Thursday August 30, 2007
Which test to sit for?
Your questions answered by FADZILAH AMIN
MY cousin, who is a clerk, has been doing self-study to improve her English. She wants to know if she can sit for any private English test just to have an assessment of how far she has come with her English and at the same time obtain a paper qualification for future career advancement.
What English test would you recommend? Would it be something that she can prepare for through self-study? Would it be ESOL or TOEFL or IELTS?
Please advise us, and also give us the contact number of each test centre you may recommend. – Jenny Tan, Kuala Lumpur
I would suggest your cousin sit for MUET (Malaysian University English Test) first to see where she stands. This is the examination that everyone applying to a local university has to take.
My reason for recommending this is that the fee for MUET is RM60 (including registration), while the fee for IELTS is RM510 and that for TOEFL is US$140 (about RM490).
If she does very well for MUET, she may want to sit for IELTS, to get better international recognition.
MUET is administered by the Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia, while IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is administered by the British Council. TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is the US equivalent of IELTS.
The last two tests are usually taken by foreign students intending to study in English-speaking countries.
The University of Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), however, consists of different examinations at different levels and for different purposes, which candidates can sit for at many centres around the world, including six in Malaysia.
Below are the contact numbers and addresses where your cousin can find out about registration, syllabus, dates of examinations, etc. I believe the syllabus for MUET can be bought for a small sum of money from MPM:
Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia MUET
Bgn MPM, Persiaran 1
Bandar Baru Selayang
68100 Batu Caves
Selangor
(Tel: 03-6136 9663, Fax: 03-6136 1488)
For inquiries, please e-mail ppa@mpm.edu.my
Website: http://www.mpm.edu.my/bi/main.php
The British Council, Kuala Lumpur for IELTS information:
Ground Floor, West Block
Wisma Selangor Dredging
142C Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur
(Tel: 03-2723 7900, Fax: 03-2713 6599)
E-mail: kualalumpur@britishcouncil.org.my
Website: http://www.britishcouncil.org/malaysia
For TOEFL:
Thomson Prometric B.V
Suite 21A-15-1
Faber Imperial Court
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
(Tel: 03-7628 3333, Fax: 03-7628 3366)
Website: www.ets.org/toefl or www.prometric.com
I am afraid I have only the website url for ESOL information. Your cousin can surf the Internet to find out more about the ESOL examinations.
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/index.htm
From Malay to English
COULD you please help me with my English for the following situations?Situation 1:
Once I went to a clinic to see a doctor because I was suffering from diarrhoea. The dialogue was as follows:
Me: Pagi tadi saya buang-buang air, doktor.
Doctor: Berak cair ke?
Me: Ya, doktor.
Doctor: Bersembur ke tidak?
Me: Sikit-sikit ? (I was cringing because I felt very embarrassed but the doctor was serious.)
If I had been in an English-speaking country at that time, what would the dialogue have been?
Situation 2:
I am often in a situation in which I have to ask whether a newspaper is today’s edition or yesterday’s or of a date in the past. Could you advise me on the English equivalents of the following colloquial Malay sentences?
1. Suratkhabar bila ni?
2. Ni suratkhabar semalam ke?
3. Ni suratkhabar dua hari lepas lah!
4. Kau ada tak 7 haribulan punya suratkhabar?
5. Kau ada tak 8 Mac punya suratkhabar?
6. Ni tarikh bila punya suratkhabar ni?
7. Ni 8 Mac 2006 punya suratkhabar lah! Apalah kau ni!
Situation 3:
I had to say, “Anak saya ni berak darah lah, doktor.” What is the English equivalent?
Situation 4:
I had to say, “Datuk saya ni kencing tak lawas lah, doktor.” What is the English equivalent?
Situation 5:
I had to say, “Sejak akhir-akhir ni, saya kerap buang air kecil lah, doktor.” What is the English equivalent?
Situation 6:
How do you say “pihak” as in the Malay sentence: “Saya harap pihak tuan dapat meluluskan permohonan saya ini.”? Normally, people use it in formal letters.
Situation 7:
How do we say “geram” in English if the word “geram” is in a sense like the one used in the following sentences?
1. Comelnya kucing tu! Geram aku tengok!
2. Eiii, geramnya aku kat budak rumah sebelah tu! Selalu sangat curi buah mangga aku!
3. Tak semua perogol geram kat perempuan seksi!
– Z.H., Kuala Lumpur
Situation 1:
This is making me cringe, too, but I’ll try to translate the dialogue.
Me: This morning I had many bowel motions, doctor.
Doctor: Were the motions watery?
Me: Yes, doctor.
Doctor: Did they spurt out?
You: A little ...
Situation 2:
1. Suratkhabar bila ni? What’s the date of this newspaper? (There is no direct equivalent of the original)
2. Ni suratkhabar semalam ke? Is this yesterday’s newspaper?
3. Ni suratkhabar dua hari lepas lah! Oh no! This is the day before yesterday’s newspaper!
4. Kau ada tak 7 haribulan punya suratkhabar? Do you have the newspaper of the 7th?
5. Kau ada tak 8 Mac punya suratkhabar? Do you have the newspaper of 8th March?
6. Ni tarikh bila punya suratkhabar ni? What’s the date of this newspaper? (This is translated the same way as statement 1)
7. Ni 8 Mac 2006 punya suratkhabar lah! Apalah kau ni! This is the newspaper of 8th March. Can’t you see?
Situation 3:
There is blood in my child’s stools, doctor.
Situation 4:
My grandfather has trouble urinating, doctor.
Situation 5:
Lately, I have been urinating frequently, doctor.
Situation 6:
There is no equivalent to the indirect “pihak tuan”. You just write “you” or use a passive construction. Your sentence can be translated as: “I hope you will approve my application.” OR “I hope my application will be approved.”
Situation 7:
The word “geram” in those sentences mean different things. Here are my suggestions for their English equivalents:
1. That cat is so cute! I just love to see it!
2. Grrrr! I’m so angry with that boy next door! He’s always stealing my mangoes!
3. Not all rapists are turned on by sexy women.
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