Dear Colleagues, 

I need your help again. I am sure that there are a few mistakes in that speech. Do you mind correcting them?

Thank you soooo much.

 

How big do you think the world is? Some people think it’s big and wide, others think it’s small and interconnected. I think everyone is right. The world is big and small, wide and interconnected. You know that we have to think globally

and bridge the gaps as people try to expand globalization. It sounds a bit hard to do something for the world, but I believe that we should start by learning more about your own country. You might think you know a lot about your own country just because you live there, but how much do you really know about it? You may be surprised that you actually know very little.

When I was an exchange student in the United States, I was asked several questions about Japan and its customs such as “Why do you guys use three kinds of writing? It’s so confusing!” ”Why do Japanese people bow instead of hugging? Are you not friendly?” “What is Teru Teru Bozu? Isn’t it supposed to be a ghost for Halloween or something like that?”

And the worst question I was asked was: “Isn’t Singapore the capital of Japan?” They obviously did not know much about Japan, but I couldn’t answer them either. I had done some research about my country before leaving for America, but it wasn’t good enough because I was not ready to answer all those questions. In other words, I never wondered before what Japanese customs were or why they were like that. That moment I realized that I knew very little about the things that were familiar in my life. At the same time, I became more interested in how to talk about my country.

One more thing that I noticed while I was in America was that people there were very proud of being Americans and they seemed to know more about their own country than I did about mine. I often heard them say, “In America we do it like this. How about you?” Not only Americans, but people from other foreign countries said that. I made friends with other exchange students from all over the world, and they often asked each other questions about foreign cultures because they felt it was important to learn something new. It also meant that they knew how those things worked in their own countries. Asking questions is, of course, the best way to learn who you are and what you don’t know. You can talk about different cultures and it’s a great way for you to understand your own customs.

I believe that it is much better to learn directly from foreigners about their customs and what they think of yours, rather than research it on the Internet. Also, this way you can get first-hand information on how your country is perceived by the world. Soon, the Tokyo Olympics will be held in four years, and I think it will be a precious opportunity to hang out with people from all over the world and have some fun sharing our cultures. I am looking forward to things that are waiting outside of Japan, and I hope you will be too. Remember, learning about your own country is the first step for getting ready to learn about the world which is filled with many curiosities.

 

 

Thank you!!! Thank you!!! Thank you!!!! SOOOO MUCH!!!

 

If you want to keep �soon � in the speech (for stylistic & emotive reasons), you could change the sentence a little:

 

�The Tokyo Olympics will be held in four years - that �s very soon! I think it will be a precious opportunity to hang out with people from all over the world and have some fun sharing our cultures. �

 

Good luck to your student for the speech contest!

AB

One more student saved by  native  English speakers. Thank you Lynne , Bruce and Alien Boy for your time and effort.

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH.