Everyday campus heroes: Lingo Legend
Starting university can be daunting, especially if you travel from afar. Local students take for granted that it鈥檚 a steep learning curve to understand the quirks of Aussie slang, but Hillson Lui, the campus Lingo Legend, is here to help!
Now in his third year of a Bachelor of Science/Arts degree, Hill teaches free language and cultural classes to help international students struggling to decipher Australian lingo, making it much easier to settle into uni life.
Hill鈥檚 real life super power is being exceptionally multilingual. He is proficient in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese and Spanish 鈥� an impressive collection.
Q: How did you learn so many languages? 聽
A: 鈥淢y parents are from Hong Kong, so I鈥檓 Cantonese, and that鈥檚 the language I speak at home. When I was younger they threw me into Mandarin school, and then I learned Japanese and Spanish in high school. Now Spanish is my Arts major鈥�.
Q: When did you start using your language for the greater good?
A: 鈥淚t was my first year and I received an email calling for volunteers for the Australian Discussion Group and I thought, why not?! I just signed up and I鈥檝e been teaching classes once a week ever since.鈥�
鈥淓ach week we focus on a different cultural theme. The sessions are run to help international students transition into Australian uni life by discussing topics like Australian slang, cultural norms, love and dating, etiquette and Indigenous culture. We even invite AIME to give a cultural tour around Redfern.鈥�
Q: What kind of things do you teach in the first session?
A: 鈥淥ur first sessions revolve around debunking classic myths like Drop Bears and using kangaroos as transport, and then we move onto understanding terms that are unique to Australian culture. A lot of international students find it hard to keep up with the fast pace of Australian dialogue, but the real struggle comes with trying to understand cryptic abbreviations like avo, arvo, servo and barbie鈥�.
Q: What makes you want to continue doing what you do?
A: 鈥淚t鈥檚 the international students, really. Even though I grew up in Australia, English isn鈥檛 my first language, so I relate to a lot of the challenges they face. Throughout primary school I was really shy, so didn鈥檛 practice English that much with my peers 鈥� I ended up teaching myself the language with grammar books. Now I teach the language to others who struggle with it, so it鈥檚 just a full circle鈥�.
Q: What can domestic students do to help international students feel more comfortable on campus?
A: 鈥淛ust reaching out and speaking to them. A lot of international students want to speak to you, but they鈥檙e just not comfortable with their English yet. The only way to improve is to practice so just asking simple questions like their name or how their day has been can be really helpful and will probably make their day鈥�.
If you want to know more about the Australian Discussion Groups and how you can get involved as a volunteer or student, visit the or the .聽 These workshops are free and open to all international students.
Do you know an everyday campus hero? Let us know.