教育相关的词汇一旦用错,代价不小:它会出现在简历上、面试里,以及任何谈到你过往经历的场合。这里也有不少假朋友词。
学制
primary school(约 5–11 岁)→ secondary school(11–18 岁)→ university / college
注意: 在英式英语里,college 通常指 16–18 岁就读的教育机构,而在美式英语里则指大学。写简历时最好直接说明你指的到底是哪一种。
人物
pupil(中小学生)· student(大学生,现在中小学生也越来越常用这个词)· teacher · lecturer · professor · tutor · headteacher · classmate
在英式英语里,professor 不是「老师」的统称,而是一个很高的学术头衔。把中小学老师称为 professor,是一个常见又很显眼的错误。
学科
maths(美式英语里是 math)· physics · chemistry · biology · history · geography · literature · languages · IT / computer science · economics · PE
注意:maths 是单数:maths is my favourite subject。
学位与资格
degree · bachelor's · master's · PhD · diploma · certificate
I have a degree in economics.(不是 of economics)
I graduated from Warsaw University in 2019.
I'm studying for a master's.
Graduate from —— 从某所学校毕业,graduate in —— 主修某个专业。I graduated the university 是一个非常常见的错误。
还有几个值得留意的假朋友词
正是这些词在不知不觉中毁掉简历:它们每一个在英语里都确实存在,但意思完全是另一回事。
| 你想表达的意思 | 不要说 | 应该说 |
|---|---|---|
| 系/院系 | faculty(在美式英语里这个词指教职工群体) | department |
| 研究生/博士生 | aspirant | PhD student / doctoral researcher |
| 副博士学位(苏联学制) | candidate of sciences | PhD |
| 优秀毕业证书(红色文凭) | a red diploma | first-class honours / graduated with distinction |
| 年级(学习的某一年) | a course(在英式英语里这个词指整个课程项目) | a year |
| 实习 | practice | an internship / a placement |
考试
- take / sit an exam(英式英语常用 sit)
- pass an exam —— 考试通过 · fail —— 没通过
- 别混淆: pass 说的是结果,take 说的是这个动作本身。I took the exam but I didn't pass it.
- revise for an exam(英式)= study for(美式)
- resit —— 补考/重考
- a mark / a grade · a pass mark
❌ I passed three hours in the exam.(pass 不表示「度过时间」) ✅ I spent three hours in the exam.
学生生活相关动词
apply for a place · enrol on a course · attend lectures · hand in an essay · meet a deadline · catch up on missed work · cram(考前临时抱佛脚)· drop out(中途辍学)· take a gap year · graduate
I applied for three universities, enrolled in September, and nearly dropped out in the first term.
谈论学习经历
- I'm doing a course in data analysis.
- I majored in history.(美式说法)
- My dissertation was on urban planning.
- I'm self-taught.
- I'm doing it part-time, alongside work.
- It's an online course, so it's fairly flexible.
要按照读者所在国家的习惯来表达。 College、faculty、course 和 diploma 在英国和美国的意思各不相同,而读简历的人不会费心去猜你说的到底是哪套体系。直接说清楚具体的学习层次——比如 a five-year master's degree in civil engineering——歧义就消失了。
在面试中
A: Tell me about your background.
B: I graduated from Warsaw University in 2019 — I have a degree in economics.
A: And since then?
B: I did a part-time course in data analysis last year, and I'm largely self-taught in Python.
A: Did you finish the course?
B: I did — I passed with distinction.
Graduate from、a degree in、do a course、self-taught,以及用对了的 pass——表示结果,而不是动作本身。
自测一下
下面的测验里也包含了假朋友词。