Os nossos entrevistados nesta edição são Regina e João Batista. Um casal tão querido de nós, são nossos alunos mais antigos, mais precisamente desde 2006. JB é arquiteto dos bons, proprietário do escritório JBMC Arquitetura e Urbanismo, tendo também trabalhado na Promon Engenharia até a aposentadoria. JB tem muitas estórias para contar, seja as de sua infância em Araraquara, seja as que a profissão lhe rendeu, como as ocorridas no Iraque ou as dos primórdios do metrô de São Paulo. Regina, sua companheira inabalável desde a adolescência, com bom humor e sabedoria, foi o esteio da família enquanto JB alternava períodos entre o Brasil e o Iraque. Ambos são cinéfilos inveterados e recentemente celebraram seu 50º aniversário de casamento ao lado das três filhas, dos três netos, da extensa família e de incontáveis amigos. A seguir uma breve entrevista com os dois e suas visões sobre o inglês.
Why are you studying English?
Regina: I began studying English because I think it’s an important language. And because I have difficulty speaking.
João Batista: Well, I usually say that I’m a permanent English student. I studied first at União Cultural Brasil-Estados Unidos. And I had to go away to Japan and then to Iraq. And I have difficulty in expressing my ideas. So, I became a permanent English student.
How do you like English?
JB: I like English because I think it is a very interesting language to learn. I have more facility in other languages, like French or Spanish, because they are closer to Portuguese. But I think that I like English because I can read a lot of things directly, without translation.
R: I like English very much, but I have difficulty. Now we have other kinds of programs to write in English, to read English. Program that we use now is interesting for me. English is the most important language today, I think.
What do you enjoy doing in English?
R: I like writing things, and I like talking to João and you. And going to the movies, and listening to English.
JB: I like watching movies very much on television, through Netflix or DVDs. And I think it’s a good way to listen to English and to compare spoken English to written English. I think that’s the activity in English that I like most.
What do you like about English?
R: I like English grammar, because I think it is easier than other languages. And English is a language that we have heard since we were kids.
JB: I think English is a very accurate language, very precise, and very concise. I think it’s something related to our mind. I make this association between the way I think and the language. Because to speak well you need to know exactly what you want to say or write.
