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.
在一个洲做出的外交姿态能够影响另一个洲的中小学教室，这种情况不常发生。但戴维•卡梅伦(David Cameron)近日出访中国期间呼吁英国学生放弃学习法语和德语、改为学习汉语，此言让一场有关英国在语言学习上所面临困境的辩论再次升温。
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.
虽然一些批评人士认为，英国首相的言论只是为了讨好东道主中国，但这些言论凸显出，英国的教育政策应与其贸易目标保持一致已日益成为一项共识。就在上个月，英国文化协会(British Council)曾警告称，英国对一些外国语人才的缺乏已到达危险的程度，而这些外国语被视为对英国未来保持繁荣以及全球地位至关重要。报告中列出的10种重点语言中，汉语被排在第4位，仅次于法语，紧随汉语之后的则是德语。
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.”
位于伦敦东部纽汉区（Newham，该区是伦敦最穷的区之一）的金斯福德社区学校(Kingsford Community School)校长兼创始人琼•德朗德(Joan Deslandes)非常迅速地看到了汉语的潜力。自该校13年前刚刚成立起，汉语就是11岁到13岁学生的必修课程，此外，今年该校有70名学生在英国普通中等教育证书(GCSE)考试中选择了汉语科目。迪斯兰兹承认，很多学校不敢尝试将一门公认难学的课程列为必修课，因为担心这会导致学校排名下降，但她认为这是将文化背景不同的学生们统一起来的一种方式。她说：“在我们学校，学生背景各有不同，单就所说语言来说就有60多种，但汉语不是其中之一。因此，学习这种语言时，所有人都处在一个公平的竞技场上。”
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，英国翻译公司协会(Association of Translation Companies)秘书长杰弗里•鲍登(Geoffrey Bowden)警告称，将汉语置于法语和德语之上“简直目光短浅”。他指出，当前英国对法国和德国的出口额远超英中贸易额，他敦促人们扩大所关注语言的种类。鲍登说：“戴维•卡梅伦说学习汉语对英国人很重要，这话没错，但即便不学习汉语，也可以学习别的语言。就可学语言的种类而言，我们必须考虑如何为年轻人提供尽可能多的选择。”
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.
进一步推广汉语教学依然面临很大的障碍。今年早些时候舆观(YouGov)的一项民调显示，只有3%的小学和9%的中学提供汉语课程，2%的学校表示汉语课程已经被完全撤销。3年前，英国教育大臣迈克尔•戈夫(Michael Gove)与中国国家汉办（汉语海外教学管理办公室）签署了一项协议，约定中国要向英国额外派出1000名汉语教师，但如今英国汉语教师的数量仍不足以满足需求。
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.
一些人告诉英国《金融时报》，一个关键的问题仍然是，如何让来自中国的汉语教师熟悉英国的教育体制，帮助他们适应更随意的课堂环境。单单是让中国老师留在英国也一直是个难题。上个月，英国内政部(Home Office)没有为孔子学院(Confucius Institute)项目中的两名汉语教师续签签证，苏格兰地方政府首席部长为此提出抗议。这两位教师此前已在英格兰呆了1年时间。
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，一些学校在汉语教学方面真正做得很成功。英国伯克郡独立学校威灵顿学院(Wellington College)去年斥资50万英镑，在一座配有中式水榭的塔式建筑中开设了一家汉语言中心。眼下该学校的1000名学生中有105名在学习汉语。
The new UCL academy in London has gone even further, with compulsory Mandarin for all pupils right up to sixth form, and staff.
新近由伦敦大学学院出资兴建的中学(UCL academy)则更进一步，要求所有一至六年级的学生以及教职工都学习汉语。
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.”
该校副校长汤姆•鲍恩(Tom Bowen)说，校长在课外的时候经常用汉语与学生交流，并希望他们同样用汉语回答。他承认，汉语是一门“非常难”的课程，但他表示，如果能克服困难将汉语学好，将大有裨益。“学习理解一种不同的文化对孩子们真的非常重要……汉语如今已经成为我们校园生活的一部分。”