I’m an American student, and I love languages and linguistics. I started learning foreign languages later than I probably should have, but I’ve had experience with Italian, Spanish, Latin and Russian so far, and speaking (or trying to speak) them is so much fun for me. More recently I started learning some Chinese, and I’ve taken a liking to Taiwan.
A few weeks ago I discovered Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages in Kaohsiung, and I learned about their Chinese program for international students. Because I hadn’t thought about going outside of the US to learn a language before, my immediate reaction was, “What the hell am I still doing here?” Now, I’ve been learning more about how education systems work outside of the United States. I’m very new to this idea, but it is probably the most exciting idea I’ve had for my future. There are some threads here for schools that teach Chinese, but I have very general questions that they didn’t answer, so I figured I would make a thread of my own.
One of the first things that I learned is that very few countries have a higher education system like the US. I’ve been in the university system for two years, and it seems that the classes I’ve taken won’t matter much to a Taiwanese school, because students aren’t able to transfer from one school to another like in the US. Is this true? If it is, it may not be so bad for me (I was at a bad school for a while, and I feel like plenty of the classes didn’t have any value anyway), but it is still something that I have to consider.
I often imagine that I will be a translator, interpreter or even a language teacher someday, so I think it will be very good for me to try learning a language in a culture that speaks it. However, I have limited experience with actually pursuing my goals. I’m curious about what kind of certification is necessary for any of those jobs in Taiwan. I know that Wenzao’s Chinese language program doesn’t offer a degree, and I think neither do some other Chinese language schools that I’ve looked at, such as TMI. How far would passing the HSK get me? Perhaps, would it be best to learn Chinese first and then attend a full university for courses in education or translation?
I might have other questions, but these are the really important ones that I can remember right now. Thanks!!
Howdy, dayu. I am an American who’s been here six years and graduated from a local university with master’s in Translation Studies.
The language programs you hear about the most are basically “just for fun.” You can learn a lot, but there is no degree offered, and the courses are largely unrecognized for credits in many universities. In other words, the only thing you get out of it is personal enrichment, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
I’ve taken classes at NTNU’s Mandarin Training Center and NTU’s ICLP (can’t even remember what that stands for) and can relay the experiences of others who have gone to other institutes. Let me know if I can help with further questions.
PS, the HSK isn’t administered or formally recognized in any way in Taiwan. Instead, they have the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL), which I have never taken. Most employers do not care about these scores because they have seen too few foreign workers who speak Chinese to know what they mean. It works well to just prove yourself in practice.
I really think you should finish your degree in the US and come to Taiwan later. Taiwan’s educational system is not a very good value unless you go to one of the better national universities. There’s always time to learn Chinese and from sad experience I can tell you that it is not a very valuable skill unless you combine it with another marketable one.
While Chinese has not provided me with much material wealth, it has given me many other gifts.
[quote=“Feiren”]I really think you should finish your degree in the US and come to Taiwan later. Taiwan’s educational system is not a very good value unless you go to one of the better national universities. There’s always time to learn Chinese and from sad experience I can tell you that it is not a very valuable skill unless you combine it with another marketable one.
While Chinese has not provided me with much material wealth, it has given me many other gifts.[/quote]
Moved to tears in how much I agree with this.
Don’t let that discourage you from learning Chinese! Just try and figure out a way you can use it in your future other than “it will make me really cool and have lots of friends.”
And realistically (I think) don’t expect to rely ONLY on Chinese, as the previous posters said. Don’t think “I’ll be a translator”. Especially don’t think “I’ll teach Chinese in the public schools in the US.” The translation profession is changing radically and the influence of the Internet and automation means (IMO) there may not really be a lucrative translation profession in another 20 years. Teaching is just going to hell in the US generally. That seems like a long ways off now but if you get to mid-career and suddenly there is no career there, it’s not good. Especially if you are relying only on language. If you have another Major Skill plus good Chinese, you’ll be much better off.
Thanks for the replies. Not the :discodance: that I had convinced myself to expect, but I’m still a bit enthusiastic.
Hokongwei, what have you been able to do with a degree in translation studies? Also, thanks for the correction. I hadn’t heard of the TOCFL before.
Probably my best option in the US is to transfer to a nearby university for its linguistics program–it’s what I was planning before I discovered that, hey, I can go to the other side of the world too. They offer Chinese (although without a degree or a literature/composition program), so I can certainly take it on the side. A good question then is if nerding over linguistics is a marketable skill, or if I have something else that’s more practical to offer.
Computational linguistics is probably the “best” option for marketability. Otherwise, you will need to rely on getting a MA and then a Ph.D and then finding a faculty job. If you’re a white male you’re at a bit of a disadvantage on that one. And all universities are downsizing and using more and more adjuncts these days, so that being a college professor isn’t what it once was (or rather is harder to achieve than it once was).
The other potential job source with linguistics degrees is national security…ahem…you know, there are several three-letter acronyms based near the US capital. They hire people with linguistics backgrounds for cryptanalysis and suchlike. As far as language skills to get into any of those, you need only the merest little bit (think 2nd year college and not a very thorough grasp at that).
Hm, what do you think about career opportunities for any of these fields in Taiwan (or China if push comes to shove, I suppose)?
I realize that a lot of jobs related to language and education are not the most lucrative professions on the planet, but I’m talking about the only endeavor that I’ve consistently enjoyed so far in my life, so I am hoping to pursue it somehow. At least, I would rather be a poor enthusiast of something than an upper-middle class burden to friends and family…speaking from the perspective of somebody who’s had terrible emotional problems related to his lack of focus in the past.
The translation profession is changing radically and the influence of the Internet and automation means (IMO) there may not really be a lucrative translation profession in another 20 years. Teaching is just going to hell in the US generally. That seems like a long ways off now but if you get to mid-career and suddenly there is no career there, it’s not good. Especially if you are relying only on language. If you have another Major Skill plus good Chinese, you’ll be much better off.