ADDIS ABABA, July 17 (Xinhua)– About 23 Ethiopian diplomats on Saturday completed Chinese language training successfully from the Addis Ababa Confucius Institute in Ethiopia.

The institute presented certificates to the graduates and special awards to those top students for their outstanding achievements in the training.

Presenting certificates and awards to the trainees, Gu Xiaojie, Chinese ambassador to Ethiopia, said the relation between China and Ethiopia have been getting momentum.

Gu said the two countries have been enjoying excellent relations in all-around sectors.The training program would take the relation to a higher level.

Zhai Fengjie, director of the Addis Ababa Confucius Institute, said the Ethiopian diplomats have participated in the two-month training program which focused on speaking and listening of the Chinese language.

Zhai expressed firm belief that the Ethiopian-Chinese relations would become stronger and closer.

“The Ethiopian officials were taught basic Chinese which can help them get more understanding of Chinese language and culture,” she said.

Mahdi Ahmed, director general of the Middle East and Oceania Directorate with the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the training program significantly contributes to not only enhance communications but also boost the relations between the two countries.
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By Linda Shaw, Seattle Times education reporter. Originally published Monday, April 26, 2010 at 10:01 PM

A new institute dedicated to spreading Chinese language and culture across Washington state was officially launched Monday, a partnership of Seattle Public Schools, the University of Washington and Hanban, a Chinese nonprofit group affiliated with China’s Ministry of Education.

Called the Confucius Institute, it will join about 250 similar organizations across the globe, one of a number of Hanban’s efforts to capitalize on the growing international interest in China.

Its efforts have been met with suspicion in some communities, most recently in suburban Los Angeles, where some parents expressed concern that a Hanban program might promote the Chinese government’s political views.

Washington officials don’t share those worries.

“We see nothing but upsides to teaching the languages and cultures of the world,” said Stephen Hanson, the UW’s vice provost of global affairs.

The institute is “about opening up China,” said Michele Anciaux Aoki of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. “It’s a two-way street.”

Hanban has a number of other programs in Washington schools. In Seattle, for example, there are five Hanban-sponsored teachers from China who teach Mandarin classes.
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MOSCOW, March 23 (Xinhua) — After the successful holding of the “Russian Language Year” in China last year, the “Chinese Language Year” is to be unveiled here on Tuesday as an effort to promote Chinese culture in Russia and strengthen all-round cooperation between the countries.

It is also aimed at enhancing mutual understanding and traditional friendship between the Chinese and the Russian peoples.

Without cultural exchanges, long-term friendship and common development would simply be empty talk.

Without language serving as a foundation for mutual understanding and bridge for communication, cultural exchanges would be limited.

That is precisely why the Chinese and Russian governments decided to hold the “Russian Language Year” in China in 2009 and the “Chinese Language Year” in Russia this year after the success of reciprocal national theme years in 2006 and 2007.

Such events are conducive to lifting the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation to a higher stage.

The reciprocal national theme years have injected strong impetus into the expansion of bilateral interaction and cooperation. The reciprocal language years will lay down a firm basis for China and Russia to develop all-round mutually beneficial cooperation.
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BEIJING, Aug. 13 — As Chinese culture continues to grow in popularity across the world, so too does the desire to decipher intricate Chinese characters and master the age-old language. While Germany has long offered Mandarin courses at university, many primary and high school students are now taking on the challenge of studying Chinese.

“The lessons are interesting because our teacher explains to us what the characters mean and how they became what they are,” said 13-year-old Justin Macpherson who lives near the German city of Wiesbaden. “Sometimes we also watch Chinese movies. The hardest thing is to write characters and listen to other people speak Mandarin,” he added.

Germany is known for its excellent Sinologists, many of whom work as interpreters, translators, intercultural trainers and business consultants.

Most of the current batch of experts began learning Mandarin at universities in their late teens or early twenties. In the last few years, more and more primary school and high school students like Justin are learning the language.

Currently, more than 100 schools in Germany offer Mandarin classes to students as young as 10 years old. English has always been a common language in Germany and French and Latin are old favorites. Spanish is also becoming increasingly popular.

The fact that Mandarin has penetrated this European bastion is due in part to China’s increased global presence and the large amount of Chinese expatriates living on the continent.
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July 6, 2009 – 6:20 PM. Jennifer L. Berghom

EDINBURG — Cesare Riverso has always admired Eastern culture. The 17-year-old rising senior at Veterans Memorial High School in Mission collects swords and other Oriental items and hopes to visit China someday.

He’s getting a head start this summer by learning Chinese culture and language.

Riverso is one of eight students enrolled in the University of Texas-Pan American’s Chinese Language and Culture Summer Institute. The five-week program offers two classes to high school students: beginner Mandarin Chinese and Chinese culture. Throughout the course, which began June 8, students learned about various aspects of Chinese culture, including cooking, tea ceremonies, tai chi and calligraphy.

“It’s interesting because you get to learn about another culture,” said Riverso.

Riverso said he’s starting to pick up the language, but it’s still a challenge for him and other students because the language is tonal; each syllable can have a different meaning depending on how it’s pronounced.

“One word can mean many words,” he said.

This is the second year the university has offered the program, sponsored by the university’s Integrated Global Knowledge and Understanding Collaboration department, said Citlalli Garcia, the department’s program coordinator.
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