Whenever I tell people that I teach English at the Berlin Zoo, I almost always get a questioning look. Behind it, the person is trying to figure out who exactly I teach ... the animals?
Since June 2017, right before the (arrive) of the two new pandas, Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, I have been helping the panda keepers at the zoo to feel more comfortable and (confidence) speaking English. And who do they speak English ?
Not the pandas, even though language used for the medical training instructions is actually English. They talk to the flood of international tourists and to (visit) Chinese zookeepers who often come to check on the pandas, which are on loan from China. They also need to be ready to give (interview) in English with international journalists. This is they need an English trainer.
So, what are they learning? (basic), how to describe a panda's life. It's been an honor to watch the panda programme develop to see the pandas settle into their new home. As a little girl, I (wish) to be a zookeeper when I grew up. Now, I'm living out that dream indirectly by helping the panda keepers do their job in English.
