Overemphasis On English?

Excessive attention is being paid to English study in China, said Zhang Shuhua, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), during the annual CPPCC meeting in March. With too much time spent on English learning,Chinese language and culture study has encountered unprecedented crisis, he said.

English is now a required subject to be tested in college and graduate school entrance examinations, as well as a compulsory course. According to China’s National Research Center for Foreign Language Education, 56 percent of oncampus college students who do not major in English spend more than half of their school time learning the language, while another 19 percent spend the majority of their time in this pursuit.

Statistics show that China has 300 million people learning English, accounting for a quarter of the country’s total population. It is predicted that English learners in China will surpass the total population number of English-speaking countries in several years.

However, although China is pushing forward foreign language education, results are frustrating: the population has spent more time than they can afford on English while capabilities remain low. Besides, people with other foreign language abilities are perhaps in even greater demand.

According to the Translators Association of China, the country has more than 40,000 professional translators and around 500,000 individuals engaged in Englishrelated jobs. However, pro ficient translators are still in serious shortage. Only a few are capable of interpretation at international conferences.

The suggestion of the CPPCC member has once again triggered a nationwide debate on the necessity of overemphasis on English. The following are excerpts of opinions:

Necessary

Zhuang Zhong (www.ifeng.com):From the perspective of talent selection, English education will not be cancelled, at least in the next 10 years. If English is removed from the list of college entrance examination courses, it might imply the language is useless.

However, the fact is that after the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, all kinds of advanced technologies have been extensively imported from Western countries, strengthening communication between China and other parts of the world. English is the basic tool here.

Lei Yi (www.ifeng.com): I don’t think English should be treated as a tool. As with Chinese, it is a culture with deep-set national values.

In the early 20th century, China produced a number of top talented people like Hu Shi,the former President of Peking University, Zhu Kezhen, a famous scientist, and Lin Yutang, the author of A Moment in Peking, written in both Chinese and English. These masters were well versed in both languages.

During the same period, many church schools in the country raised a lot of excellent bilingual students. As soon as we understand the significance of English, and how to excel in both languages, we will stop treating it as the enemy of Chinese.

A heavy burden

He Yaowei (epaper.xkb.com.cn):In recent years, when people mention foreign language learning, it basically equals English, which most learners find cumbersome.

The current Chinese education system demands that students learn English from primary school to college. Even in graduate school entrance examinations, English is still a required subject. English classes have even entered the realm of kindergartens while some pregnant women use the language in prenatal education.

Apart from schooling, people face many English-related tests when applying for work or when traveling abroad.

With so many people engaged in English learning, how many are really pro ficient in the language, and how many will have to use it in daily life?

Wang Xinlu (www.ifeng.com):It’s time to take English away from the altar. As a tool of communication, the function of English should be respected. However, to exaggerate its significance is harmful to Chinese economic and social development.

What if English stops being a compulsory course in college entrance examinations? Some will still choose to learn and become proficient in the language. In this way, whether or not to learn English will depend on work. Students will not be forced to learn a foreign language in this way.

It’s Okey to let students choose whether they want to pick up the English or ancient Chinese language test. A diversified model of talent is what modern society needs.

In colleges, many students who do not major in English have to waste a lot of time on English learning. Of many graduates, less than 10 percent still use English. In many cases, students may not be good at English, but might be better at other subjects. However, under the current education system, many fail college or graduate school entrance examinations because their English test result is poor, thus losing the opportunity to follow further academic studies.

The current education system, particularly concerning English, needs to be adjusted to better serve the country’s economic and social development. It’s unfair to judge a student’s academic ability by looking at whether they are good at English or not. Students should be given the freedom to choose to take English or other subjects according to their interest and ability.

Yuan Guang (www.cnhubei.com):Generally speaking, three serious problems exist in China’s current English education system,which directly lead to the less satis fied result of English education.

Firstly, learning English needs the right environment. After one or two English classes a day in school, students seldom have the opportunity to use the language at home or in social life. In the 1980s and 1990s, English education did not start until junior high school. In order to speed up China’s modernization, we must learn English. The best time is during early education.To start English classes in middle school goes against the basic rule of language acquisition.For students to learn English, the earlier, the better.

Secondly, in China, the basic guiding principle for English learning is wrong. To learn a foreign language, the purpose is to improve people’s skill in communication with people of other countries. However, for many students,the purpose of studying English is to cope with college entrance examinations and various other tests.

Thirdly, many Chinese schools, especially those in less developed regions, English teachers are poor at speaking the language themselves.Most conduct English classes in Chinese. As a result, students receive inadequate exposure to English. Middle school is also an important period for English learning and acquisition, but due to the lack of proficient teachers, students miss another opportunity for improvement.Sometimes, English teachers’ poor pronunciation influences pupils for the rest of their lives.

If these problems remain, no matter how much work they have done, the result will always be disappointing. ■