L | A (Translated with ChatGPT)
By José Antonio Sierra Lumbreras
Hispanism in China faces a crucial challenge: the shortage of qualified teachers to teach Spanish, due to the rapid increase in demand for the language in the country.
From left to right: Lu Yun, Hispanist from Zhejiang University; Lu Jingsheng, Hispanist from Shanghai International Studies University; Inmaculada González Puy, director of the Cervantes Institute in Shanghai; and Fan Ye, from Peking University.
During the recent edition of the Hispanism Forum organized by the Cervantes Institute, experts in Hispanic studies highlighted the urgent need to find more teachers in light of the exponential growth of students interested in learning Spanish, driven by factors such as tourism and cultural exchange.
In the 20th edition of the Hispanism Forum, organized by the Cervantes Institute in Madrid, several Chinese Hispanists participated in a roundtable discussion to address the current situation of Spanish in China.
The roundtable included the participation of Lu Jingsheng from Shanghai International Studies University; Lu Yun from Zhejiang University; Fan Ye from Peking University; and the director of the Cervantes Institute in Shanghai, Inmaculada González Puy.
Carmen Noguero, Secretary General of the Cervantes Institute, along with the Chinese ambassador to Spain, Yao Jing, inaugurated the forum. During his speech, Yao Jing emphasized the growing interest in Spanish in China and how his government is committed to supporting the work of the Cervantes Institute in the country.
According to the ambassador, "the Spanish language is one that is developing and becoming increasingly important in the world," which has contributed to the growing demand for learning Spanish in China.
The Rise of Spanish in China and the Lack of Teachers
The growing interest in Spanish in China has been reflected in the increase in enrollments at universities and schools across the country.
According to data shared by Lu Yun, the number of students in Hispanic philology has reached 20,000, which has generated a significant demand for teachers. However, the shortage of qualified instructors has become a major obstacle.
In Lu Yun's words, "there are only 882 teachers in the Asian country, while at least 1,423 are needed to meet the current demand." This mismatch has complicated the optimal development of Spanish educational programs.
Inmaculada González Puy explained that, due to the hiring restrictions on foreign teachers imposed by the Chinese government, most instructors must be local.
"The percentage is around 80 percent Chinese teachers and 20 percent guest instructors from Spanish-speaking countries," González Puy detailed, noting that universities cannot accommodate the number of foreign teachers needed to meet the demand.
The Teaching of Spanish in China
The interest in Spanish is not limited to universities. According to Lu Jingsheng, "the teaching of Spanish has experienced a boom in the last five years, both in secondary education and in primary schools."
However, despite this growth, the supply of teachers remains insufficient to meet the volume of students, which poses a considerable challenge for the Chinese educational system.
Fan Ye from Peking University added that, in addition to language instruction, academic programs are aimed at promoting a deeper understanding of Spanish-speaking culture.
Fan Ye explained that at his university, student groups are kept very small to maximize the impact of learning. "For language learning, a tiny group is better," he stated, emphasizing that the smaller group size allows for greater interaction and cultural understanding.
Linguistic Differences Between Spanish and Chinese
A key aspect highlighted during the Forum was the complexity of teaching Spanish to Chinese students due to the linguistic differences between the two languages.
Lu Jingsheng noted that Spanish and Chinese share very little similarity compared to other Western languages. While Spanish has over a 90 percent similarity with Portuguese and nearly a 50 percent similarity with English, the similarity with Chinese is barely one percent.
This adds an additional barrier for teachers, who must be highly trained to effectively instruct Chinese students. "Highly prepared individuals are needed because the linguistic and cultural differences between the two languages are significant," emphasized Lu Jingsheng.
Grammatical differences also pose a challenge. For example, Lu Jingsheng explained that in Chinese, it is possible to construct sentences like "I want you to come tomorrow," without the need to indicate gender or number, which sharply contrasts with the grammatical complexity of Spanish.
This forces teachers to be not only experts in the language but also proficient in the appropriate pedagogical techniques to overcome these barriers.
The rise of Spanish in China represents a unique opportunity to strengthen cultural and educational ties between the Asian country and the Spanish-speaking world. However, the challenge of finding enough qualified teachers remains a significant obstacle.
To overcome this challenge, it will be crucial to promote the training of local teachers and to maintain the government and academic support that has allowed Spanish to continue its expansion in the Asian giant.
By José Antonio Sierra Lumbreras
Hispanism in China faces a crucial challenge: the shortage of qualified teachers to teach Spanish, due to the rapid increase in demand for the language in the country.
From left to right: Lu Yun, Hispanist from Zhejiang University; Lu Jingsheng, Hispanist from Shanghai International Studies University; Inmaculada González Puy, director of the Cervantes Institute in Shanghai; and Fan Ye, from Peking University.
During the recent edition of the Hispanism Forum organized by the Cervantes Institute, experts in Hispanic studies highlighted the urgent need to find more teachers in light of the exponential growth of students interested in learning Spanish, driven by factors such as tourism and cultural exchange.
In the 20th edition of the Hispanism Forum, organized by the Cervantes Institute in Madrid, several Chinese Hispanists participated in a roundtable discussion to address the current situation of Spanish in China.
The roundtable included the participation of Lu Jingsheng from Shanghai International Studies University; Lu Yun from Zhejiang University; Fan Ye from Peking University; and the director of the Cervantes Institute in Shanghai, Inmaculada González Puy.
Carmen Noguero, Secretary General of the Cervantes Institute, along with the Chinese ambassador to Spain, Yao Jing, inaugurated the forum. During his speech, Yao Jing emphasized the growing interest in Spanish in China and how his government is committed to supporting the work of the Cervantes Institute in the country.
According to the ambassador, "the Spanish language is one that is developing and becoming increasingly important in the world," which has contributed to the growing demand for learning Spanish in China.
The Rise of Spanish in China and the Lack of Teachers
The growing interest in Spanish in China has been reflected in the increase in enrollments at universities and schools across the country.
According to data shared by Lu Yun, the number of students in Hispanic philology has reached 20,000, which has generated a significant demand for teachers. However, the shortage of qualified instructors has become a major obstacle.
In Lu Yun's words, "there are only 882 teachers in the Asian country, while at least 1,423 are needed to meet the current demand." This mismatch has complicated the optimal development of Spanish educational programs.
Inmaculada González Puy explained that, due to the hiring restrictions on foreign teachers imposed by the Chinese government, most instructors must be local.
"The percentage is around 80 percent Chinese teachers and 20 percent guest instructors from Spanish-speaking countries," González Puy detailed, noting that universities cannot accommodate the number of foreign teachers needed to meet the demand.
The Teaching of Spanish in China
The interest in Spanish is not limited to universities. According to Lu Jingsheng, "the teaching of Spanish has experienced a boom in the last five years, both in secondary education and in primary schools."
However, despite this growth, the supply of teachers remains insufficient to meet the volume of students, which poses a considerable challenge for the Chinese educational system.
Fan Ye from Peking University added that, in addition to language instruction, academic programs are aimed at promoting a deeper understanding of Spanish-speaking culture.
Fan Ye explained that at his university, student groups are kept very small to maximize the impact of learning. "For language learning, a tiny group is better," he stated, emphasizing that the smaller group size allows for greater interaction and cultural understanding.
Linguistic Differences Between Spanish and Chinese
A key aspect highlighted during the Forum was the complexity of teaching Spanish to Chinese students due to the linguistic differences between the two languages.
Lu Jingsheng noted that Spanish and Chinese share very little similarity compared to other Western languages. While Spanish has over a 90 percent similarity with Portuguese and nearly a 50 percent similarity with English, the similarity with Chinese is barely one percent.
This adds an additional barrier for teachers, who must be highly trained to effectively instruct Chinese students. "Highly prepared individuals are needed because the linguistic and cultural differences between the two languages are significant," emphasized Lu Jingsheng.
Grammatical differences also pose a challenge. For example, Lu Jingsheng explained that in Chinese, it is possible to construct sentences like "I want you to come tomorrow," without the need to indicate gender or number, which sharply contrasts with the grammatical complexity of Spanish.
This forces teachers to be not only experts in the language but also proficient in the appropriate pedagogical techniques to overcome these barriers.
The rise of Spanish in China represents a unique opportunity to strengthen cultural and educational ties between the Asian country and the Spanish-speaking world. However, the challenge of finding enough qualified teachers remains a significant obstacle.
To overcome this challenge, it will be crucial to promote the training of local teachers and to maintain the government and academic support that has allowed Spanish to continue its expansion in the Asian giant.
