Thomas your English is so good. How did you learn it?

Thomas bahasa Inggris Anda baik sekali. Bagaimana Anda mempelajarinya?

Well, in my country everyone has to take English starting in the first grade. I've been taking English courses for 12 years now.

Di negara saya semua orang harus belajar bahasa Inggris mulai dari kelas satu. Saya sudah mengambil kelas bahasa Inggris selama dua belas tahun.

Wow, that's interesting. I remember when we took that trip last year and visited your family. It seemed like there weren't many people that could speak with me in English.

Wah, menarik. Saya ingat waktu kita jalan-jalan tahun yang lalu dan mengunjungi keluarga Anda. Kelihatannya tidak banyak orang yang bisa berbahasa Inggris dengan saya.

Oh, that's because they don't speak English that much.

Oh, itu karena mereka tidak berbicara banyak dalam bahasa Inggris.

But they speak it in school, right? Maybe they just didn't like me so they didn't want to talk to me.

Tapi mereka menggunakanya di sekolah, kan? Mungkin mereka tidak suka saya karena itu mereka tidak mau berbicara dengan saya.

No, actually they liked you a lot. They told me they thought you were very nice. They are just shy. They're not use to talking with foreigners. I remember when I first came to the U.S. I was really nervous about speaking with people.

Tidak, sebenarnya mereka sangat menyukai Anda. Mereka bilang saya kalau Anda baik sekali. Mereka hanya malu saja. Mereka tidak terbiasa berbicara dengan orang asing. Saya ingat waktu saya pertama kali datang ke Amerika. Saya sangat gugup berbicara dengan orang,

I see. I thought there were lots of Americans teaching English in your country.

Oh begitu. Saya kira ada banyak orang Amerika yang mengajar bahasa Inggris di negara Anda.

Yes, that's true. There are probably twice as many now as there were five years ago, but they are mostly in the cities. My family lives in the country.

Ya, itu betul. Mungkin dua kali lipat sekarang dibandingkan dengan lima tahun yang lalu, tapi kebanyakannya di kota-kota besar. Keluarga saya tinggal di pedesaan.

I wonder why. Personally I prefer the country to the city. It's so quiet and peaceful. If I were to teach, I would want to teach in the country.

Saya heran kenapa. Secara pribadi saya memilih pedesaan atau kota kecil dibandingan kota besar. Di sana tenang dan damai. Kalau saya yang mengajar, saya mau mengajar di pedesaan.

Do you think you would want to teach someday? I know the schools around my town are looking for teachers, so if you want I can call them and get more information.

Apakah Anda mau mengajar satu hari nanti? Saya tahu sekolah-sekolah di sekitar kota kecil saya sedang mencari guru, jadi kalau Anda mau saya bisa menelepon mereka dan mendapat lebih banyak informasi.

No, I don't think so. I would need to stay there for a year, and I don't think I can take that much time off work.

Tidak, tidak usah. Saya bakal harus tinggal di sana selama setahun, dan saya kira saya tidak bisa mengambil waktu sebanyak itu dari pekerjaan di sini.

Well, if you change your mind, let me know. I think you would be a really great teacher.

Kalau Anda berubah pikiran, tolong bilang saya. Saya pikir Anda akan menjadi guru yang betul-betul hebat.