their native accent.
A: In your opinion, what aspects do English-majored students find it difficult when learning English and French at the same time
B: Grammar structure, of course! I have to say that French grammar is extremely hard I also noticed that some students have confused the pronunciation and intonation of French and English
A: Can you give some advice that English-majored students should so to improve that situation?
B: They should devote more time to this subject Most students underestimate the optional language subjects in general To French, they should practice the listening skill and grammar exercises
A: So do you think that the Department should do something to help students?
B: Yes, I noticed that many students have misunderstood that French is exactly the same as English and been disillusioned afterwards So the
Department should give them appropriate orientation
A: So that is a suggestion from you Thank you very much for coming here today to help me with my graduation paper I really appreciate your opinion
A: Today is Thursday 30th May This interview is for my research paper, and I am so grateful for you being here Can you introduce yourself?
B: I'm a teacher at the Faculty of Oriental Studies I'm also teaching
Japanese as the optional language for English-majored students
A: Have you ever experienced another language besides Japanese when you were a student?
B: Yes, I studied English and French
A: So did you find any difficulties when learning two languages at the same time?
I focused primarily on my main language, which led me to set lower expectations for my English skills I didn't aim for fluency; instead, I prioritized reading and translation proficiency.
A: In your opinion, what aspects do English-majored students find it difficult when learning English and Japanese at the same time?
B: The alphabet, of course Japanese alphabet is much different from both
The differences between the English and Vietnamese alphabets, along with pronunciation challenges, create significant obstacles for learners The distinct intonation patterns in English and Japanese can lead to confusion, especially for students who have not yet established a solid foundation in either language As they continue their learning journey, their awareness of these differences is crucial to overcoming these hurdles.
They don't pay enough attention to this subject As a result, the result is not good enough
A: So do you have any advice for students to pass this subject?