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本帖最后由 宜笑 于 2009-3-13 16:33 编辑
China worries too few foreigners learning Chinese
中国因学习中文的外国人太少而焦虑
Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:42am EDT
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE52B1UW20090312
BEIJING (Reuters) - There has been a big rise in the number of foreigners learning Chinese, but still too few are studying the language, officials said on Thursday, worried this may affect efforts to soften China's global image.
学习汉语的外国人的数量已有很大的增长,但是总人数依然较少。周四中国官方说如是。他们担心这可能会对软化中国全球形象的努力有影响。
China began setting up Confucius Institutes in 2004 to teach Chinese and they are now in 81 countries, but efforts to expand them are being ampered by too few teachers and poor teaching materials.
中国2004年开始建立孔子学院来教授汉语,目前已有81个国家有孔子学院,但扩展的努力受到了师资和教学资料的缺乏的阻碍。
"At present, the basis for the studying or teaching of Chinese is very weak, unlike for English, French or Spanish, which have been popularized for hundreds of years," said Xu Lin, director of the Confucius Institute Headquarters.
“目前,学习或教授中文的基础非常薄弱,不像英语、法语或西班牙语那样已经推广了数百年了。”孔子学院总部负责人徐林说。
Xu, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of China's annual meeting of parliament, said that in the United States more students studied Latin at middle school than Chinese.
徐林对在政协会议上侧道的记者说,在美国中学学习拉丁语的学生比学中文的多。
"Though the desire to learn Chinese is very high, there is a lack of teachers and teaching materials," she added, referring specifically to the Confucius Institute.
“虽然学习的热情很高,但是师资和教学资料匮乏。”她补充说,明确提到了孔子学院。
"Our teachers and teaching materials are not really appropriate for what's demanded of them overseas."
“我们的教师和教学材料没有真正做到适合海外的需求。”
Still, the number of foreigners learning Chinese around the world now stood at about 40 million, Xu said.
徐说:“目前全球学习中文的外国人的数量依然徘徊在4千万左右。”
China originally planned to have more than 100 Confucius Institutes worldwide by 2008, but by the end of last year already had more than 250, such is the demand.
中国原本计划到2008年全球建立100多所孔子学院,但是去年年底建成的已超过250所,这就是需求。
Ironically, China's ruling Communist Party once condemned the ancient philosopher Confucius after whom the institute is named, and tried to eradicate the principles he taught, such as loyalty to family and tradition, saying they were "reactionary."
具有讽刺意味的是,中国的执政党共产党曾经谴责古代哲学家孔子(学院用了他的名字),并且试图根除他曾教授过的准则,如对家庭和传统的忠诚,说它们是“反动的”。
But the government has begun reviving some old practices, including promoting certain aspects of Confucianism, as the Party seeks to make traditional virtues an anchor of order and stability during times of social change.
但政府已经开始恢复一些古老的习俗,包括推广儒家思想的某些方面,因为共产党正试图使传统道德观念成为秩序的稳定剂并且在社会变革时期保持平稳。
Zhu Chongshi, president of Xiamen University in southeastern China, said promoting Chinese language and culture globally would be good for the country's image.
南方的厦门大学校长朱崇实说,推广中文和中国文化将会对国家的形象有好处。
"What is soft power? The best soft power is to let people know you, understand you, love you." he said. "Less than one percent of U.S. students study Chinese. With a situation like that, it's impossible for China to raise its soft power."
“什么是软实力?最好的软实力是让人们知道你,了解你,喜爱你。”他说道。“不到百分之一的美国学生学习汉语。在这种情况下,中国增加软实力是不可能的。”
"Setting up Confucius Institutes can have a huge effect on promoting understanding between China and the world. It will help the people of the world objectively, fully and properly know China's people and culture," he said.
“建立孔子学院可以对促进中国和世界之间的了解产生巨大的影响。这将帮助世界人民客观、全面和正确地了解中国人民和中国文化。”他说。
"This is the best path to show China's soft power."
“这是展示中国软实力的最好方式。” |
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Students study Chinese characters at Qunxing international school in Yiwu, Zhejiang province March 7
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