Eric's English Lounge 到底在做什麼啊？是補習班嗎？
Recently, I have gotten quite a few emails asking if I do private tutoring. Some have asked if I have a bushiban or run the page with a team. While our readers know we publish English learning posts, what exactly is it that we do?
最近，我收到一些信件，詢問我是否有提供私人家教，也有人問我是否為補教業者或有一個團隊在經營這個頁面。我們的讀者都知道，我們在粉專上發布英語學習的貼文，但我們究竟是做什麼的？
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To be completely honest, I am not sure if there is a category suitable for our page. My current positions are a doctoral student and an educational consultant for e-learning companies and policy makers. In addition to hosting my classes, I use the page mainly to provide free resource and perform charitable activities.
坦白說，我不確定是否有相關的類別適合我們的粉絲專頁。目前我是一位博士生，也是網路公司的教育顧問。除了我開設的課程之外，我主要透過本專頁來提供免費的英語學習資源，並執行慈善計畫。
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I started the page in 2012 as a lecturer and the general manager of an overseas study company, and the aim was to share learning materials with my students. I would occasionally compile information online, edit them, and publish them for free. I started investing more time around 2014 and 2015, and we had about 20K fans at this point. I did not commercialize the page, so people did not know what I was doing (they literally wrote and asked me). I left my position as the general manager, and I was unsure of my next move.
起初，我以海外留學公司總經理兼講師的身份，於２０１２年設立了這個粉專，以便與學生們分享資訊。我偶爾會整理網路上的資訊並加以編輯，免費與大家分享。在２０１４年與２０１５年期間，我開始投入更多時間，當時我們約有２萬名粉絲。我並沒有將粉專商業化，所以很多人確實不清楚我在做什麼。之後，我辭去了海外留學公司的所有職務，但不確定自己的下一步是什麼。
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I did not want to open a test prep center like many suggested. I did not want to sacrifice my ideals to meet business goals, and I felt I could do more to make use of my experience and strengths as a curriculum writer and teacher. I started consulting educational organizations and worked on my own online classes. It was a difficult path because there was simply very little demand for “educational consultants” in Taiwan. I had to carve my own path, and worked with numerous organizations such as ETS-Taiwan and the British Council to do so. Meanwhile, I kept writing and compiling information on our page, and it became arguably one of the largest databanks of free bilingual learning resources in Taiwan.
我知道自己並不想如許多人建議那樣，開設一間補習班。我不想犧牲自己的理想來實現商業目標，而我也覺得可以發揮身為課程編寫者及老師的經驗與力量，做更多的事。因此，我開始為教育機構提供諮詢，並開設自己的線上課程。這是一條艱難的路，因為臺灣對「教育顧問」的需求非常少。我必須開闢自己的道路，並與許多機構合作，像是「ＥＴＳ－臺灣」以及「英國文化協會」。同時，我持續在粉專上撰寫與整理資訊，而這似乎也讓粉專成為臺灣最大的免費雙語學習資料庫之一。
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It was around late 2016 when I started regularly posting news in English (https://bit.ly/36o3Z1e). I felt that students need to be aware of current events and think critically rather than focusing only on basic linguistic features. While vocabulary and grammar are undoubtedly important to second language learners, there are already ample resources in these domains. Given my interest in international news and years of experience living and working in both Taiwan and the US, I aim to offer language learners a unique perspective in learning. My posts began to cover the news, social issues, and educational editorials. We reached about 30K subscribers around 2018 with this approach.
大約在２０１6年，我開始定期用英語發布新聞 (https://bit.ly/36o3Z1e)。我覺得學生需要關注時事，並能從不同的角度思考，而非只是專注在語言本身。儘管詞彙與文法對第二語言學習者而言無疑是重要的，但在這一方面已經有相當多的資源。鑒於我對國際新聞的興趣，以及在臺美兩地生活與工作多年的經驗，我想為語言學習者提供獨特的觀點。我的貼文開始涵蓋了新聞、社會議題與教育觀點。藉由此一方式，我們的粉專約於２０１８年突破了３萬名的追蹤人數。
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Early 2020, we broke 50K fans on FB, and I knew it was time for me to post more regularly. I added two people to my team of one, and we started regularly posting bilingual news, education editorials, posts on empathy, and of course, free English learning resources. We also have periodic giveaways of books and educational materials. Our subscribers now include students, parents, and teachers primarily from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the US.
２０２０年初，我們的追蹤人數突破５萬，我便知道是時候定期發布貼文了。我邀請了兩位成員加入這個原本只有我一人的團隊，我們開始發布雙語新聞、教育評論、翻轉視界的系列貼文，當然還有免費的英語學習資源。我們也定期贈送書籍與教育資料。現在，我們的訂閱者包含了學生、家長與教師，主要是來自臺灣、香港與美國。
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Some have advised me to just completely turn the page into a business since we have significant following. However, I have held back from doing so because I view myself more as a teacher and not a business owner or a social media influencer. It is not all about traffic flow and commercialization. In fact, I place many restrictions on commercial cooperation, turning down opportunities to advertise and work with many large language edu companies.
有些人建議我將這個粉專完全轉為商業用途，畢竟我們擁有可觀的追蹤人數。然而，我之所以不這麼做是因為，我認為自己是一位老師，而非公司的老闆或網紅。並非所有的事物都關乎流量與商業化。事實上，我為自己以及商業合作設下許多限制，婉拒了諸多廣告宣傳以及與許多大型語言教育公司合作的機會。
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Currently, Eric’s English Lounge is not a company. I do have online classes through VoiceTube and other platforms, and I do have a team of two editors. However, all other sources of income from collaboration with businesses and influencers on my page are donated to charities in a transparent manner: https://bit.ly/3fKytik. I started this project (http://bit.ly/3990snT) this past year and plan to move the page in a sustainable, non-profit direction.
目前，Eric’s English Lounge 並不是公司。雖然我在 VoiceTube 確實有線上課程，也有一個團隊（我與兩位小編），但其餘與企業或具有影響力的人（influencers）合作所帶來的收益，均以透明的方式捐贈給慈善機構：https://bit.ly/3fKytik。
去年，我開啟了公益講座計畫（http://bit.ly/3990snT），並計劃讓粉專朝著可持續且非盈利的方向發展。
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I hope to provide as much free resource as I can. You might have noticed that I am in my 40s, a tad older than most online influencers. I come from a low-income, divorced family, and I started working when I was in junior high. I became independent when I turned 18, and took numerous jobs just to make ends meet. I am already fortunate compared to many, as I had some remarkable teachers and received aid and scholarships from the government. Nevertheless, it has been a long climb, and this has allowed me to empathize and connect with some disadvantaged students.
我希望竭盡所能地提供免費資源。也許你已經注意到我４０幾了，比多數在網路上有影響力的人（online influencers）要稍年長一些。我來自一個低收入的單親家庭，國中時便開始打工。１８歲那年我開始獨立自主，從事許多工作以維持生計。與多數人相比，我已非常幸運，因為我遇到許多非常傑出的老師，也獲得政府的補助與獎學金。這無疑是段漫長的過程，但也正因如此，讓我得以更加瞭解那些缺乏資源與引導的人，並與他們有所連結與擁有同理心。
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Thus, this is the general background of the page. In all honesty, our page is still growing and evolving. It is used to provide free resources, to spread ideals of empathy, to do charity, and to sustain myself. I aim to continue using the page to provide educational resources, raise awareness of social issues, and offer students diverse perspectives. These are my current goals for this page. After eight years, Eric’s English Lounge is still going strong. May we all continue to learn, think, and grow together.
以上便是粉專的基本背景。老實說，我們的粉專仍在持續成長。粉專旨在提供免費的資源、提倡同理心、做慈善，並維持我個人的生活。我的目標是繼續藉由粉專為各位提供教育資源，提升社會議題的關注度，並為學生帶來不同的觀點。這些都是我當前對粉專的期許。歷經八年的風風雨雨，Eric’s English Lounge 仍屹立不搖。願我們繼續學習、持續思考，並且共同成長。
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P.S. You know that ERIC stands for Education Resources Information Center, right?
It is an online digital library of education research and information sponsored by the US Department of Education: https://bit.ly/2TzYF5L
Vision & Mission 宗旨與目標: https://bit.ly/2Uo9sAK
Equity in Education 教育公平: https://bit.ly/36qYor4
Developing Empathy 同理心的發展: http://bit.ly/3990snT
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公益講座計畫：http://bit.ly/3990snT
慈善機構捐贈：https://bit.ly/3fKytik
英文學習資源大全: http://bit.ly/2klC66h
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