Last year, ELS Educational Services polled 662 international students at 23 US colleges and universities, later presenting its findings at the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) conference in Washington, D.C.

去年，ELS教育服务机构对美国23所高校的662名国际学生进行了调查，并在随后的华盛顿特区国际教育管理者协会（AIEA）会议上公布了该调查结果。

More than one-third of international students polled said they wished their professors would try to understand them better and provide helpful advice.

有超过三分之一的受访学生表示希望他们的教授能更加了解他们，为他们提供更加有用的建议。

“When I was in Ethiopia, I was taught to be more reserved, more quiet,” said Kedest Mathewos, 19, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. “Whereas here, everyone tends to speak up, express their opinions all the time. So, it’s kind of hard to get used to that.”

Kedest Mathewos今年19岁，是一名来自埃塞俄比亚亚的斯亚贝巴的学生。她说：“在埃塞俄比亚的时候，老师教育我们要安静和保守。但到了美国，每个人都有旺盛的表达欲，随时随地各抒己见，这对我来说有些难以适应。”

ELS operates more than 80 language learning centers at US colleges to help students improve their English, while AIEA focuses on “advancing the international dimensions of higher education,” according to its website.

ELS在美国高校中设有80多个语言学习中心，目的是帮助学生提高英语水平。AIEA的网站上也写道，该协会致力于“推进高等教育的国际化”。

Many students expressed concern about their relationships with professors. About one-third of the students polled said they wished that professors would offer:

许多学生担心自己不知该如何与教授相处。调查中大约三分之一的学生表示他们对教授有以下期待：

More helpful advice about adapting to the American classroom

Understanding for the international student experience

Class materials that used more non-US examples

能够帮助他们更快地适应美式课堂教学；

对国际学生有更深入的理解；

课堂上能够使用更多非美国的事例。

Many international students believe that if they can pass standardized tests like TOEFL or SAT, they can understand lectures and thrive in American classrooms, said John Nicholson, vice president of marketing and communications for ELS.

ELS营销和通讯副总裁John Nicholson表示：许多国际学生以为他们只要通过了TOEFL或SAT这种标准化考试，就一定能听懂美国课程，在课堂上游刃有余。

But passing a language test doesn’t prepare international students for cultural differences in a new learning environment, he said.

但他表示，通过语言考试并不意味着国际学生能够在新的学习环境中处理好文化差异。

“Ultimately, to be successful in a classroom you have to understand what the expectations are, but also, the right way to express concerns and questions,” Nicholson added.

他说：“说到底，想要在课堂上有出色表现，你得知道自己需要做什么，以及应该用怎样的方式表达疑虑和提出问题。”

This complaint among international students is common, according to Lisa Giragosian, director of the international student office at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. She believes teachers should help international students to deal with cultural misunderstandings.

Lisa Giragosian是位于北卡罗莱纳州达勒姆的杜克大学（Duke University）国际学生办公室的主任，她认为这类困惑在国际学生群体中非常普遍，而帮助他们处理文化误解是老师们的义务。

“For every faculty member who’s very conscious … and globally minded and seeking an international student’s opinion, there’s somebody else who’s not,” she says.

她说：“很多老师都了解国际学生的需求，具有国际视野，积极探求国际学生的想法，但也有很多老师并不具备这种意识。”

Professors in the US expect students to ask questions and lead discussions, while international classrooms don’t focus on class participation. Some cultures see participation as impolite and too bold.

美国教授主张由学生来提出问题和主持讨论，但国际学生往往做不到这一点，因为在很多国家的文化里，“参与”被认为是不礼貌和鲁莽的。

Giragosian suggests that international students seek help before they begin their studies in the US. They should meet with professors during office hours outside of class, as needed, and meet with other international students to discuss concerns and practice speaking in class.

Giragosian建议国际学生在美国课业开始之前先有所准备。比方说可以在课下时间与教授约见，也可以和其他国际学生碰面讨论各自的困惑，或者一起练习如何做好课堂发言。

International students add to the experiences of American students, Giragosian said, and professors need to be open to all students. Duke offers training for professors to better understand how international students think and learn.

Giragosian认为国际学生的参与可以丰富美国学生的课堂体验，因此教授们需要对所有学生同等对待，一并接纳。杜克大学为教授们提供培训项目，帮助他们更好地了解国际学生的思维方式和学习模式。

Mathewos began studying global health at Duke in August 2016. The 19-year-old attended an international high school in her home country, which prepared her for what to expect in the US. But she still struggled at first, even with extra preparation, she admitted.

2016年8月，Mathewos进入杜克大学学习全球健康专业。她在埃塞俄比亚时读的是国际高中，这为她在美国的学习打下了基础。但即便做了这些额外的准备工作，Mathewos承认她刚到美国时依然觉得困难重重。

Mathewos, who earned a scholarship, said it has helped by connecting her with past recipients. She has learned from their experiences and passes that along to her international colleagues.

Mathewos当年拿到了杜克大学的奖学金，她说与历年的奖学金获得者交流对她帮助很大，从他们的经历中Mathewos学到很多，她也会将这些经验传授给其他国际学生。

She often meets with other international students to talk about their shared problems. And she recently created a program that gives letters to professors at the beginning of a study term, asking them to consider the special challenges international students face.

Mathewos经常与其他国际学生碰面谈论他们共同遇到的问题。她最近还创立了一个项目，负责在每学期开学前给教授们写信，恳请他们考虑到国际学生所面临的特殊挑战。