Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron is implementing a big change in the languages taught in UK schools.On a visit to China, he told journalists that British schools should teach Mandarin instead of French and German. He told his hosts that he plans to double the number of students studying Chinese in British schools to 400,000 in the next three years. He will also provide subsidies to schools that start teaching Mandarin. He believes stronger educational ties with China are a necessary element in keeping Britain competitive in the Chinese market. He said: "I want Britain linked up to the world's fast-growing economies, and that includes our young people learning the languages to seal tomorrow's business deals."
英國首相戴維·卡梅倫正在對英國學校的語言教育實施大變革。在訪華期間,他告訴記者稱英國學校應該教授中文,而不是德語或法語。他對主持人說他將把學習中文的學生數(shù)量增加一倍,并將在未來三年內(nèi)上升到40萬人。他還將對開始開設中文的學校提供補助資金。他相信與中國的教育紐帶是讓英國保持中國市場競爭力的重要因素。他說:“我希望英國能夠與全球經(jīng)濟增長速度最快的經(jīng)濟體產(chǎn)生聯(lián)系,這包括讓年輕人來學習語言,為未來的商業(yè)合作創(chuàng)造契機。
Mr Cameron explained to journalists the importance of introducing Mandarin in UK schools. He said: "By thetime the children born today leave school, China is set to be the world's largest economy, so it's time tolook beyond the traditional focus on French and German and get many more children learning Mandarin." The initiative includes a tie-up with the British Council and the Chinese office for teaching Mandarin as a foreign language. They have already signed an agreement to double the number of Chinese language assistants in UK schools. The British Council puts Mandarin in the top five most important languages for British children to study to improve their job prospects.
卡梅倫先生向記者解釋道了在英國學校開設中文的重要性。他說:“所有今天出生的孩子,到他們畢業(yè)那天,中國將成為全球第一大經(jīng)濟體,所以,是時候超越傳統(tǒng)的以法語和德語為主導的語言教學,讓更多的人學習中文。”而這一想法包含了英國文化委員會與中國對外漢語部門的通力合作。他們已經(jīng)就在英國學校中增加中文助教的人數(shù)達成了協(xié)議,人數(shù)將增加一倍。英國文化委員會將中文放在了提高就業(yè)前景的5大語言之首。