Teaching Chinese as a Second Language Programs – NTNU vs NTU

[xh207hi]

Hello,

 

I've been looking for any info regarding the M.A. programs of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at NTU and NTNU. I've already got a little valuable info about NTNU program （華語文教學系）, but I cannot seem to find anything about NTU's (華語教學碩士學位). I know NTNU's program is much older, but it doesn't really help me much.

 

I have to make decision quite very very soon and I'm currently gearing towards NTNU program, simply because I know more of it and because I've heard most of the teachers I've already dealt with are NTNU's graduates. Does it really proove that NTNU's program is better? Or is it only because it's much more renowned, that it is said to set standards, but in reality might be too stagnate? Any opinions, especially in comparison? Or just from NTU students? What is the level and demands of both? I'd appreciate any help.

 

FYI, I've been learning Chinese on a daily basis for 5 years or so, but my level is not necessarily accordingly high. 

[OneEye]

I can't figure out what your Chinese level actually is. In the MTC thread, it's "quite advanced," in the ICLP thread you're "pretty much advanced," but your "vocabulary sucks" (contradiction in terms), and in this thread your level is "not necessarily...high."

 

Which is it? Or the real question is, "is your Chinese actually at a level that will allow you to do graduate coursework?" Saying you've been studying for five years and giving a wishy-washy, non-committal appraisal of your level tells us next to nothing, so it's difficult to give any real advice. Tell us what you can actually do with the language. Can you read novels? Academic papers? Intro-level textbooks in your field of interest? Other non-fiction? Newspapers? Can you write decent, nearly-publishable academic prose? Can you understand a TEDx talk in Chinese? Can you give a presentation to a group of educated native speakers? Will they actually understand you, or just nod politely and then scratch their heads once you're gone?

 

If you can't do those things, that's fine, but honest self-evaluation is the only way to know what you need to work on.

 

On to your question. What's your goal in doing an MA in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language? Do you actually want to teach Chinese? I ask because a lot of people do that program because they want to improve their Chinese and it's easier to get into than some other programs, but they don't actually have any interest in being a Chinese teacher. That's fine—your Chinese will improve if you do an MA in that department. But if you have other aspirations, consider whether you might not be better off working on your Chinese intensively for a year or two (perhaps at MTC or ICLP, take your pick) and then applying to the program you actually want to do. Translation/interpretation? Business? Linguistics? STEM? You may find you use English more than Chinese in STEM departments, whereas humanities and social science departments will generally require a higher level of Chinese.

 

As for NTNU vs. NTU, I have no idea. NTNU's program is very well-known in Taiwan, and some of the professors are well-regarded internationally. I'm not familiar with NTU's program whatsoever.

[艾墨本]

@OneEye

 

You bring up a lot of interesting points. As someone who is considering going into TCS/FL in the future, how good do you think a Chinese teacher's Chinese should be?

[OneEye]

I've never had a non-native teacher, so I'm not sure I can answer that. I think "as good as it can possibly be" is probably the right answer though.  

[Flickserve]

@OneEye

You bring up a lot of interesting points. As someone who is considering going into TCS/FL in the future, how good do you think a Chinese teacher's Chinese should be?

why not give a bit more information about your ability? Is it difficult? It is easier to give targetted advice asked on your own circumstances rather than general advice.

[Angelina]

I have a question too,

 

is pīnyīn included in the Teaching Chinese as a Second Language M.A. at NTU and NTNU? Do students there receive any training how to properly teach pīnyīn to speakers of Chinese as a second language? Any difference between NTU and NTNU when it comes to this? 

[Yadang]

 

is pīnyīn included in the Teaching Chinese as a Second Language M.A. at NTU and NTNU? Do students there receive any training how to properly teach pīnyīn to speakers of Chinese as a second language? Any difference between NTU and NTNU when it comes to this?

 

Although I don't actually know, I'd be very surprised if students weren't taught this. My reasoning is that all of the teachers at NTNU's Mandarin Training Center know both pinyin and zhuyin, so I'd be very surprised if students of TCSL weren't taught this. It would also make them much less marketable as teachers, if they didn't learn to use and to teach pinyin. No idea about NTU, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't taught for the same reasoning. 

[Angelina]

thank you

[xh207hi]

-

 

Thank you Angelina for bringing up the pinyin thing. I've been also wondering what would be the attitude concerning pinyin and zhuyin. I can't imagine marginalising pinyin nowadays, but I have the feeling that recently Taiwanese scholars might be more into promoting zhuyin. I was wondering how would this look like in terms of teaching future teachers at NTU and NTNU respectively. Would there be any difference?

 

I am still very much interested in experiences of NTU students, but I guess, we might not really have anybody here who could provide me with this info...

[Angelina]

It is a big challenge.

 

Not saying you will not be able to do it, but you should know what you are getting yourself into. I am in the PR China, can't give you that much advice on those universities, still, you should be ready to write research papers in Chinese. We are not talking about native speaker level fluency, we are talking about educated native speaker fluency. You can do it, just be ready for the challenge. Pay attention to your academic writing skills. 

 

Probably NTNU is a better choice for an MA in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, while NTU is a good option for other degrees, e.g. an MA in Philosophy. 

 

Good luck!