1. Choose a classmate, friend, or family member to interview informally for about 10 minutes. Pick a person you feel comfortable with and who is enthusiastic about being interviewed. Remember that this is just a practice session and not designed to provide material for your essay.
: I chose my friend as the interviewee.
2. Before the interview, prepare a short list of questions. The questions may be on any subject but will, of course, be influenced by the person you have chosen to interview.
: 1) What is your nationality?
2) If you can speak English, how long have you learned it and how did you learn it?
3) What kind of English accent do you prefer?
4) How much do you think one's English accent matter in terms of the communication?
5) Based on your answer to the previous question, please tell me the reason why you think so?
6) Do you think attitudes of people (including yourself) toward the speaker change based on his or her English proficiency?
7) Based on your answer to the previous question, tell me the reason why you think so.
3. During the interview, take notes or tape the conversation.
1) Korean
2) More than 6 years. In school and in private school. Watching Hollywood movies and series.
3) British the most and American the second best
4) Does not matter that much.
5) As long as the communication is good, the one's accent doesn't matter that much. Because I think there is no need to pretend to be a native when obviously we are not, and actually it is something that makes English rich as a language.
6) Yes, definitely.
7) I somehow match the other speaker's level. When the other speaker has poor English, I try to speak with more basic words and slowly.
If a speaker is more fluent in English, he or she will have more confidence while talking to the counterpart. Especially, Koreans are very conscious about their language abilities. The better you are at the language, the easier one can speak out and express themselves.
4. Then the other person to interview you.
1) Korean.
2) More than 6 years. Exactly the same way you have learned it except that in my case I went to the U.S. for 10 months when I was 15.
3) Absolutely British.
4) I don't think the accent is the most important, but it is to certain extent.
5) I believe content itself and how to interact with the counterpart are one of the most important factors. However, if speaker's accent is too unfamiliar and sounds weird, probably the listener may feel the accent annoying.
6) Yes, in general.
7) I think English is still being considered useful tool to distinguish and stand out oneself from others. So if the one can speak fluent English, he or she tends to become more confident as most Koreans are not good at speaking in English. In other words, being fluent in English is kind of scarce ability, so people generally respect the person.
5. After these informal interviews, freewrite on the following questions:
1) What did you learn about interviewing?
: It is not just the one-way communication. Although you set many things in order before actually interviewing the person, things are likely to go off the track you designed. Also, the setting for the interview will highly influence the interviewee and interviewer, so the interactions between them are pivotal variable on which the result of the interview depends.
2) What questions got the longest answer?
: Question 7.
3) Why?
: I guess as a Korean, my friend and I have seen so many cases people comparing their English proficiency to that of others. Especially as Korean students have been taught English only to read and solve the questions assigned, speaking English have become one of the most fearful activity to do in real life as well as it is not needed before entering the university. Anyway, we will encounter so many people good at English and they will be our competitors in the job market.
4) What question got the shortest answer?
: Question 1.
5) Why?
: The question itself does not require long answer.
6) What question led to the most interesting response?
: Question 3
7) Why?
: Probably because it is related to 'what if' question, which does not require the interviewee to think carefully and be serious on the topic. Telling what they want in their mind, even if it cannot be achieved, is fun to answer.
6.
1) What will you try to do when you interview someone more formally?
: I would dress myself up with suit or classic type of clothing. Also I would treat the person in a decent place such as restaurant or very exotic and fancy coffee shop. In addition, I would prepare the interview a lot as I want to get as much useful information as possible at one chance.
2) What will you try to avoid doing?
: I will try my best to avoid looking foolish, too nervous, and anxious because it will make the interviewee feel uncomfortable so that the interview could go wrong.
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