Increasingly outgunned, outmaneuvered and outspent by China on the world stage, Taiwan is increasingly turning to its "soft power" arsenal, to which the Ministry of Education (MOE) added a new "weapon" recently.
In November, the ministry will unleash onto the world ... a test.
Armed with sharpened No. 2 pencils, scores of Taiwanese and Chinese-speaking foreigners will take this test. For those who pass, they will become foot soldiers in the "war to claim Chinese-ness," representing Taiwan's linguistic and cultural standards worldwide as accredited Chinese language educators.
"We see Chinese language teachers from China go out into the world to teach, and we feel the need to show [the world] our standards of Chinese language and culture, including traditional characters and our culture on Taiwan," said Chang Chin-sheng (
Chang added that Taiwan had a rich tradition of providing foreigners with the ideal environment to learn Chinese, and "exporting" the language and culture.
"Taiwan wants to promote its teachers in the US, and have them known as pedagogical professionals and linguistic ambassadors," Chang said.
RAISING THE BAR
Jeffrey Lamb, a master's student in the Graduate Institute of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), said the test could be an acceptable way to standardize Chinese language pedagogy.
"If you have two applicants for a Chinese teaching position, with one applicant accredited by the Taiwanese government and the other not, well, that could mean the difference between getting or losing the job," Lamb said.
He said that teaching Chinese was a profession, just like practicing law or medicine, and should therefore be defined by certain standards of performance and knowledge.
"You wouldn't seek out an unlicensed doctor to treat you, would you?" Lamb said.
MINIMAL INFLUENCE
Professor James Hargett, a seasoned Chinese teacher at the University of Albany in New York State, told the Taipei Times that learning Chinese was all the rage in the US, and that the country was in dire need of qualified Chinese teachers.
But, he added, more students were interested in China than Taiwan, and his classes leaned more toward simplified characters because of students' perception that "China is where the action is."
"Everyone's got a test these days," Hargett said, adding that Taiwan's influence was minimal.
"Taiwan is marginalized ... because it has no presence here to shape anything related to Chinese language learning. This is unfortunate, because there are some excellent Mandarin training facilities in Taiwan," the professor said, citing NTNU and National Taiwan University.
"This past summer we sent two students to [NTNU] on MOE scholarships and they absolutely loved it -- great teacher and wonderful facilities," Hargett said.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
A fourth public debate was held today about restarting the recently decommissioned Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, ahead of a referendum on the controversial issue to be held in less than two weeks. A referendum on Aug. 23 is to ask voters if they agree that “the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should continue operations upon approval by the competent authority and confirmation that there are no safety concerns.” Anyone over 18 years of age can vote in the referendum. The vote comes just three months after its final reactor shut down, officially making Taiwan nuclear-free. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) represented
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
RSS