Chinese wins converts

Chinese wins converts IU embraces difficult language as China’s economic influence spreads

The rise of China’s economic and cultural stars has ignited the popularity of Chinese language instruction at Indiana University, which is gaining national distinction as a leader in the field.

The number of students taking Chinese language classes has grown 110 percent over the last six years and 33 percent over the last three. A decade ago, there might be 50 students enrolled at any given time; today, it’s more like 170.

And some students aren’t just dabbling to meet the minimum foreign language requirement in their field of study. The number of third-year students at the Chinese language center is up 137 percent.

“I think this trend is probably going to continue, too,” said Jennifer Liu, associate professor for East Asian languages and cultures.

It’s especially remarkable, Liu added, given that “Chinese is notoriously challenging for native speakers of English.”

Chinese is alone among modern languages in integrating both meaning and pronunciation information in its characters, said Rick Harbaugh, assistant professor of business economics and public policy at IU. Harbaugh also is the author of “Chinese

Characters: a Genealogy and Dictionary.” Despite their apparent complexity, characters are derived from a couple hundred simple pictographs and ideographs in ways that are usually logical and easy to remember, he said.

But Harbaugh acknowledges that quickly gaining a working understanding of the language, enough so to strike a business deal in China, isn’t going to happen. At least in Spanish, the alphabet is the same and is based on some familiar Latin roots.

“You can’t hope to learn enough Chinese to conduct business in Chinese. The returns on that are really low,” Harbaugh said.

“But for social purposes, learning a little Chinese is extremely helpful. In some countries, if you say one word wrong, people will think you can’t speak the language.

“In China, if you say one word right, people are very appreciative. And if you can recognize a few characters, they will be extremely impressed by your interest in China … the returns on that are outrageously high,” Harbaugh added.

Said Liu: “In Chinese culture, when you speak their language, it’s a gesture you are putting in an effort to appreciate their culture from an insider perspective.”

It’s not just about good will; it’s also about good business sense.

Last year, China moved ahead of Japan among destinations for Indiana export goods. China is now the state’s sixth-biggest trading partner, with exports valued at $758 million, according to “Indiana’s Global Exports,” a report the IU Kelley School of Business produced for the Indiana Economic Development Corp.

Given China’s significant influence on the Indiana and U.S. economies, the state urgently needs to equip college and pre-college students with language skills to compete in the global economy, said Patrick O’Meara, IU vice president for international affairs.

“This state, for the foreseeable future, has to be engaged.”

IU has big ambitions for its Center for Chinese Language Pedagogy.

Last month, the university received a $1 million grant from The Language Flagship Initiative of the National Security Education Program, an arm of the U.S. Department of Defense.

The grant was a big vote of confidence in the IU center’s leadership in teaching Chinese, with only six other U.S. universities in the DOD’s program.

Among other things, the grant will help the center enrich its upper-level curriculum. One of Liu’s students, Adam Molon, is a finance major who is taking his fourth year of Chinese.

“Any student with the dedication to learn about Chinese culture and reach a critical proficiency in Mandarin will find themselves better positioned in the global economy and have access to a high-growth market that encompasses one-fifth of the world’s population,” Molon said.

“With regard to business, politics and diplomacy, Mandarin Chinese is the foreign language for Americans to study in the 21st Century.”

The grant also could help IU expand its assistance in pre-college Chinese language programs in Indiana. Mandarin Chinese is one of the fastest-growing languages for students in secondary schools and is even making inroads in elementary schools.

Liu would like to see more students from IU’s language program studying in China and is looking at ways to improve connections with universities and businesses in China.

IU is forging more ties with China in other ways. Although the details are still being hammered out, the university plans to host a conference in Indianapolis next April that will include business and academic leaders from Zhe Jiang Province.

Zhe Jiang is known by some as the “Silicon Valley of China.”

Practically speaking, it’s not necessarily a must to be able to speak Chinese to do business in China. Harbaugh noted that English language skills in China “are excellent these days, particularly among young people.”

But companies such as Columbusbased Cummins, which does business in China and around the world, know there’s a need in many cases even for basic conversational Chinese.

Cummins has what are known as “affinity groups,” composed of Chinese nationals. In the last four years, the groups have presented basic Mandarin language classes to about 600 employees. Typically, classes meet once a week for six weeks.

Cummins spokesman Mark Land said the classes focus on the basics, such as how the subtle difference in pronunciations can change the meaning of a word. Students learn words and phrases to help them in business and social situations.

The affinity group also has produced ‘Passport to China,’ a booklet that offers employees basic information about Cummins’ operations in China, business etiquette, key phone numbers and other information.

For employees who move to China for extended periods, Cummins offers more formal language training, Land added.

Cummins also introduces employees to Chinese culture, Land said, “so you don’t offend your host.”

Indeed, if you can’t speak the language, at least don’t insult your host, agreed Dr. Zao C. Xu of the Indiana University School of Medicine and head of the Confucius Institute of IUPUI.

“You have to also understand culture,” said Xu, whose year-old institute promotes teaching of culture and language.

Xu chuckles about it now but remembers the awkward moment when some of his colleagues presented clocks as gifts to visiting leaders from a Chinese university.

“In China, you don’t give a clock as a present to people. It means you present death,” he said.

Or, in other words, it’s like saying your time is up.

“Of course, as an American, you’d never think of that.”