Fun lessons

For Rasha Salim Al-Maamari, vice-president of the English and Translation Society at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, and her friends, learning the English language is a pleasurable challenge

A committed batch of students from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), Oman, has proved that learning the English language can be easy if the process is made interesting and pleasurable.

Realising that a good knowledge of the English language is important to make a mark on the international scene, the students founded the English and Translation Society in 1996.

Today, the Society boasts 500 registered members who meet once a week to sharpen their knowledge of the language.

"The English and Translation Society (ETS) has truly become an integral part of my life," says Rasha Salim Al-Maamari, a fifth-year student of English at SQU.

Rasha has been an active member of ETS since 2002 and is responsible for spearheading the Society's creative writing activities.

She recently received an award from the president of the SQU in recognition of her contribution to the ETS and other extra-curricular activities she is involved in.

Rasha says ETS has significantly shaped her university life. "I led a solitary, routine life during my first year," she recalls.

"I would attend lectures, then retire to my room. I hardly socialised. However, after joining the Society (in my second year), I began to work closely with my lecturers as well as my classmates. (ETS) opened a whole new world around me."

Initially, she says, she was a mute spectator during the Society's meetings. However, thanks to encouragement from other members, she began to take a more active role in its activities.

"I realised that I too could become an asset to the Society," she remarks.

ETS has transformed her personality apart from renewing her passion for (learning) the English language.

"I used to be an introvert," she says. "But (after joining the Society), I have learnt to work in a team and am more aware of the importance of patience and of handling situations diplomatically.

I have also had an opportunity to meet and socialise with students from other faculties.

"Learning English is essential nowadays because it has become a language (that is used in international) trade and commerce. Many companies employ people who can communicate effectively in English. At ETS we emphasise the importance of improving our reading, writing and oral skills," she says.

Rasha and other Society members are constantly finding interesting ways of making the study of English easier as well as enjoyable.

"For example, we set up public speaking sessions where students are encouraged to chat with one another (informally) in English. It proved to be beneficial for the students as they were less self-conscious about making mistakes in the presence of their peers (than they would be when addressing strangers). We believe peers are the best teachers," she explains.

Creative writing is another activity that is helping students enjoy learning the language. Rasha says one of the University lecturers, Professor Roscoe, assisted them in setting up the creative writing sessions.

"We meet once a week and discuss articles (which we prepare) during the creative writing sessions. It is amazing to see the number of students who give up their lunch-break to attend these sessions.

"It has improved our literary skills - we have become better and more critical students of literature. We have learnt to grasp the finer nuances of the language through writing and analysing our own work."

The Society has collated articles produced during these sessions and published them in a campus magazine, SQU Insight.