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Speech Mimicking  involves using a variety to techniques to copy the speaking patterns of a recorded piece of language with the goal of getting close to native speaker pronunciation and intonation.

The method includes:

• Make notes on the  transcript to indicate pauses, changes in pitch, and other speech patterns
• Read lines into Google Translate or Google Docs to check word level pronunciation
• Listen/Repeat (sentence by sentence)
• Listen/Whisper Adjust playback speed if necessary.
• Listen/ Shadow Read (turn the volume down)
• Record yourself. Listen. Circle parts that need the most improvement.
  Practice those parts.
• Try anything else you think will be helpful

Assignment:  Practice ‘speech mimicking’ one of the scenes below. Share your audio or video recording of that scene by posting it to the Band or emailing it to [email protected] by May 9.  Jeff’s Rendition

Oh, see, now that pisses me off. First of all — since the demur, we have more than four hundred plaintiffs…and “let’s be honest”, we all know there are more out there. They may not be the most sophisticated people, but they do know how to divide, and twenty million dollars isn’t shit when you split it between them. (Erin —)
Second of all — these people don’t dream about being rich. They dream about being able to watch their kids swim in a pool without worrying that they’ll have to have a hysterectomy at the age of 20, like Rosa Diaz — a client of ours — or have their spine deteriorate like Stan Bloom. Another client of ours.
So before you come back here with another lame-ass offer, I want you to think real hard about what your spine is worth, Mr. Walker – or what you might expect someone to pay you for your uterus, Miss Sanchez — then you take out your calculator and multiply that number by a hundred. Anything less than that is a waste of our time.

More Materials Below

Additional Videos

• Speech Mimicking Videos
• Speech Mimicking Transcripts

 Reading & Discussion Questions Google Doc

Politics Discussion Questions

1. What is your first political memory?
2. Who is the first president you remember?
3. What do you remember about the first time you voted?
4. Have you voted in every election?
5. Did you vote in today’s election?
   How did you decide who to vote for?
6. How does voting make you feel?
7. How much do you follow politics – in Korea and in other countries?
8. How much do you discuss politics with family and friends?
9. Are your political views similar to your family and friends?
10. Have your political views changed over time?
11. Would you ever consider becoming a politician? Why or why not?
12. Which candidates or party do you generally support? Why?
13. What do you think of Korean style campaigning?
    Do you know anyone who participates?
14. Generally speaking, which political issues do you think are most divisive in Korea?
15. Which political issues are most important to you?
16. What do you think should be the voting age?
17. Do you think prisoners should be allowed to vote?
18. Which politicians (Korean or foreign, current or past) do you most like and dislike?
19. Have you ever protested for a cause? Which cause would you be most likely to protest for?
20. What, if anything, would you like to change about the Korean political system?

Main Readings (Compiled from several of the sources below)
Brain Health
Other Materials

• Study links nutrition to brain health and intelligence in older adults
• Brain Food: How to Eat Smart
• How Sugar Hijacks Your Brain And Makes You Addicted
• This Is What Sugar Does To Your Brain
• 12 Brain Foods That Supercharge Your Memory, Focus & Mood
• Brain foods: the effects of nutrients on brain function
• Brain Food Tips for Consumers
• Brain & Sleep
• Are we ‘brainwashed’ during sleep?
• College students: getting enough sleep is vital to academic success

Discussion Questions

1. How is your brain these days? How does it feel?  How is it performing?

2. What affects your brain performance?

3. What are your brain’s strongest and weakest abilities?

4. What has it gotten better or worse at over time?

5. Is there anything you do that is especially helpful or harmful for your brain?

6. When are you at your sharpest mentally?  When are you at your weakest?
   Do you ever experience brain fog?

7. What are you doing that is positive or negative for your brain health?

8. Have you ever made dietary changes in the hopes of improving your mental strength?
   What were they and how effective were they?

9. How do different foods you eat affect your stomach, mood mind, and/or energy levels?

10. Do you look at nutrition labels? If so, do they affect your consumption habits?

11. How different is your diet from your parents? your children?

12. Which foods do you eat that have a lot of salt, sugar, trans fat, or other potentially harmful ingredients?

13. Do you take any vitamins or dietary supplements? Which ones? Why?

14. How have your eating habits changed over time?

15. What kinds of diets have you tried?  Which were effective?  How did they affect you?

16.  What is a typical night of sleep like for you?

17. Do you use any strategies to try to sleep well?

18.  Have have your sleep habits changed over time?

19. How does sleep deprivation affect you?

Readings

• Stress for Translators
• Stress in Korea
• Health Effects of Stress
•  Ways to Reduce Stress

Video
Ban Ki Moon dishes about an unfortunate interpreter

Discussion Questions

1. Which of these is most stressful for you….
   (public speaking, taking a test, going on a first date, long flights, giving presentations,
   work gatherings, dealing with native English speakers, ….?)
2. Aside from GSIT, what causes you stress? (e.g.money, family, lovelife, health, future, etc.)
3. How has Covid-19 affected your stress levels?
4. What were the most stressful periods of your life?
5. What were the least stressful, most care-free periods of your life?
6. These days, when do you feel the most relaxed or unstressed?
7. Who’s the most/least stressed person you know?
8. How do different members of your family deal with stress?
9. How does stress affect you physically & emotionally?  
10. What health consequences have you experienced because of stress?
11. How do you usually cope with stress?
12. How do you view counseling? Would you consider it as an option?
    Do you know people who have experienced it? Was it helpful?
13. What is unique or different about stress in Korea? Causes?  Responses?
14. When you’ve traveled to different countries, have you noticed anything different about how the people there deal with stress?
15. How will your future decisions (career, partnership, kids, residence, etc.) affect your stress levels?

Assignment

• Do your best to correct sentences on the Sentence Corrections#1 Doc. 

IN CLASS

• Syllabus and Get Acquainted Jigsaw

Week#1 ASSIGNMENTS