carrickp
Senior Member
You might try "adult education" or "ongoing education" or "continuing education." These are courses for adults who want to take courses that will help them advance in business -- or maybe just for the fun of it. I'm not sure if this is what you mean. An alternative: In the U.S. schools often have "night classes" for working people. These courses are often for people who still do not have degrees but must work so cannot follow a normal daytime class schedule.
ElaineG
Senior Member
USA/English
Ciao Piero,
Carrick ti ha dato qualche ottimo suggerimento; volevo solo aggiungere:
Carrick ti ha dato qualche ottimo suggerimento; volevo solo aggiungere:
You little ripper!
Senior Member
Australian English
Your English is actually quite good pierobet. Just a few very minor corrections.pierobet said:
"Formazione continua" is quite difficult to translate.
I totally confirm carrickp's doubt:
Italian (maybe European?) pedagogic thought borrowed this expression from the Anglo-saxon thought, but definetly changed its meaning. Usually we think education is referred to young people, while adults need only occasional training that recalls the idea of "going back to school". Pedagogists (see: Margiotta, Minello, Becchi, Bondioli) said: why do we distinguish child education from "adult education"? Dewey (a pedagogist) said life is an ongoing research of solutions to problems, so why does someone have to stop training itself? Every experience is part of your education!
The italian term for that is "formazione continua", but it is taken from another English expression that does not refer directly to "education". This expression is life-long learning. As you can see, life-long learning implies a particular philosophical point of view: "you never stop improving your skills and feats".
Some hints:
"Educazione" (Education) doesn't mean "formazione": I don't know the English, but the Italian concept of education is tipically referred to school-sistem, a place in which you are given information, while "formazione" is something that happens any time you find yourself in a developing environment. Of course it always happens.
Note: While it is easy to translate "life-long learning" in "formazione continua", I'm not sure wether it is possible to translate "formazione" with "formation". Maybe "formazione" is more similar to "forming" or "the act of making" an object by shaping it, giving it "shape"="forma".
"Formazione" doesn't strictly mean "training": you train people to solve tasks that involve specific skills. Standing far from traditional "adult education", pedagogic thought is not only concerned about developing or improving skills, but making people shape themselves.
Thanks for all (and don't forget to show me my mistakes!!!)
P.S.: I study philosophy and pedagogic theory - as you will see there are different school of thoughts, but I tried to summarize "the spirit of today debate"
I totally confirm carrickp's doubt:
Usually, as carrickp said, "formazione continua" is linked to the idea of working people or businnesmen that want to improve their knowledges or even their skills in a particular field. As a matter of fact the first who used this expression were "adult trainers", people that held courses for adults.
Italian (maybe European?) pedagogic thought borrowed this expression from the Anglo-saxon thought, but definetly changed its meaning. Usually we think education is referred to young people, while adults need only occasional training that recalls the idea of "going back to school". Pedagogists (see: Margiotta, Minello, Becchi, Bondioli) said: why do we distinguish child education from "adult education"? Dewey (a pedagogist) said life is an ongoing research of solutions to problems, so why does someone have to stop training itself? Every experience is part of your education!
The italian term for that is "formazione continua", but it is taken from another English expression that does not refer directly to "education". This expression is life-long learning. As you can see, life-long learning implies a particular philosophical point of view: "you never stop improving your skills and feats".
Some hints:
"Educazione" (Education) doesn't mean "formazione": I don't know the English, but the Italian concept of education is tipically referred to school-sistem, a place in which you are given information, while "formazione" is something that happens any time you find yourself in a developing environment. Of course it always happens.
Note: While it is easy to translate "life-long learning" in "formazione continua", I'm not sure wether it is possible to translate "formazione" with "formation". Maybe "formazione" is more similar to "forming" or "the act of making" an object by shaping it, giving it "shape"="forma".
"Formazione" doesn't strictly mean "training": you train people to solve tasks that involve specific skills. Standing far from traditional "adult education", pedagogic thought is not only concerned about developing or improving skills, but making people shape themselves.
Thanks for all (and don't forget to show me my mistakes!!!)
P.S.: I study philosophy and pedagogic theory - as you will see there are different school of thoughts, but I tried to summarize "the spirit of today debate"
Il significato di formazione continua direi che è più specifico di formazione permanente.
Nella dicitura europea, infatti si parla di "life longlearning" cioè apprendimento lungo tutto l'arco della vita, ma quando si parla di formazione continua si intende specificamente quella dedicata a persone nel mondo del lavoro (quindi una parte specifica della "formazione professionale" - "vocational training", es quella che le aziende fanno per i propri dipendenti (spesso con finanziamenti regionali, comunitari, etc)
Mi trovo sempre un po' in difficoltà a tradurre "formazione continua" in questo contesto. Mi verrebbe da dire "ongoing education" oppure "ongoing training" (rispettivamente "educazione continua" e "formazione continua"). Anche se spesso trovo usato il termine "on-the-job" training" (che abbia piuttosto il senso di "formazione in azienda").
Qualche native sa precisare la terminologia esatta?
Grazie mille!
Nella dicitura europea, infatti si parla di "life longlearning" cioè apprendimento lungo tutto l'arco della vita, ma quando si parla di formazione continua si intende specificamente quella dedicata a persone nel mondo del lavoro (quindi una parte specifica della "formazione professionale" - "vocational training", es quella che le aziende fanno per i propri dipendenti (spesso con finanziamenti regionali, comunitari, etc)
Mi trovo sempre un po' in difficoltà a tradurre "formazione continua" in questo contesto. Mi verrebbe da dire "ongoing education" oppure "ongoing training" (rispettivamente "educazione continua" e "formazione continua"). Anche se spesso trovo usato il termine "on-the-job" training" (che abbia piuttosto il senso di "formazione in azienda").
Qualche native sa precisare la terminologia esatta?
Grazie mille!
joanvillafane
Senior Member
U.S. English
Depending on the job and the target audience, it might be called different things.
For automobile workers, learning about how to install new parts, it could be "on-the-job training."
For people who are unemployed or learning a new job, it could be "vocational training."
For professionals, like teachers, doctors, lawyers, we call it "professional development" or "professional development training."
Edit: one more thought. Institutions that offer these courses to adults might advertise them as "continuing education courses" and you might see that phrase in their printed materials. But a person taking the course would probably never say that.
I'm taking an adult ed course in Chinese.
I'm taking a night course in Microsoft Word.
For automobile workers, learning about how to install new parts, it could be "on-the-job training."
For people who are unemployed or learning a new job, it could be "vocational training."
For professionals, like teachers, doctors, lawyers, we call it "professional development" or "professional development training."
Edit: one more thought. Institutions that offer these courses to adults might advertise them as "continuing education courses" and you might see that phrase in their printed materials. But a person taking the course would probably never say that.
I'm taking an adult ed course in Chinese.
I'm taking a night course in Microsoft Word.
Thank you joanvillafane,
you got exactly the point!
I would say that "vocational training" is the general field including all the educational and training activities devoted to people on the labour market (or trying to get into it, such as unemployed people) like the Italian "formazione professionale"
while "continuing education courses", "professional development", "professional development training" and "on-the-job training" are devoted to the target you have expressed so clearly, is it correct?
PS: and what about "ongoing education", is it synonim of "continuing education courses" or there is a difference?
Many thanks and regards!
you got exactly the point!
I would say that "vocational training" is the general field including all the educational and training activities devoted to people on the labour market (or trying to get into it, such as unemployed people) like the Italian "formazione professionale"
while "continuing education courses", "professional development", "professional development training" and "on-the-job training" are devoted to the target you have expressed so clearly, is it correct?
PS: and what about "ongoing education", is it synonim of "continuing education courses" or there is a difference?
Many thanks and regards!
joanvillafane
Senior Member
U.S. English
"on-going" education is a term that is not used here. I've spent my whole career in education and I am not familiar with it. It doesn't get any results in a search, either.