Vietnamese bride Mei-feng married her husband about a year ago, with no knowledge about the culture, history or languages of Taiwan. Thanks to her husband's support, however, she started to learn Chinese two months ago and already she can communicate in simple sentences and write basic Chinese characters.
In an effort to improve the Chinese skills of the 126,361 foreign spouses in Taiwan like Mei-feng, the Ministry of Education (MOE) invited language teachers and linguists to design a Chinese-learning curriculum aimed at foreign spouses.
After publishing the basic-level curriculum last year, the MOE yesterday announced the publication of an advanced-level reading primer for those who have finished the basic course to further increase their vocabulary and communication skills.
Addressing a press conference at the new curriculum's launch, Vice-Minister of Education Fan Sun-lu (范巽綠) said that the ministry hopes to take good care of foreign spouses and their families through the promotion of education and Taiwanese culture.
"New immigrants in Taiwan are reshaping the culture in Taiwan. It is the ministry's responsibility, therefore, to help foreign spouses understand Taiwan better and learn to speak our language through education, so that they can blend in smoothly," Fan said.
Huang Fu-shun (黃富順), curriculum designer and education professor at National Chung Cheng University, said that while the design of Chinese textbooks for Taiwanese students are based on the level of difficulty, Chinese characters chosen in the reading primers for foreign spouses are all of commonly used words and everyday expressions.
"Chinese characters such as `the restroom' (盥洗室), for example, are considered difficult to write and would be put in fifth or six-grade textbooks. However, we chose the term as one of the 400 basic vocabulary items in the textbooks, because it is a common term used everywhere," Huang said.
According to Huang, the advanced-level curriculum consists of three textbooks covering introductions to the society, geography and cultural aspects in Taiwan.
The textbooks provide practical pieces -- including examples of conversations, press releases and a diary -- for students to practice different styles of writing. Huang said that after learning the total vocabulary of 1,011 words in the textbooks, students will be able to read pamphlets and simple articles with no difficulty.
An Keng Elementary School teacher Lin Hsiu-er (林秀娥), who teaches Chinese to Mei-feng and many other foreign spouses in evening classes, shared her teaching experience.
"My students come from various countries, so the most difficult part is for us to understand each other. But I find it rewarding to teach foreign spouses, because in addition to learning the language, we also learn about their different cultures and customs," Lin said.
Thanks to the systematic new curriculum, Lin said, it is easier for students to learn Chinese phonetic symbols. Students' Chinese vocabulary and language skills would be the same as those of third or fourth graders after approximately two years of study, she said.
Mei-feng goes to Chinese classes every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evening from 6pm to 8pm. She said that learning Chinese is hard yet interesting. With the ambition to finish all the classes with teacher Lin, Mei-feng said she sees the class as a good way to get to understand the history, culture and people of Taiwan, and she encourages more foreign spouses to join her to enjoy the language-learning experience.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS