Being Bilingual

Earlier this month I was asked to participate as a judge in the citywide teachers’ bilingual speech competition. The winners of all individual school competitions came together for this event and each had to give a three-minute speech on the topic of bilingual education. Five judges based their scores on content, pronunciation, delivery, timing and answers to two questions from the foreign judges, Rita and myself.

After listening to 40 speeches in one afternoon, I came to feeling well informed about the Chinese teachers' sentiments and ideas concerning this topic. Some were extremely passionate and dramatic in conveying the importance of their role as champions of oral English in school. Others discussed the goal and value of having a working knowledge and linguistic ability in two languages. One talked about how knowing a foreign language can be helpful in the struggles of life. I found myself thinking I can certainly relate to that idea this year.

Bilingual education is the use of a second language in teaching subject content, so here in China science or math concepts are taught in English. Students have to qualify to be in these types of classes and pay more money for it as well. In the States, as in China, there's debate about whether this concept is realistic or practical. Suzhou began and has been growing its practice of bilingual education since the early 1990's. Yet in terms of having a generation that's fluent and articlulate in both English and Chinese there's still a long way to go. My guess is that if spoken communication and a working knowledge of English is the ultimate goal, then part of the answer might have to be evening out the proportion of emphasis on grammar, writing and speaking.

In any case, I find the focus on English in the Chinese education system interesting, and certainly personally beneficial. As a school subject, English carries the same weight as Chinese and math in importance. The citywide exams for reading comprehension, grammar, written and aural English are analyzed closely. There's a difference with the oral component though, actually speaking the language; it's just not as easy to measure. Regardless, I've found that students, and young people in general in China, actually know quite a bit of English, at least enough to help me out of most any predicament I’ve gotten into. Today, many students in urban areas begin studying English in preschool and kindergarten.

After the experience of living in a culture where I don’t have the language, and meeting some people from different parts of the world, I'm more convinced than ever it's an invaluable undertaking to become bilingual. So I'll keep plugging away at my Chinese. I'm pretty sure I'll never be fluent or literate in Putonghua, it’s okay though, because many Chinese people have already been really quick to appreciate my efforts up to this point.

Here in Suzhou the commitment to bilingual education is real, as in many other places around the world, and the result is more and more people have the gift of two languages.