Global Scholar develops a love of language

The use of English is nothing special for most Hong Kong people, who are either born in an English speaking family or taught to use it as a second language at school. Yet, for 2016/17 Global Scholar Angela Wong Ka-po, English as a language was her research topic for the year she spent at Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) in the US and The American College of Greece (ACG) in Greece.

Among the list of courses Angela took at ACG, “Issues in Syntax” was her favorite. As a translation major, she had studied both Chinese and English syntax at Lingnan but the course at ACG allowed her to focus on English syntax through in-depth analysis. She also went back to basics by taking “The Structure of the English Language,” which prompted her to delve into the functions of words and phrases. “The course seemed simple, but it turned out to be challenging. The more I learned, the more I noticed my shortcomings,” she said.

Apart from her studies of English grammar, she also took the opportunity to learn French at both OWU and ACG. “I was lost during the first lesson.” Despite her completion of an elementary French course at OWU, she struggled in Advanced French at ACG. Yet, with the encouragement of the lecturer, she completed the advanced course with a decent grade.

“Hard work pays off. No matter how big the challenge is, we can find a way to meet it and overcome it,” said Angela. Inspired by her exchange experience, she participated in the internship programme at the Asian Studies Centre at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania, during the summer of 2017, serving as a translation intern.