Help needed with Course name translation

[md1101]

Hi everyone,

My girlfriend studies a course at the Xi'an foreign language university titled " 对外汉语" now the official English translation is "Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language". While that DOES capture the course I somehow don't think it sounds all that professional. So I'm calling on people's creativity to respond with a nice sounding course title. Much like creative people can call a 'Janitor' a 'Sanitation Supervisor' I'm looking for that sort of creativity. Thanks.

[muyongshi]

Well I'm just thinking about how it is in the states. If I study a foreign language in the states that's what makes it foreign...but if anyone comes to the states to study english though it is ESL (english as a second language).

So then logically speaking all of us here studying it should be Chinese as a Second Language or CSL. I don't agree with the Teaching part because it has to do more with the learners not the Teachers. While none of this SOUNDS pretty it is my two bits of what I think it should be....

[roddy]

I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I guess you could adjust it to be Chinese Language Education (although that's obviously confusing) or Chinese Second Language Teaching or something, but to be honest I think you just run the risk of confusing people. It's good enough for Oxford. Applied Chinese Lingustics?

If you prefer you could go for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. Technically the difference between TxSL and TxFL is that 'second' language learners are assumed to be living permanently in the country the language is spoken (ie immigrants to the US, UK, etc) and 'foreign' language learners either learn where the language isn't spoken or on short term courses in-country.

[in_lab]

I agree with Roddy. It ain't broke.

Edit: I don't like the "as a second language" names because they assume too much.

[md1101]

thanks for the input guys. it is good to see oxford reckon its alright as well (thanks for the link Roddy).

Good points on the 'second language' thing as well. I guess keeping it as 'Teaching Chinese as a Foreign language' should do. I don't know why it just didn't sound that professional to me but it's probably just because I haven't heard of it has one of the tradional bachelor degrees out there. i just want it to look good on my gf's resume when she applies for jobs.

[roddy]

Certainly if she's applying for Chinese teaching jobs I wouldn't change it at all. I could maybe see the point if she was applying for work in a different field, but I'd be more inclined to leave the course name the same but skim over the course in general and concentrate on more applicable skills.

[shanghaikai]

How about "Chinese Language Studies" or "Chinese Language Program?" I mean, these seem like pretty obvious alternatives that sound slightly more like declarations than expositions, right?