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It is not often that a diplomatic gesture made on one continent is felt in primary school classrooms on another. But David Cameron’s exhortation from China this week that UK pupils should ditch French and German in favour of Mandarin has re-enlivened the debate on Britain’s difficult relationship with language-learning.
在一個洲做出的外交姿態能夠影響另一個洲的中小學教室，這種情況不常發生。但戴維•卡梅倫(David Cameron)近日出訪中國期間呼吁英國學生放棄學習法語和德語、改為學習漢語，此言讓一場有關英國在語言學習上所面臨困境的辯論再次升溫。
While some critics suggested the prime minister’s comments were designed merely to please his hosts, they underlined the increasing consensus that the UK’s education policies should align with its trade ambitions. Only last month, the British Council warned of an “alarming shortage” of Britons able to speak languages identified as key to the UK’s future prosperity and global standing. Of the 10 languages prioritised in the report, Mandarin was fourth – just below French, and just above German.
雖然一些批評人士認為，英國首相的言論只是為了討好東道主中國，但這些言論凸顯出，英國的教育政策應與其貿易目標保持一致已日益成為一項共識。就在上個月，英國文化協會(British Council)曾警告稱，英國對一些外國語人才的缺乏已到達危險的程度，而這些外國語被視為對英國未來保持繁榮以及全球地位至關重要。報告中列出的10種重點語言中，漢語被排在第4位，僅次于法語，緊隨漢語之后的則是德語。
Joan Deslandes, head-teacher and founder of Kingsford Community School in Newham – one of east London’s most deprived boroughs – was unusually quick to see the potential in Chinese languages. From when the school first opened 13 years ago, Mandarin has been compulsory for 11 to 13 year-olds, and 70 pupils took the subject for GCSE this year. Ms Deslandes admits that many schools are too afraid of league table slippage to try a subject perceived as difficult, but she saw it as a way to unite culturally diverse pupils. “We have over 60 languages spoken around our school, but Mandarin isn’t one of those,” she says. “For once, this is a language where everyone is on a level playing field.”
位于倫敦東部紐漢區（Newham，該區是倫敦最窮的區之一）的金斯福德社區學校(Kingsford Community School)校長兼創始人瓊•德朗德(Joan Deslandes)非常迅速地看到了漢語的潛力。自該校13年前剛剛成立起，漢語就是11歲到13歲學生的必修課程，此外，今年該校有70名學生在英國普通中等教育證書(GCSE)考試中選擇了漢語科目。迪斯蘭茲承認，很多學校不敢嘗試將一門公認難學的課程列為必修課，因為擔心這會導致學校排名下降，但她認為這是將文化背景不同的學生們統一起來的一種方式。她說：“在我們學校，學生背景各有不同，單就所說語言來說就有60多種，但漢語不是其中之一。因此，學習這種語言時，所有人都處在一個公平的競技場上?！?/div>
However, Geoffrey Bowden, general secretary of the Association of Translation Companies, warns that prioritising Mandarin above French and German is “simply short-sighted”. Pointing out that UK exports to France and Germany currently far exceed trade relations with China, he urged a wider focus across a range of languages. “David Cameron is right to say that Mandarin is a very important language for people here to learn, but it’s not an either or,” Mr Bowden said. “We need to think about exposing young minds to as many different language options as possible.”
然而，英國翻譯公司協會(Association of Translation Companies)秘書長杰弗里•鮑登(Geoffrey Bowden)警告稱，將漢語置于法語和德語之上“簡直目光短淺”。他指出，當前英國對法國和德國的出口額遠超英中貿易額，他敦促人們擴大所關注語言的種類。鮑登說：“戴維•卡梅倫說學習漢語對英國人很重要，這話沒錯，但即便不學習漢語，也可以學習別的語言。就可學語言的種類而言，我們必須考慮如何為年輕人提供盡可能多的選擇?！?/div>
There are still big barriers to an increased uptake of Mandarin. A YouGov poll earlier this year showed that only 3 per cent of primary and 9 per cent of secondary schools offered Mandarin lessons, and 2 per cent said the subject had been dropped altogether. Michael Gove, education secretary, signed a deal with China’s Hanban – the office for teaching Mandarin as a foreign language – to bring 1,000 more teachers to the UK three years ago, but demand still outstrips supply.
進一步推廣漢語教學依然面臨很大的障礙。今年早些時候輿觀(YouGov)的一項民調顯示，只有3%的小學和9%的中學提供漢語課程，2%的學校表示漢語課程已經被完全撤銷。3年前，英國教育大臣邁克爾•戈夫(Michael Gove)與中國國家漢辦（漢語海外教學管理辦公室）簽署了一項協議，約定中國要向英國額外派出1000名漢語教師，但如今英國漢語教師的數量仍不足以滿足需求。
Several people told the Financial Times that a key problem remained acquainting Chinese natives with the UK school system and helping them adapt to the less formal classroom environment. It has also been difficult just to keep Chinese teachers in Britain. Last month Scotland’s first minister criticised a Home Office decision not to renew the visas of two Mandarin teachers from China who had spent a year in Scotland as part of a Confucius Institute programme.
一些人告訴英國《金融時報》，一個關鍵的問題仍然是，如何讓來自中國的漢語教師熟悉英國的教育體制，幫助他們適應更隨意的課堂環境。單單是讓中國老師留在英國也一直是個難題。上個月，英國內政部(Home Office)沒有為孔子學院(Confucius Institute)項目中的兩名漢語教師續簽簽證，蘇格蘭地方政府首席部長為此提出抗議。這兩位教師此前已在英格蘭呆了1年時間。
Some schools, however, have had real successes. Wellington College, an independent school in Berkshire, last year opened a £500,000 Mandarin language centre housed in a pagoda complete with Chinese water garden. Currently 105 of the school’s 1,000 pupils are studying the language.
然而，一些學校在漢語教學方面真正做得很成功。英國伯克郡獨立學校威靈頓學院(Wellington College)去年斥資50萬英鎊，在一座配有中式水榭的塔式建筑中開設了一家漢語言中心。眼下該學校的1000名學生中有105名在學習漢語。
The new UCL academy in London has gone even further, with compulsory Mandarin for all pupils right up to sixth form, and staff.
新近由倫敦大學學院出資興建的中學(UCL academy)則更進一步，要求所有一至六年級的學生以及教職工都學習漢語。
Tom Bowen, assistant principal, says the head-teacher often addresses pupils in Mandarin outside lessons and expects them to respond in kind. He admits that it is a “very hard” subject, but says the benefits outweigh the barriers. “It’s really important that children learn to understand a culture that’s not their own . . . Chinese is now just part of our academy life.”
該校副校長湯姆•鮑恩(Tom Bowen)說，校長在課外的時候經常用漢語與學生交流，并希望他們同樣用漢語回答。他承認，漢語是一門“非常難”的課程，但他表示，如果能克服困難將漢語學好，將大有裨益?！皩W習理解一種不同的文化對孩子們真的非常重要……漢語如今已經成為我們校園生活的一部分?！?/p>
| 重點單詞 | 查看全部解釋 | |||
| identified |
想一想再看 adj. 被識別的；經鑒定的；被認同者 v. 鑒定（id |
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| diplomatic | [.diplə'mætik] |
想一想再看 adj. 外交的，古字體的，老練的 |
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| range | [reindʒ] |
想一想再看 n. 范圍，行列，射程，山脈，一系列 |
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| renew | [ri'nju:] |
想一想再看 v. 更新，重新開始 |
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| prime | [praim] |
想一想再看 adj. 最初的，首要的，最好的，典型的 |
聯想記憶 | |
| diverse | [dai'və:s] |
想一想再看 adj. 不同的，多種多樣的 |
聯想記憶 | |
| supply | [sə'plai] |
想一想再看 n. 補給，供給，供應，貯備 |
聯想記憶 | |
| environment | [in'vaiərənmənt] |
想一想再看 n. 環境，外界 |
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| exceed | [ik'si:d] |
想一想再看 vt. 超過，勝過，超出界限 |
聯想記憶 | |
| understand | [.ʌndə'stænd] |
想一想再看 vt. 理解，懂，聽說，獲悉，將 ... 理解為，認為< |
