翻譯：李小慧（Translated by Jonathan Lee Jr.）

 

許多人以為，只要母語是中文，天生就能教中文，這個說法其實是有問題的。的確母語為中文者，絕大多數都能直覺且無誤地分辨語法對錯，但說到「教」出一口流利、正確且典雅的中文，就絕對不是只要會「說」中文的人，就能夠輕易辦到，這當中有太多教學技巧以外的能力要培養，方能成為一位華語教學的入門者。

Many people assume that as long as your native language is Chinese, then you have the inherent ability to teach it. There is an issue, however, with this statement. While most native Chinese speakers can indeed intuitively detect and correct grammar mistakes, teaching someone to speak fluent, grammatically correct, and sophisticated Chinese is certainly not something a person who only speaks Chinese can accomplish easily. Outside of pedagogical techniques, one must cultivate a good many skills before becoming even a novice teacher of Chinese as a Foreign Language.

臺大國際華語研習所之所以能享譽國際，不只是讓學生四聲（甚至包括第五聲「輕聲」）發音準確，句法正確，更重要的是，透過小班制的菁英式教學，在短而有效的訓練下，培養外籍學生用中文進行高層次的知識交流，而非一般生活上的問候或簡單言談。許多慕名而來的研究生、漢學家、外交人員、商務人士、法律專家等，都是為了同時精進中文口語及專業知識，加入這個需要高度自律的密集課程。老師們面對學生高度期待，自然也不敢鬆懈，除了得依照教務處所訂定的教學規範，更要時時補充新知，深化教學內容，研讀研究生所提供的專業篇章。這已經超越了純說話聊天的層次，每次上課彷彿就是一次知識的碰撞與心智的啟迪。這些老師們除了在教學上精益求精，把文化感受融入教學裡，讓學生們親近了中華文化的精髓，也更了解臺灣的風土人情。

The International Chinese Language Program (ICLP) at the National Taiwan University is renowned internationally not only because the program teaches students to correctly pronounce the four tones (and also the “silent fifth tone") of Mandarin Chinese and use correct syntax. More importantly, ICLP gets its reputation due to its small, elite classes to engage students in high-level academic discourse, and not just in everyday greetings and small talk. Attracted to ICLP’s excellent reputation, an array of people have opted to come to ICLP to take intensive language courses that demand a high level of discipline so as to refine their Chinese speaking ability and professional knowledge. Past students have included graduate students, scholars in Chinese studies, foreign diplomats, businessmen and law specialists. Students hold high expectations for the teachers, meaning the teachers cannot afford to become complacent. They not only have to teach according to the standards set by ICLP’s Office of Academic Affairs, but also need to learn new things, enrich their lesson plans, and pore over firsthand materials of Chinese studies provided by graduate students. Going beyond merely talking and chatting, each class constitutes an exchange of new ideas and an enlightenment of the mind. ICLP teacher are not only the most competent language instructors, they also infuse elements of cultural sentiment into their lessons, which helps students both develop a close relationship with the essence of Chinese culture as well as understand Taiwanese customs.

我由衷感佩在華語教學上不斷精進的老師們，他們很少是名滿天下的教授、也未必擁有碩博士學位，但每天都為了把學生「教」好，不斷思考學生所碰到的難題，有時甚至協助解決生活上突如其來的困窘。與教本國人比較起來，教外國人說中文往往困難度更高。教本國人或可放牛吃草，但教外國人「說話」可得眼到、心到、口到，稍有一不注意，學生發音和句型錯誤，不即時糾正的話，以後「石化」就很難改了。

I have enormous respect and admiration for instructors teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language who make efforts to never stop improving. They rarely become world-renowned professors, and do not necessarily possess graduate degrees, yet in order to improve a student’s language ability, they always consider the difficulties students face, and have even been known to sometimes help students resolve a sudden conflict in their lives. It is often more difficult to teach Chinese to foreign students than Taiwanese students. Taiwanese students can often be left to their own devices, but when teaching foreign students how to speak Chinese, teachers must pay especially close attention to the students. Any lapse in concentration will cause a student’s errors in pronunciation and sentence pattern to become “fossilized” and difficult to fix if not corrected immediately.

某位華研所前輩老師曾前來接受專訪，她說到當華語老師要致富很難，但這份工作令人樂此不疲，尤其是看到學生中文越來越流利，能談的話題越來越豐富，老師和學生彼此相互學習，人生樂趣莫過於此。她勉勵老師們多嘗試新教材，把教書當成個人事業經營（而非只是一份工作），不斷增進華語以外的各色知識，才能讓「教」與「學」永遠是正向的循環。

A previous ICLP teacher returned to ICLP once for an interview in which she said it is not easy to get rich as a Chinese teacher, but you never grow tired of the work, especially when you see a student’s Chinese fluency improving and being able to converse about more topics. To her, there is no greater joy than when teachers and students learn from each other. She encourages teachers to try teaching more new material, and take teaching as a personal business (and not just a job) by constantly learning about various subjects outside of Chinese language. This in turn will establish an endless virtuous cycle in one’s “teaching” and “learning” as both grow and improve together.

華語教學的大學問，師生們面對的不只是「教」與「學」，更是一種火花的撞擊，是一種永無休止的人生淬鍊。

In the art that is Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, teachers and students engage in something that is more than “teaching” and “learning.” It is a collision of sparks as two minds exchange ideas and knowledge. It is a perpetual self-refinement which one undertakes over the entirety of their lifetime.

高維泓于臺大國際華語研習所

Kao Wei-hung, Deputy Director