実践ビジネス英語 ディクテーション (8/10,11ほか)

こんにちは。NHKラジオ「実践ビジネス英語」”Talk the Talk”のディクテーションです。

Lesson 9のテーマは、’Helping College Students Graduate’（大学生の失業支援）でした。Vignetteでは、アメリカでは中途退学する大学生が多く、6年以内に卒業するのは学生の55%にすぎないことや、4,400万人余りのアメリカ人が学生ローンを抱えていることなどが取り上げられ、学生を支援する取り組みが話題になりました。

“Talk the Talk”では、杉田先生とHeatherさんがご自身の学生時代を振り返り、学生へのアドバイスをされています。

Helping College Students Graduate

（S: 杉田敏先生　H: Heather Howardさん）

S: In our current vignette, the A&A staff talk about the dropout crisis in the United States.

Steve Lyons says only 55% of college students graduate within six years.

H: I have to admit I didn’t know that before we started preparing for this vignette.

I was shocked at how high the percentage is.

What’s the situation in Japan?

S: The college dropout rate is much lower here.

Nevertheless, I think a lot of students in Japan would benefit from the kind of volunteer coaching service that Alyce Collins is involved in.

I for one was a first-generation student―the first in my family to go to university and to graduate school.

It would have been a big help to get tips about things like how to choose and prepare for academic courses.

H: Definitely. I remember being told exactly what Collins says about balancing demanding classes with easier ones.

In my case, I think I heard that during freshman orientation.

One of the professors was helping us choose our course schedules and she brought that up.

It was good advice.

We had to get a certain number of math and science credits in order to graduate, for example, so I took two very easy basic courses in those areas.

That way, I could spend the majority of my time on what I really cared about particularly my Japanese language classes.

I also remember being told later on not to worry too much about my grades in the classes that I didn’t really care about.

A middling grade was fine as long as I got the credits, another professor said.

But that one was really hard for me.                       

My parents were so firm about “You will get good grades” up through high school that I was never able to be satisfied with the “gentleman’s c” as I heard it called.

S: Is there any advice you’d give your daughter, if and when her time comes?

H: Well, I’ve said this before, but I really think it bears repeating―experiment!

Try classes in lots of different subjects, especially areas that you’ve never considered before.

College is such a magical time between childhood and adulthood.

You’re stepping out into the adult world, you’re on your own for the first time, but you’re still closely watched over and protected.

And you’re not paying for everything yet.

So branch out, go crazy, see what you like.

Never again will you have so much time and freedom in your life.

What would be you advice, Mr. Sugita?

S: Try to learn about organization, time management and other social skills.

Most people only learn about those things after they’ve gone into the business world.

It would certainly have been a great help to me to learn such skills early on.

I think colleges should also encourage networking, teach students how to do that, because as they say, it’s difficult to make friends after thirty.

H: Yes. I would say, “Go to as many events as you can, attend parties and lectures and seminars. Do a sport, join some craft group, or whatever. But absolutely cultivate a network of friends and contacts.”

Social media makes it so much easier to do that now and to stay in touch after college than it was in my day.

S: It’s such a shame and such a waste to think that so many young people drop out.

H: It is. College is such a wonderful place for learning and expanding the mind.

I want as many kids as possible to experience that and to benefit from it as fully as possible.

I hope universities tackle the dropout problem aggressively and let students know they’ve got their back.

お疲れさまでした。お読み下さり、ありがとうございます♪