SHNU: A Seminar themed “Mother Tongue and Foreign Language: Dialogue and Integration” was held in SHNU on May 15. SHNU Party Secretary Lu Jianfei presided over the seminar, co-hosted by Shanghai Overseas Returned Scholars Association and SHNU Foreign Languages College.
Over 80 scholars and experts were invited to share their opinions on the relationship between Chinese and English and the reform of English teaching. Their topics covered translation skills for cross-cultural communication, the balance between English and Chinese study, the functions of mother tongue and the foreign language in learners’ language development, the teaching of all-English courses, the proportions of English and Chinese in college entrance examination, the current English teaching in senior high schools and repositioning of English language training schools in China.
Among the speakers, there were SHNU professors Li Ping, Li Zhaoguo, Hu Junjie and Li Siqing. Other main speakers included Bai Jiaoyu, general manager of EF; Ms. Yang Chunya, director of China Daily branch in Shanghai; Prof. Jin Zhongming from Institute of Education Sciences of East China Normal University; outstanding middle school teacher Huang Yuehui from Qibao High School; Hu Min, President of New Channel Training School; He Yanan, former principle of Shanghai No. 3 Female Middle School, etc.
In his concluding speech, Lu Jianfei summarized ideas and opinions proposed at the forum, suggesting to the government that it should make more practical and efficient language education policies and properly deal with the relationship between Chinese and foreign languages. He also gave his anticipations of the future foreign language teaching in China from 8 aspects.
