History
In August of 2012, George and Li met in the University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate program in Linguistics. George’s research interests were in phonetics, phonology, second language acquisition and Chinese linguistics, while Li’s interests were in syntax, semantics, and Chinese linguistics. In the first year of the program, they had many opportunities to study together, being in the same courses and seminars.
In addition to discussing linguistics research, the two were also strongly committed to improving their foreign language skills. In the first year, George’s Chinese ability and Li’s oral English skills both improved significantly. At the same time, they both had their own plans for the future: George decided to base his dissertation on research into how Mandarin phonology influences the English pronunciation of native Mandarin speakers, planning to find research and teaching work related to these interests after graduation. Li decided to dedicate her efforts to helping Chinese who, like her, were studying in universities overseas, or who wished to study abroad, to overcome language and cultural barriers and better adapt to a foreign education system and way of life. She started using her spare time to provide one-on-one English tutoring and writing assistance.
In the second year of the Linguistics program, George and Li focused on how to put their new linguistics knowledge into practice to achieve their goals. The great international reputation of the university attracted more and more Chinese visiting scholars. With the increase in Linguistics and Asian Studies scholars, George and Li made friends with linguistics researchers from many colleges and universities in China who were pursuing research in the United States. They had great academic research skills, but many of them had difficulty publishing English-language papers in international journals because their English writing was insufficient to get them through the review process.
Through recommendations from friends, they came to entrust George and Li to help them proofread and polish their papers. With their help, the scholars were able to publish their papers with less friction. Scholars would often remark, “When George and Li edit papers, even when they are very busy with their own studies, they work in a consistently rigorous way. When we entrust them to edit and proofread our papers, we can rest easy!” As word got out among visiting scholars in the US, George and Li began to work on manuscripts from other humanities fields outside of linguistics. With their help, numerous scholars have been able to turn their research into publications in top-notch international journals, allowing the whole world to see the research accomplishments of Chinese scholars.
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founder
George Corley
George’s PhD research involved researching Chinese speakers’ pronunciation of English. He has extensive experience helping Chinese students with their writing, including experience in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center. George is so in love with language that he even creates his own, which led to his producing the Conlangery Podcast and serving as vice president of the Language Creation Society. His knowledge as a linguist and as a native speaker of American English enables him not only to guide students in pronunciation, grammar, style, and more, but also scientifically expound how to efficiently master a foreign language from the perspective of linguistics. His first-hand experience doing original doctoral research and years of assisting scholars editing academic papers have trained him to be able to thoroughly evaluate and improve academic writing with authority.
Specialties: American English pronunciation coaching; study abroad application grammar, format, and style guidance; study abroad course tutoring (especially in humanities and social science); academic writing style guidance; academic pre-publication proofreading, editing, and polishing.
Education
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Doctor of Philosophy, Linguistics, 2019
Relevant Experience
TA for introductory Linguistics courses at UW-Madison
Tutor at the UW-Madison Writing Center
Founder
Li W Corley
After graduating with a master’s degree in Cultural Linguistics and Applied Linguistics from Shandong University, Li came to the US in 2012 for theoretical linguistics research in the linguistics program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and has been working as an English-language editor, Chinese-English translator, and English tutor, helping Chinese in the US and Canada improve their English and better adapt to a foreign education system and a Western lifestyle. She has extensive experience in editing work, English teaching, and Chinese-English translation. Her graduate work in syntax and semantics and long experience with translation and English editing give her a strong sense of what works well and what does not. She excels at breaking this down for students and helping them to effectively improve their writing. Li is also an expert in coming up with strategies for study abroad application writing, given her own experience applying for graduate school in the United States and years of assisting many Chinese students with their applications. Her qualifications and experience can help more Chinese students get admitted into their dream programs.
Specialties: English grammar; Key strategies for study abroad application writing; Overseas student tutoring (Best subjects: Linguistics, literature, culture, education, law, women’s studies, history, sociology, psychology, religious studies, business administration, etc.); personalized resume writing guidance; English-Chinese translation.
Education
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Master’s in Linguistics, 2014
Shandong University
Master’s in Cultural Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, 2011
Relevant Experience
English instructor in Shandong College of Tourism and Hospitality
Independent editor and translator