Taiwan to host US Department of State language program

2016/06/16

Taiwan has been selected for the first time in recent decades as a location for Chinese language instruction under the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship Program.

Founded in 2006, CLSP is one of the important ways the U.S. Department of State offers instruction in 14 key international languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Turkish.

The U.S. Department of State has selected 20 elite undergraduate and graduate students majoring in international relations or national security with two years of Chinese training from Ivy League, or other well-known universities, to attend the Chinese Language Center of National Cheng Kung University in Tainan City, southern Taiwan, for an eight-week intensive language course and cultural immersion program starting June 15.

Ho Mai-chen, director of the language center, said compared with Taipei City, Tainan boasts a lot of cultural sites. “In addition to learning language, the American students will have classes on gourmet food, seal carving, tea ceremony etiquette and Taiwanese opera.

“They are living with the local families, studying during the weekdays and participating in a series of off-campus activities centered on learning Taiwan history and culture.”

Although it is a relatively short curriculum, Ho said it is equivalent to one year of standard Chinese study at a regular college. “After completing the course, students’ proficiency of Chinese language and cultural understanding will be elevated to a higher level.”

As to why the language center was chosen to facilitate the course, Sonia Urbom, a spokeswoman with the American Institute in Taiwan, said “this is a regular process made by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., and I am sure it is a well-managed language center.”

Established in 1982, the language center offers different levels of traditional Chinese instruction to large or small groups of international students from Asia, Europe and North America. Programs are immersion- based and typically include homestays with local families.

In 2013, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education launched an eight-year plan promoting the local traditional Chinese language instruction industry. A total of 103 teachers and 76 teaching assistants were selected for overseas posts last year. Taiwan also renewed for three years in May the 2007-signed Agreement for the Funding of a Lectorship in Modern Chinese Language with the University of Cambridge.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=245545&ctNode=2194&mp=9)