Ancient Confucianism books to be translated into 9 foreign languages
A team of international experts is to translate the essential books of Confucianism studies, “Five Classics,” into nine foreign languages.
The “Five Classics,” or “Wujing” in Chinese, is a body of five ancient books about Confucianism studies.
The five books are: Yijing (Classic of Changes), Shijing (Classic of Poetry), Liji (Classic of Rites), Shujing (Classic of History) and Chunqiu (Spring and Autumn Annals). The last one is said to be written by the great philosopher and educator Confucius himself.
Until now, there have been no comprehensive foreign language translations of these books.
Experts said only parts of the work had been translated into French, English and German, but these versions were very dated and scarce outside professional libraries of Chinese culture.
”A translation of the ‘Wujing’ is urgently needed. Only by translating a complete set of the work will the essence of Chinese culture be fully recognized and accepted by the international community,” said Xu Lin, director of the Office of
Chinese Language Council International, in Beijing on Monday at a meeting on the study and translation of the Five Classics.
The project was first launched by the office in 2008 after suggestions from international experts and scholars.
The translation committee consists of more than 30 experts and scholars from China, the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy and Israel.
The committee is currently mapping a detailed schedule for the translation.
The experts will first spend three and a half years completing the Chinese-to-English version on which the translations into French, German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi and Malay will be based.
Each foreign language version will have a preface, notes and explanations to guide foreign readers, Xu said.
It is estimated that the “Wujing,” with around 700,000 Chinese characters, will translate into about a million English words.
Hao Ping, vice minister of education, said the “Wujing” would make clear how the ancient Chinese people thought of the relationship between human beings and nature, and enable them to understand why modern Chinese cherish harmony and peace.
The project comes amid booming interest in Chinese culture as 256 Confucius Institutes for Chinese language study have been set up in 81 countries as of March.
The government’s goal is to establish 500 institutes by 2010, said the Office of Chinese Language Council International.
Statistics show at the end of 2008, more than 40 million foreigners around the world were learning Chinese in 3,000 schools in 100 countries.
Candidates from over 60 countries attend Chinese Proficiency Competition
A total of 113 candidates from over 60 countries are attending the semi-final and final rounds of the 8th Chinese Bridge–Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, the Office of Chinese Language Council International (OCLCI) said Friday.
Deputy Director of the office Wang Yongli said the competition this year will be held in Changsha, capital of central China’s Hunan Province from July 9 to August 7.
Competitors will be required to give lectures in the Chinese language, answer questions on Chinese culture and other knowledge. They will contest for six top prizes, six second prizes and 18 third prizes.
Apart from competitions, candidates will also have tours in Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao to experience local customs and lives. Prize winners will receive scholarships sponsored by the Chinese government to allow further study in China, according to Wang.
Demand for learning the Chinese language has seen a quick rise in recent years, as China deepens its opening up policies and makes economic achievements.
Statistics from the OCLCI show that more than 40 million people overseas are learning Chinese.
”The competition not only offered a platform for young foreign learners to show their language talent, but also allowed more foreign people know about China”, Wang said.
The annual competition was initiated in 2002 and has brought 593 candidates from 50 countries to China.
Malaysia to set up its first Confucius Institute
China and Malaysia signed an agreement here Wednesday to establish the first Confucius Institute in Malaysia.
Ghauth Jasmon, vice president of University of Malaya (UM), and Ma Jianfei, deputy director-general of the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban), signed the agreement on setting up the institute at the university.
Hao Ping, Chinese Vice Minister of Education, and Hou Kok Chung, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Higher Education, also attended the signing ceremony.
As the exchanges between China and Malaysia has been increasingly intensified, more and more Malaysians are interested in learning the Chinese language and many Chinese students are also interested in learning the Malay language, Hao said.
The establishment of the Confucius Institute will have a positive influence on the Chinese-language learning in Malaysia and further enhance the understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries, he said.
Hao also said the renowned University of Malaya has vast contacts with various universities in China and it has contributed significantly to the friendly exchanges between Malaysia and China.
Hou said the university has close academic and research cooperation with some outstanding universities in China, including the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU).
Hou said in a speech that the Confucius Institute is a non-profit public institute which promotes the Chinese language to everyone, who are interested in it, in an organized and proper manner.
”I am confident that the Confucius Institute will become a benchmark for the teaching of Chinese language in Malaysia,” he said.
The establishment of the institute will provide a new platform for Malaysians with different ethic backgrounds to learn Chinese, Hou noted.
Jasmon also noted that the collaboration was another milestone in Malaysia-China’s strong relationship.
China’s Ambassador to Malaysia Liu Jian was present at the signing ceremony.
According to the agreement, UM and BFSU will jointly manage the Confucius Institute that will be set up at the City Campus of UM.
Rwanda: Confucius Institute Unveiled in Kigali
Kigali — The Confucius Institute, a Chinese teaching institute was unveiled at Kigali Institute of Education last week.
Guests who attended the unveiling ceremony included the Vice Secretary General of the People’s Municipal Government of Chongqing, China, and Chinese envoy Sun Shuzhong.
Last year, before the institute formally started, a pact establishing it was signed between KIE and China’s Chongqing Normal University (CNU).
In his speech, KIE Rector – Prof. George Njoroge hailed Rwanda-China cooperation, a cooperation which he noted, led to the establishment of the institute.
Njoroge outlined the goals of the institution and the importance of teaching Chinese language and culture and stressed that language was a vehicle and promoter of shared understanding and development among people.
The first class – 32 KIE students, started on April 17 but the number has steadily increased, compelling the institute which has been dubbed CIKIE, to conduct two classes weekly.
Chinese is also taught at Riviera High School in Gasabo district.
CIKIE is a non-profit institute promoting Chinese language and culture in Rwanda.
北京大学09年在职汉语国际教育硕士招生简章
为提高我国汉语国际推广能力，加快汉语走向世界，培养适应汉语国际推广新形势需要的国内外从事汉语作为第二语言/外语教学和传播中华文化的专门人才，“汉语国际教育”是指面向海外母语非汉语者的汉语教学。汉语国际教育硕士专业学位英文名称为“Master of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages”，简称MTCSOL。
根据国务院学位委员会《关于2009年招收在职人员攻读硕士学位工作的通知》(学位办［2009］33号)的精神和要求，我校2009年继续招收在职攻读汉语国际教育硕士(MTCSOL)专业学位学生。
一、报名条件及招生对象
2009年7月31日前国民教育序列大学本科或本科以上毕业并取得学历证书(一般应有学士学位)，热爱汉语国际推广事业，外语水平高，普通话标准，从事对外汉语教学或有志于从事汉语国际推广工作的在职人员。重点招收各级各类学校教师、外语专业毕业的在职人员、国际汉语教师志愿者。
符合报考条件的人员，资格审查表由所在单位人事部门填写推荐意见。
我校2009年计划招生30人。
二、报名方式、时间、地点
采取网上报名与现场确认相结合的方式。
网上报名时间为7月上旬。各省级学位与研究生教育主管部门确定所辖考区网上报名具体时间和网址，由教育部学位与研究生教育发展中心(以下简称“学位中心”)汇总后于6月25日前在学位中心网址(http：//www.cdgdc.edu.cn/zz09.html)公布。考生在网报的规定时间内，通过互联网登录有关省级主管部门指定网站，按照要求填写、提交报考信息。考生网上报名成功，系统将自动生成《2009年在职人员攻读硕士学位资格审查表》。
现场确认时间为7月中旬，应于7月20日前完成。由各省级主管部门将根据本地区情况作具体安排，并在网上报名阶段告知考生。
考生在规定的现场确认时间内，到指定现场报名点照相、确认报名信息。考生在现场确认时，应提供相关材料证明其符合报考汉语国际教育硕士的条件，供现场确认点工作人员审验，同时现场打印资格审查表并由考生本人签字确认。报名信息一经签字确认，今后一律不得更改，由此造成的一切后果由考生自负。
考生既可在招生单位所在地指定地点报名、考试，也可在考生工作地指定地点报名、考试。
三、资格审查
报考者在网上填写报名信息前，须进行报考资格自审，请认真阅读本简章上的报名条件，确定自己是否符合报考资格。
考生须将现场打印的资格审查表交所在单位人事部门(或档案管理部门)，核准表中内容、填写推荐意见，并在电子照片上加盖公章。如考生持境外学历、学位报考，须经教育部留学服务中心认证，资格审查时须提交认证报告。
报考资格审查将在复试阶段由北京大学对外汉语教育学院负责组织。届时报考者须出示以下材料：
1。资格审查表。
2。身份证原件及复印件。
3。大学本科毕业证书、学士学位证书原件及复印件。
4. 境外学历、学位的相关认证报告原件及复印件。
对于不符合报考条件或提供虚假信息的报考者不予录取，责任由考生自负。
四、考试科目
初试为全国联考，即硕士学位研究生入学资格考试(GCT)。联考考试大纲为《硕士学位研究生入学资格考试指南》(科学技术文献出版社)。考生自选GCT考试外语语种，取得的GCT成绩当年有效。国家汉语国际推广领导小组办公室将根据汉语国际推广工作对师资人才的需求情况，指定部分培养院校的培养语种，具体事宜由国家汉语国际推广领导小组办公室另行通知。
复试为政治理论、专业知识与技能考试(包括笔试与面试)、外语听说水平考试。专业知识与技能考试侧重汉语言文字学专业知识、汉语或外语教学技能、教师潜质考核，具体由北京大学对外汉语教育学院负责组织。
五、考试时间及地点
在职人员攻读硕士学位入学考试全国联考的时间为2009年11月1日上午8：30-11：30。考生入场时将核验准考证、身份证件。
政治理论及专业知识与技能复试时间，将于GCT考试成绩公布后两周内在北京大学对外汉语教育学院网页(http://hanyu.pku.edu.cn)公布。届时达到北京大学复试分数线的考生请携带复试通知书、准考证和资格审查资料参加。
六、录取与入学
根据初试和复试成绩择优录取。2010年初公布录取结果并发放录取通知书，2010年春季入学，并在学校规定的时间内办理报到注册手续。办理报到注册手续时，我校将再次审查本科毕业证书和学位证书原件。
七、学制与培养方式
1。学制：一般为3年，含授课时间、论文写作和论文答辩时间。
2。学分：总学分不低于32学分。
3。学习方式：非全日制在职攻读；主要利用周末或晚上授课。
4。培养目标：
根据国务院学位办有关MTCSOL培养方案的要求和北京大学的特色优势，我们将以培养高层次、应用型、复合型汉语国际教育专门人才为目标，以培养学生的汉语教学实践技能为主，同时注重培养学生外语能力和中华文化传播能力等。
北京大学还将突出自身多学科综合优势，着重培养学生掌握较先进的教育教学理念及对教学实践的反思能力，培养学生在教学实践方面的自我发展能力，以及和汉语言文学、中外文化、教育教学相关的综合素质能力等。
5。培养方法：采用课堂教学与国内外教学实习相结合的方式进行。
6. 课程安排：入学后1年半～2年，修完培养方案规定的必修课、相关选修课，修满规定学分，进入论文撰写、开题及最后答辩阶段。相关必修课和选修课程有：(1)公共必修课(北京大学研究生院统一安排课程和上课时间)：政治、外语；(2)专业必修课：汉语语言学导论(2学分)、汉语作为第二语言教学法(2学分)、第二语言习得概论(2学分)、中华文化与跨文化交际(2学分)、课堂教学研究(2学分)；(3)部分选修课(包括四大门类)：语言类(汉语语音概说、汉语语法概说、汉语词汇概说)、教学类(汉语教材分析与编写、现代技术与语言教学、汉语教学实践课堂)、教育类和文化类(教师发展概论、国别与地域文化)。学生所选修的课程至少涵盖其中3大类，学分至少修满12学分。每学期专业必修课和选修课课程会根据当年学期的任课教师情况做出具体安排。
八、学位授予
学位论文应与汉语国际教育或推广紧密结合。论文类型包括理论研究、调查分析报告、个案研究、毕业设计等多种形式。
在职学生在规定年限之内修满学分，课程考试与教学实习合格，并通过学位论文答辩者，经校学位评定委员会审核批准后，授予汉语国际教育硕士(MTCSOL)专业学位。
九、学费
学费为42000元人民币。分两次交清，其中第一学年交纳25000元，第二学年交纳17000元。
学生食宿及医疗费自理。
十、招生咨询
1。北京大学对外汉语教育学院
电话：010-62751916(仪文兰、王戎老师)
地址：北京大学勺园2号楼四层对外汉语教育学院办公室(2－412室)
邮编：100871
网址：http://hanyu.pku.edu.cn
2。北京大学研究生招生办公室，电话：010－62751354,010－62756913
地址：北京大学红二楼一层2102房间 ，邮编：100871
网址：http://grs.pku.edu.cn/
北京大学研究生招生办公室
二〇〇九年六月
How Mandarin makes my day
I am Jean, a student from South Korea studying at BISS Nanxiang. I have six subjects this term, and almost everyday I have Mandarin lessons. I have already learnt Mandarin for two years and I will take the Mandarin IGCSE test in 2010. At the beginning, I couldn’t speak Chinese at all. I felt Chinese was very difficult to learn. My teacher spoke Mandarin in class and I couldn’t understand. I worried that I couldn’t keep up but my teacher, Ms Jin, said that listening could help cultivate our listening comprehension. When I couldn’t understand sometimes, Jin would give us some clues to help us understand. Gradually, from basic phrases and dialogues, I began to understand what my teacher was saying. Chinese characters for many students are a little hard to write and to remember, but writing for me is not a problem. I felt my great achievement in Mandarin lessons is to speak out bravely. During class, we practised speaking a lot. We went over dialogue, we made sentences, we answered reading comprehension questions and we did a survey. At first, I could only say words and speak in simple sentences. Even though I still can’t speak fluently and I am a little shy when I speak, because I practiced and had encouragement from my teacher and classmates, I can speak in front of other students. I always listen to my teacher’s articulation and pronunciation. In my homeroom class, there are some native Chinese speakers and when I meet some words that I don’t know, I ask them without hesitation. Now, I can easily introduce my school, friends and my life in Shanghai. I have many ideas in my mind and I want to share them with my teacher and other students. I am proud that I can express myself properly. Being able to speak Chinese is very convenient in my daily life in China and I can also make more Chinese friends. I love this feeling! Now, I think I can speak Chinese better than before, but in the future I know I will be a great Chinese speaker! (Shanghai Daily June 17, 2009)
Confucius Institute in Nepal marks 2nd anniversary
Nepali Chinese-learning students gathered in Kathmandu University on Saturday to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the Confucius Institute at the university.
The enthusiastic Nepali students, eager to learn Chinese, attended the Confucius Institute for cultural exchange with the neighboring country.
”Chinese is one of the important languages spoken by a large number of people in the world, so to understand such a language is worthwhile,” said Rajiv Ranjit, a student told Xinhua during the celebration.
Aware of language barrier between two countries amid diverse opportunities, most of the students were attracted by the Confucius Institute.
”To be able to communicate with Chinese people is beneficial for cultural exchange,” said Ranjit who has done Master’s Degree in Anthropology from the Nepali University.
Not only students like Ranjit, more than 600 regular students and 30 teachers have been trained at different levels, including business programs, tour guide programs, professor programs, university programs and 16 Chinese-interest programs, which involved 600 students in middle schools and primary schools.
Confucius Institute was established at the university with an agreement signed between the university authority and the Office of Chinese Language Council International in February 2007 with the objectives of strengthening educational cooperation between Nepal and China, supporting and promoting the development between the two peoples.
”Students enjoy learning Chinese. Whenever we enter college, students run toward us and say ‘Ni Hao’,” said Yin Wei, a volunteer Chinese teacher who came to Nepal in April this year.
Along with Yin, another 30 volunteer Chinese teachers have worked in Nepal with the purpose of teaching Nepalese students in various places such as Kathmandu, Pokhara and Biratnagar.
”Some of them are teaching in high schools, some in primary schools and some others teaching adults in various institutes,” Yin said.
”I like Nepali students very much, they are very warm-hearted,” she added.
Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Qiu Guohong said, “Over the past two years, the directors and teachers from both China and Nepal have made positive and valuable contributions for the healthy growth of the Institute.”
According to him, Institute has turned into a venue for Nepalese people to study Chinese language and understand Chinese culture, a platform for China-Nepal cultural exchanges and bridge to enhance China-Nepal friendship and cooperation.
The teachers at the Confucius Institute offered Chinese courses and held cultural activities in local communities.
Germans find fun in speaking Chinese tongue twister
HAMBURG, June 13 (Xinhua) — “Four is four, ten is ten, 14 is 14, 40 is 40…”, which pronounced in Chinese like “si shi si, shi shi shi, shisi shi shisi, sishi shi sishi,” is a widely-known tongue twister in China, and a few locals in Germany’s Hamburg have found fun in articulating it.
On Friday evening in a Chinese Teahouse in downtown Hamburg, a tongue twister contest was staged, alluring dozens of local people to participate in the language game.
The contest, hosted by the Confucius Institute of the Hamburg University, is part of the Chinese Festival presented by the Chinese Teahouse, a mini replica of the Yuyuan Garden, an architectural masterpiece located in east China’s Shanghai municipality.
Five pairs were selected randomly from the audiences, and in each pair, one, from Germany, was to speak a Chinese tongue twister, while the other, from China, to speak a German one.
Later on, five versions of “si shi si” were heard in the traditional Chinese-style hall, igniting waves of laughter and applause from the audience.
Ulla Ruckpaul, a clerk from a local company, was one contestant at Friday’s language game. Although she had never spoken a single Chinese word, the Chinese tongue twister intrigued the German lady.
”I think the Chinese intonations are very interesting. I’ve never heard about it before, I’ve never practiced it before,” she told Xinhua.
In the process of the interview, Ruckpaul could not help speaking the tongue twister again, “si shi si….”
Prior to the contest, Dr. Geog Winter, a tongue twister writer for the German language, briefed the audience on how he wrote the German twisters, while Avid Storch and Zhang Wei from the Confucius
Institute of The Hamburg University taught the audience how to learn the Chinese intonations and the Chinese tongue twister.
The audience, in high spirits, followed Storch and Zhang in learning the Chinese intonations.
Dr. Carsten Krause, Dean of the Confucius Institute of The Hamburg University, told Xinhua that such a contest would encourage local people to learn the Chinese language.
”Some have learned a little bit Chinese from the contest,” he said.
”I find they are willing to participate, that’s good. Although their pronunciation is not good, they have done well,” he added.
Krause himself started learning Chinese 21 years ago when only few Germans were interested in learning the oriental language.
But now learning Chinese has become quite popular in Germany, which is China’s biggest trading partner in Europe and boasts frequent contacts and exchanges with China.
At present, a total of nine Confucius institutes have been set up across Germany, and Chinese-learning classes have been opened in as many as 80 German universities and 300 high schools. Official statistics show that at least 30,000 Germans are learning Chinese.
”The tongue twister contest can better increase the communication between the Chinese and German people,” Krause said.
”By learning Chinese tongue twisters, Germans may think it is not difficult to speak Chinese, and they may also think it is interesting to learn it,” he added.
The magnitude of Mandarin
The modest mill town of Macclesfield in the foothills of Cheshire’s Peak District could not be more different to the congested city of Xi’an, lay on the Guanzhong Plain in central China. But these two deeply divergent cultures are becoming entwined as governments from both countries have embarked on an initiative to bring cultural awareness and develop language skills of students in primary and secondary education.
Part of the educational project comprised of 120 headteachers from the UK visiting China to commence on a challenge to transport Chinese influences and introduce the language into the lives of British schoolchildren. The visits have been jointly funded by the UK’s department of children, schools and families (DCSF) and Hanban, the Chinese government agency responsible for promoting Chinese study overseas.
Celia Pickard, headteacher of Hurdsfield Primary School in Macclesfield, was part of a cohort of eight headteachers who were posted at a school in Xi’an in late May. The party spent two days at the school learning about Chinese education and teaching practices. In conclusion to their observations was a formal signing ceremony where an official “memorandum of understanding” was passed on to develop the learning experiences of the two cultures.
Part of the bilateral action plan between Hurdsfield Primary School and the school in Xi’an is to have a “food week”, whereby both schools spend a week eating the food normally consumed by their foreign counterparts.
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A Chinese pupil is reading his textbook. [By Gabrielle Pickard] |
Mrs Pickard is extremely enthusiastic about the project and felt encouraged by her visit to China. The headteacher commented, “This is a wonderful opportunity for my children. The prospect is there for a very successful partnership, dependent on the commitment of the headteachers and schools concerned and continued financial backing from the government.”
The fact that the UK government is “putting its money where its mouth is” by funding the project, is confirmation of the government’s growing responsiveness that pupils in Britain need to gain insight into the Chinese culture and language. This recent British and Chinese collaboration is further evidence how China is opening up to the world and how its growing reach is forging new alliances and a deeper understanding of China to a worldwide audience.
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Chinese pupils are doing outdoor activities. [By Gabrielle Pickard] |
It is because of this percolating power that learning to speak Chinese is becoming increasingly popular and why the British government is eager that children have the opportunity to learn Mandarin, the standard Beijing dialect. Of course, it is not just the British government who is recognizing the importance of learning to speak the language of the country whose governance is rapidly ascending. Legendary American investor and financial commentator Jim Rogers is so convinced that China will soon be the most powerful country in the world, he moved from New York to Singapore last year so that his two daughters could learn Mandarin.
According to the 65-year-old investment guru: “This is why my two daughters, five years old and five months old, learn Chinese. For those of my daughters’ generation, Chinese and English will be the two most important languages in the world. When they grow up they will find China to be the most powerful country.”
Celia Pickard echoes Roger’s beliefs that Mandarin is the language of the future. The headteacher said: “Mandarin is a very exciting language and I would choose it over languages such as French in my school, because like English, Mandarin is a world language. Its significance in the future will be phenomenal.”
The bilateral education program between Britain and China is the latest of a series of joint projects between the two countries. China has also entered into an affiliation with the UK’s department for international development, aimed at monitoring and controlling the social and environmental impact of Chinese investment. Chinese President Hu Jintao took center stage at the G20 meeting in London, highlighting the importance of “bilateral relationships”. Britain and China are also uniting in the fight against global climate change by jointly promoting carbon capture. The UK’s Climate Change and Energy Minister Ed Miliband also recognized China as an emerging great power, with the ability, not only to act, but to lead and to exert great influence and energize others around the world.
But perhaps the most significant of Britain’s growing mutual alliances with China is the collaboration between schools because the future lies in the hands of children and is a future which the Mandarin language may prove priceless.
HSK participants in Spain double from last year
The Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) in Spain concluded Saturday with participants doubling from last year.
This was the first time in Spain that the HSK was held at three universities in this European country, according to Chinese educational officials.
And the number of native Spanish participants has exceeded that of the Chinese Spanish for the first time, they said.
Some 250 participants took the test, a sharp increase from over 100 people recorded last year.
Wang Zhiwei, an educational official with the Chinese Embassy in Madrid who came to supervise the HSK, said the Chinese language has drawn more and more attention in Spain.
In 2003, only less than 10 universities offered Chinese learning courses, while the current number was more than 40, said Wang.
Launched outside China in 1991, the HSK is a standardized test at the state level to assess the Chinese language proficiency of non-native speakers. The Chinese Ministry of Education has established a committee to supervise the test.