Border city boosts language learning, but academics say more linguists needed

As China-Russia relations have developed, more Russians have started to see China as a top tourist destination. Yet the language barrier remains a major problem.

According to experts, there is a growing demand for multi-linguists in both countries.

Heihe, which sits on the China-Russia border in Heilongjiang province, has seen a steady rise in the number of Russian tourists over the past 10 years. As a result, officials have decided to develop Russian-language learning in the city.

So far, the move has had a positive effect. Streets in Heihe now feature advertisements in both Mandarin and Russian, while many restaurant waiters, healthcare employees and supermarket cashiers can speak fluent Russian.

More Russian schools are also teaching their students Chinese, while Blagoveshchensk State Pedagogical University, which lies just over the river from Heihe in Russia, has opened a Confucius Institute.

"With the help of Confucius institutes, lots of Russian students who chose Chinese as their major can speak the language perfectly," says Guan Changfu, a professor at Heihe University. "By spreading and promoting Chinese, Russian people can learn about China in a more direct and more comprehensive way."

There are 18 Confucius institutes at major universities in Russia, and more are expected to follow.

"The reasons why Mandarin has started to fascinate Russians are obvious," says Dai Guiju, director of the Russian Center at Beijing Foreign Study University. "Prices in big Russian cities have been rising continuously since 1991 due to political factors and inflation, so a large number of Russians would like to learn Chinese so they can work and live in China."

Traditional culture is another factor, she adds. "We're glad to see more Russians studying Chinese. The phenomenon represents the great influence of China on Russia, and we can tell China has gained economic strength and has assumed international status."

In the 1960s, almost all Chinese students studied Russian to some degree. That is no longer the case, but the need for Russian speakers is high.

According to Beijing Foreign Studies University, the lack of people fluent in Russian has become a problem for state-owned enterprises and research institutes.

Data show that, due to gas line and military cooperation contracts signed during President Vladimir Putin's visit to China last year, as well as deeper bilateral economic cooperation and the 2014-2015 China-Russia Youth Friendly Exchanges Year, the number of graduates majoring in Russian has risen.

However, although 137 Chinese universities offer courses in the Russian language, less than 20,000 students currently major in the language. Of that number, only a minority can speak fluently, Dai says.

Guan says the trend toward global economic integration and trade liberalization is irreversible and that foreign languages have become key to international communication and cooperation.

renqi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 02/05/2016 page15)