塞内加尔开始在学前班引入英语
📖 逐句对照翻译
In Senegal, educators are starting to teach English to younger children in an effort to better prepare them to succeed in future educational and professional activities.
在塞内加尔，教育工作者开始向年幼的孩子教授英语，以便更好地为他们未来在教育和职业活动中的成功做好准备。
The preschool students also learn French – the country’s official language – as well as Arabic and the nation’s national languages, the French news agency AFP reports.
据法国新闻社法新社报道，学龄前学生还会学习法语——该国的官方语言——以及阿拉伯语和该国的民族语言。
Senegalese children who attend preschool – also known as nursery school, are generally under five.
塞内加尔上幼儿园（也称为托儿所）的儿童通常不满五岁。
Since mid-January, the education ministry has been testing a program that teaches English in more than 600 nursery and primary school classes.
自一月中旬以来，教育部一直在600多个幼儿园和小学班级中测试一项英语教学计划。
It is part of a plan to better connect Senegal with the rest of the world.
这是为了更好地将塞内加尔与世界各地连接起来的计划的一部分。
At one nursery school visited by AFP reporters near central Dakar, five-year-old students were heard singing, "Good morning, teacher!" The teacher, Absa Ndiaye, said, "They're interested in the lesson, and they start a conversation with 'How are you?'"
Senegal recently became an oil and gas producer and has seen large population growth.
在法新社记者走访的达喀尔市中心附近的一所幼儿园里，五岁的学生们正在唱着：“老师，早上好！”老师阿布萨·恩迪亚耶说：“他们对课程很感兴趣，他们会用‘你好吗？’来开始对话。”
塞内加尔最近成为了石油和天然气生产国，并且经历了大规模的人口增长。
However, many young people have been leaving the country searching for opportunities elsewhere.
然而，许多年轻人为了寻找其他地方的机遇，一直在离开这个国家。
In Senegal, French is used in public schools and in government administration.
在塞内加尔，法语被用于公立学校和政府行政部门。
Until recently, English was only taught in public high schools and universities, and sometimes in private nursery schools.
直到最近，英语还只在公立高中和大学教授，有时也在私立幼儿园开设。
Aissatou Sarr Cisse is in charge of the education ministry's English program.
艾萨图·萨尔·西塞负责教育部的英语项目。
She told AFP that even after some students had studied English for up to seven years, they “can barely communicate properly in English."
"We're starting from a younger age so that they can improve their language skills.
她告诉法新社，即使有些学生学了长达七年的英语，他们“用英语进行适当交流都勉强。”
The aim is to shape people who are open to the world,” Cisse said.
目标是培养对世界持开放态度的人，”西塞说。
She added that improving their English will give them access to more opportunities to cooperate “with Senegal’s partners.”
In March, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye was elected after running a nationalist campaign.
她补充说，提高英语水平将使他们有更多机会“与塞内加尔的合作伙伴”开展合作。
今年3月，巴西鲁·迪奥马耶·法耶总统在开展民族主义竞选后当选。
After many years of strong ties with the former colonial power, he is trying to reset Senegal's relationship with France, without breaking away completely.
在与前殖民宗主国保持多年紧密关系后，他正试图重置塞内加尔与法国的关系，但并未完全脱离。
A desire to learn
In the schools testing the program, English is taught every Tuesday and Thursday.
学习的渴望
在试行该项目的学校里，英语课在每周二和周四教授。
On both days, two 25-minute lessons are taught in nursery schools and two 30-minute lessons in primary schools.
在这两天里，幼儿园每天教授两节25分钟的课程，小学则每天教授两节30分钟的课程。
The subjects taught center on family, colors, everyday greetings, the environment and the weather.
教授的科目主要集中在家庭、颜色、日常问候、环境和天气方面。
In Dakar's working-class Medina neighborhood, teacher Mamadou Kama listens to a conversation in English between two 13-year-olds in his primary school class of around 60 students.
在达喀尔工人阶级聚居的麦地那街区，教师马马杜·卡马听着他小学班上约60名学生中两名13岁孩子用英语交谈。
"I can see that the students are motivated.
我能看出学生们很有动力。
Some of them are asking for English lessons to be (taught) every day," said Kama, who has a degree in English.
他们中有些人要求每天开设英语课，”拥有英语学位的卡玛说道。
The ministry has invested in teachers who have high English levels.
该部已投资于英语水平高的教师。
However, most of them have not yet received the teaching materials the ministry aims to provide.
然而，他们中的大多数人尚未收到教育部旨在提供的教学材料。
"We haven't had the time to create handbooks,” said the education ministry’s Cisse.
“我们还没有时间编写手册。”教育部的西塞表示。
“Computers have been ordered, and in the meantime, we have provided students with printed documents with fun pictures."
Change or be left behind
The project has been praised by Ousmane Sene, director of the Dakar-based West African Research Centre (WARC).
“电脑已经订购，在此期间，我们为学生提供了带有有趣图片的打印文件。”
变革，否则将被时代抛弃
该项目得到了位于达喀尔的西非研究中心（WARC）主任乌斯曼·塞内的赞扬。
WARC handles educational exchanges between the United States and west African universities.
WARC负责处理美国与西非大学之间的教育交流事宜。
"English is the most common language at an international level.
英语是国际上最通用的语言。
And it's the most used language in diplomacy and international cooperation, so it's an additional asset," Sene told AFP.
塞内告诉法新社：“它也是外交和国际合作中使用最多的语言，因此这是一项额外的优势。”
Additionally, most scientific material worldwide is written in English, said Mathiam Thiam.
此外，全球大多数科学资料都是用英语编写的，马蒂亚姆·蒂亚姆说道。
He helped create the English program.
他帮助创建了英语课程。
Thiam added that if people in Senegal do not adapt and improve their English, they will run into many barriers.
蒂亚姆补充说，如果塞内加尔人不适应并提高他们的英语水平，他们将遇到许多障碍。
But Sene noted that something needs to happen first: The project needs “… to train and equip the teachers well.”
Criticism of the program
Some critics of the program point to a lack of teachers.
但塞内指出，首先需要做一件事：该项目需要“……对教师进行良好的培训和装备。”
对该项目的批评
该项目的一些批评者指出，师资力量不足。
Samba Dioulde Thiam is a former member of parliament and retired teacher.
桑巴·迪乌尔德·蒂亚姆是前议员和退休教师。
In an opinion article, he wrote, "On these grounds alone, introducing English at nursery and primary school levels is a pipe dream.
他在一篇评论文章中写道：“仅凭这些理由，在幼儿园和小学阶段引入英语就是白日做梦。”
It's impossible."
He noted that intellectuals have been demanding the introduction of Senegal's national languages in education for many years.
“这是不可能的。”他指出，多年来知识分子一直要求在教学中引入塞内加尔的国家语言。
The program involving English could further delay that goal.
涉及英语的项目可能会进一步推迟这一目标。
But one 13-year-old student, Aissatou Barry, seems far removed from such debates.
但一位13岁的学生，艾萨图·巴里，似乎与这些争论相去甚远。
She told AFP that she "can't wait to study English in sixth grade."
I’m Andrew Smith.
她告诉法新社，她“迫不及待地想上六年级学英语”。
我是安德鲁·史密斯。
Malick Rokhy Ba reported this story for Agence France-Presse.
马利克·罗基·巴为法新社报道了这则新闻。
Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English.
安娜·马特奥为VOA英语学习频道改编了此内容。
