# I teach ESL on the internet (or online).



## yuechu

大家好！

I was recently thinking of how to say "I teach ESL on the internet (or online)." in Chinese.
Would you say 我在网上(在线？)教"非母语英语教学" or 我在网上教"英语作为第二语言"? or something else?

Thanks!


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## SimonTsai

我在線上教英文，針對的是母語非英語者。


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## yuechu

Thanks, Simon! 😃


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## rickqin

教(as a verb) + object[+complement，if any]

So, let's see the following examples,
教 + (*英*)语 => teach the language which is used among English(American) people.
教 + (*法*)语 => teach the language which is used among French people.
教 + (*英语是第二*)语 => Mandarine speakers may wonder what "英语是第二" is.

Here, you may have two options to make the sentence more clear.
1. I teach the "English Is The Second Language" program online.
2. I am the teacher of the "English Is The Second Language" online program. (Imply that you can teach the program)
Otherwise, you need to keep the "ESL" as it is. I mean, the abbreviation form. 
For example, 
我(通过在线方式)教授ESL。
or
我是ESL的老师。

In addition, Mandarin speakers are used to naming something/somebody with nouns or the composition of determiner and noun(s).
As a result, “英语是第二”语 doesn't conform to the rules of naming shown above.


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## swanart

我在网上教"作为第二语言的英语" (By Cambridge) 
My breakthrough books will be great tools for you.


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## hx1997

ESL is not a well-known thing among common people in China, and using the translation of its full name sounds very awkward. You'll probably have to refer to it by "ESL" and then explain what it is, unless you are sure the person you're talking to is familiar with it.


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## Xiaoqingyu

我在网上教非母语者英文。


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## yuechu

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions! 😄


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## j29682896

I think simply saying 我在線上教英文。 would suffice. Hearing this, people(at least here, and I guess even across the world?) would presume that you teach ESL online. I am not sure if it's common for native English speakers to learn English online. Of course, it's nothing wrong with a longer version like what Simon (#2) suggests.


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## yuechu

Hi, j29682896!

Yes, if someone is teaching English online, it is normally ESL (but teaching ELA (English language arts--for native speakers) is also possible... especially during COVID where a lot of courses are taught online!).

Thanks for your suggestion!


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## j29682896

I see. I just searched for English language arts. And it's for students whose native language is English. It's something I didn't know. Thank you for the information, yuechu.


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## yuechu

I know that some technological terms are different between Mainland China, Taiwan (and Hong Kong?).
Is 在网上 more common in 大陆 and 在线上 (Is "上" optional here?) in 台湾? or are both terms used in both places?

Thanks!


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## kamikazeSquad

yuechu said:


> I know that some technological terms are different between Mainland China, Taiwan (and Hong Kong?).
> Is 在网上 more common in 大陆 and 在线上 (Is "上" optional here?) in 台湾? or are both terms used in both places?


在這兩個片語裡，「上」都不可省略。至於哪個在台灣比較常用，我是覺得這兩個都不常見。台灣人更常說的是「在網*路*上」。


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## dojibear

hx1997 said:


> ESL is not a well-known thing among common people in China


I think the term "ESL" is only meaningful in English-speaking countries. The terms "English teacher" and "teaching English" were already being used to mean "teaching advanced topics in English to 会说英语的学生", so another term was created: "ESL".

ESL means "teaching English to English learners, using only English." That only happens in English-speaking countries.

So "ESL" does not apply to teaching English in Chinese or French. A Chinese speaker studies English, not ESL. People everywhere study "foreign languages", not "second languages". I have seen many language teachers on the internet. None of them adds "as a second language".


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## hx1997

dojibear said:


> teaching English to English learners, using only English


That definition is rather broad and it actually happens in China. We had 外教课 in middle school, where native speakers of English would teach us English in only English. The use of Chinese in class was not allowed. We also have many foreign languages/international schools here where the lessons are in English.

I think the key difference between English as a second language (ESL) and as a foreign language (EFL) lies in their purposes. Teaching ESL simply refers to teaching students English with the purpose of preparing them for living in an English-speaking country. In fact, I've seen advertisements of ESL courses, here in China, put up by companies which (as they claim) help Chinese students prepare for studying overseas by immersing them in an all-English environment. Here is a hiring notice by EF Education First looking for ESL teachers in China.


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