1. TRABAJO PRÁCTICO PARA ALUMNOS LIBRES DE INGLES :
PRIMER AÑO
Alumno: Laura Maffei
Carrera: Guía de Turismo Regional
Profesora: Alicia E.Vatteone de Siffredi
Materia: Inglés
Trabajo Práctico 2: GUIDING TOURS
Fecha de Entrega: 30 de Octubre de 2012
Régimen: Alumnos Libres
Período Lectivo: 2012
Objetivos del Trabajo Práctico:
1. Incentivar a los alumnos a escuchar, leer, comprender diálogos EN
INGLES.
2. Familiarizar a los alumnos con textos relacionados con turismo y su
problemática.
3. generar una reflexión en los alumnos sobre su rol como Guías de
Turismo, familiarizarlos con características de la fauna de la Patagonia.
Bibliografía y Material Visual:
• The Path of the Condor, the film.
• My Life in Ruins, the film.
• Patagonia, Bariloche, Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, a booklet in English
published by Emprotur.
• Patagonia: Lonely Planet

2. Name of Student: Laura Maffei
TP 2: Guiding Tours
PART 1
GUIDING TOURS
Aim of the Project: to help students reflect about the role of the Tour
Guide as a communicator.
“My Life in Ruins”: Georgia is a Greek American tour guide who is leading
a tour around Greece with an assorted group of misfit tourists who would rather
buy a T-shirt than learn about history and culture. In a clash of personalities and
cultures, everything seems to go wrong, until one day ...
Activity: Watch the first 30 minutes of the film in English. Then, answer the
questions.
1. What different English accents can you identify? Where do the
speakers come from?
The accents I could identify were English, American, Canadian and
Australian, being the speakers from England, the United States, Canada
and Australia.
2. What is a culture clash? Give examples of culture clashes in the film.
Describe the misunderstandings/feelings they experience.
A culture clash is a conflict between two or more people as a consequence
of different cultural values.
An example of a culture clash in the film could be the scene when the
American couple wanted to buy an article in a store and the Greek seller
gave a price that was higher than the real one, as he was expecting the
Americans to bargain. The couple got very angry as they thought that the
Greek man was trying to cheat them, and the seller was angry too because
the Americans would not bargain. The whole thing was solved when the
Guide appeared and explained the situation.
3. Give 2 examples of culture clashes our visitors could suffer in our
community. Explain how you could help them in each case.
One possible culture clash in our country could take place when a local
offers “mate” to foreign visitors. They could feel very uncomfortable in
sucking from the same metal straw than the rest of the group, and probably
would decline, making the host feel a bit uncomfortable too.
Probably, another very uncomfortable situation for our visitors (for example
for people from Germany or Nordic countries) is when they arrive to a certain
place and meet someone for the first time, and the local people welcome
them with a kiss on the cheek.
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3. Name of Student: Laura Maffei
TP 2: Guiding Tours
4. What personality clashes can you identify in the film? What could go
wrong during a tour? If you were the guide, how would you try to avoid
conflicts?
There are many things that could go wrong during a tour: language troubles,
someone gets sick, schedule misunderstandings, difficult personality of any
of the tourists, problems with the bus, etc.
If I were the guide, I would try to anticipate problems, and I would try to
make everybody feel comfortable. When a conflict appears, being the Guide
the main responsible for the group, he or she should take control of the
situation and assume the leading role.
5. Draw a chart comparing both tour guides. Using your own ideas,
describe their attitude / resources. How knowledgeable and successful
are they?
The woman The man
Boring at first. Very entertaining.
Negative attitude. Positive attitude.
Bad communication skills Good communicator
Knowledgeable Seems not too knowledgeable
Effective once her attitude changes. Very effective.
6. In your opinion, what personal characteristics does a Tour Guide need
to develop? Why? How? How would the whole group profit from a
better tour? (100 words).
I think that besides the knowledge of the natural and cultural heritage of the
region or the country the Guide is working in, the most important personal
characteristic is the capability to work with people and to easily indentify the
group needs.
The Guide should be an excellent communicator, being kind and friendly to
make all people feel comfortable, but the Guide should also be aware of
his/her responsibilities at every moment, and he/she must be prepared to
assume the authority and the leading role clearly and firmly in case of, for
example, dangerous situations, climate disasters, accidents, or other difficult
circumstances.
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4. Name of Student: Laura Maffei
TP 2: Guiding Tours
PART 2
PATAGONIA
Activities: watch the English version of the film the Path of the Condor. Then,
answer the questions below.
“The Path of the Condor” Two men, an ornithologist and a paraglider pilot, set-out
to study the Andean Condor in its natural environment. Their path leads them
through some of the most beautiful scenery Patagonia can offer as they capture
unforgettable imagery of this majestic bird...
1. In 2 paragraphs, describe 2 different sceneries portrayed in the film.
One of the natural sceneries portrayed in the film is the Andean Patagonian
Forest. This natural region goes from the North of Neuquen to the Southern
part of Argentina, in Isla de los Estados. In Neuquén it reaches 1,800 masl
(meters above sea level), while in Tierra del Fuego the maximum high is
500 masl. In the region of Lake Nahuel Huapi two kind of forests can be
found: the “humid forest” - with annual rainfall over 1,500 mm, and the
presence of three different species of Nothofagus, among them the
impressive Coihue - and the “transition forest” - with precipitations between
1,500 and 800 mm, characterized by the Austral Cypress.
Another interesting scenery is the “Mount Buitreras”, located in the transition
from the Andean Patagonian Forest to the Patagonian Steppe. The steppe
covers more than 65% of Patagonian territory, it goes from the Patagonian
Forests in the West to the Atlantic coast, and from northern Rio Negro to
Tierra del Fuego. Annual precipitations are very low (less than 600 mm).
The dominant vegetation is low as a consequence of the strong wind,
especially from the West. There are different types of grasses, and various
low bushes. Some isolated forests of Austral Cypress can be found in the
rocky areas.
2. Where do condors live and nestle?
Condors normally live and nestle in high rocky areas, in mountains up to
5,000 m high. They prefer non-forested areas which allow them to spot
carrion from the air.
3. What is the difference between the male and the female condors ?
Males have a brown crest at the base of the beak, foreheads are larger and
they have a yellow iris. Females have a red iris and don´t have crest.
4. How far/ long/ high can they fly? What do we learn about their ability to
fly in this film?
Condors have a wing span of up to three meters, making them the largest
flying birds, and giving them a great gliding capability. They can reach
heights of up to 7,000m and they fly approximately 200kms in a day.
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5. Name of Student: Laura Maffei
TP 2: Guiding Tours
5. Explain why the condor could be considered an endangered species.
Some Condors are killed by farmers because they think that condors can kill
their lambs. Condors can also suffer from secondary lead poisoning from
animals killed by hunters, as they eat the bullets. Another factor in many
parts of the Andes Mountains is the loss of habitat.
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