Thoughts on National Taiwan University's International Chinese Language Program

My time in Taiwan has drawn to a close. I want to take a moment to review my time studying at National Taiwan University. While the International Chinese Language Program is widely renowned, I do have a few critiques. I would like to preface my review by saying just that, it is my personal review. It does not represent the experiences of all students in the program, but I have talked to many students in the program who shared my views.

ICLP advertises an immersive environment to study Mandarin Chinese. The program also offers students individualized study plans with small class sizes (2-4 students), with an additional one-on-one class tailored to your specific interests and difficulties you face in learning Chinese. Unfortunately, from my own experiences and those of other students, ICLP’s benefits seem to end there.

The following are a few of my frustrations and disappointments with my study abroad experience at ICLP.

• ·        The program is advertised as an intense immersion program. In reality, teachers struggle to enforce this. This was disappointing for me. My classmates would often use English in class, with little to no comment from our teachers. This does not seem that problematic, but this undermined the benefits of an immersion program which is designed to expand students’ vocabulary and improve their communication skills at a faster rate.

• ·        When students first arrive at ICLP, they are told that attendance is also critical. Students are only allowed to miss five classes throughout the summer. If a student misses more than 5 classes, they will not receive their certificate of completion at the end of the program. Extreme absence could result in dismissal from the program all together. Timeliness is also critical. Students who come to class over ten minutes late are expected to seek approval from the head office before entering the classroom. Neither attendance or timeliness are enforced, which I found to disrupt class schedules and interaction between teachers and students in general. I was in a morning class with one other student, and an afternoon class with only two other students. My classmate from my morning class was also in my afternoon class. This student missed nearly 4 or 5 classes a week! I spent many of my mornings alone with my professor. When the student would decide to attend class, they would arrive 10 or 15 minutes late. They would barge into the class, disrupting the lesson. On days the student skipped class, my teachers would either cancel the planned lesson or spend the first 15 minutes of class staring at the clock or making small talk with me. I can’t imagine how much more I could have learned had the ICLP teachers and administrators enforced their original expectations, or held students to higher standards of accountability.

• ·        Let’s talk about the cost of attendance. ICLP is by far the most expensive Chinese language program in Taiwan, if not in all of Asia. For me, as for many students, the cost is not worth it. There are many other programs that offer great learning environments for a third, fourth, or even fifth of the cost. Even your books are not included in the program’s tuition! Many ICLP students had no additional funds to travel around Taiwan, or even explore Taipei. This was very disappointing. Considering the high cost of attending ICLP, many students wrongly assumed the program would provide opportunities for cultural excursions at no additional cost. Nope. Every additional outing was an extra cost for students. Although I had hoped to explore more of Taiwan this summer, I could not afford ICLP’s planned trips. Luckily, I had the opportunity to travel extensively around Taiwan when I studied in Tainan. But for students travelling to Taiwan for the first time hoping to explore the island, ICLP is not for you.

• ·        My final frustration with ICLP involves the structure of classes. Chinese is notorious for being one of the most difficult languages to learn. With that in mind, you would assume teachers would prefer to guide students’ learning. This is not how it played out for my classes. I was asked to turn in assignments prior to finishing, or even beginning a lesson. I did not have a problem doing the work, but this schedule forced me to teach myself a language I have struggled to master for years. A result of this method is students failing to learn how to appropriately use specific grammar structures or vocabulary. Doing homework before learning a lesson reinforces misconceptions and disrupted my learning process. Also, I felt like I paid a great deal of money to teach myself all summer. Very disappointing.

I made great friends at ICLP and my Chinese improved over the summer, but overall, I felt the program did not live up to its reputation. All I can say is you do not always get what you pay for.

Katelyn DeNap

George Washington University - Elliott School of International Affairs

M.A. Security Policy Studies

Organization of Asian Studies – Vice President

Sigur Center 2017 Asian Language Fellow

National Taiwan University - International Chinese Language Program, Taiwan

Cultural Excursions and Utilizing Language Skills

This past week I had the opportunity to learn how to make a traditional Taiwanese pastry: Pineapple Cake! One of my favorite things about coming to Taiwan is being able to eat pineapple cakes. So, when I was given this opportunity, I quickly accepted! What made this experience even greater was the fact that I would also be given the chance to learn about Taiwanese wedding culture. Currently engaged, I am in the process of planning my own wedding for next May! This excursion, organized by professors at the International Chinese Language Program at National Taiwan University, was right up my alley.

Before our trip, students were given research assignments surrounding pineapple cakes, Taiwanese weddings, and holidays or festivals in general. This allowed, or forced, students to learn new vocabulary related to these topics. Beyond studying new vocabulary, we were able to examine the history behind the Taiwanese culture and cuisine we love!

While background research is helpful, there is nothing like hands on experience to solidify your studies. So, I was excited to get my hands dirty mixing and shaping pineapple cakes! Initially, I thought making these pastries would be difficult. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that the process is quite simple! With only a little butter, sugar, egg, flour, and pineapple (of course), you can quickly whip up a batch of these signature Taiwanese pastries. While my pineapple cakes were baking, I was given the chance to try on traditional wedding dresses, and a couple of students even volunteered to have an impromptu mock wedding. (At least I hope it was not official!) Being able to compare the marriage process and culture in Taiwan to that in the United States was quite interesting. And this brings me to my point…Making connections to your surroundings, whether by recognizing parallels or differences with your own culture or interests, is key for learning a new language. The vocabulary which you can make a connection to is most successfully retained.

So, as you travel abroad or begin your own language training at home, be sure to explore your interests using the new language. You will gain a greater appreciation for your new language abilities and find yourself improving at a much quicker rate! As for me, there will be many pineapple cakes along the path to fluency in Mandarin!

Katelyn DeNap

George Washington University - Elliott School of International Affairs

M.A. Security Policy Studies

Organization of Asian Studies – Vice President

Sigur Center 2017 Asian Language Fellow

National Taiwan University - International Chinese Language Program, Taiwan

ICLP's Approach to Learning Chinese

ICLP’s Approach to Learning Chinese:

Taipei’s National Taiwan University (NTU) is home to one of the most prestigious Mandarin language programs in the world. The International Chinese Language Program (ICLP) focuses on improving students’ scholarly speaking abilities. ICLP alumni praise the program for the dramatic results it produces. So, what is the secret to ICLP’s success?

The program prides itself on its unique approach to learning. ICLP bases its curriculum on “5 Principles” and “8 Actions.” Students that adopt the “5 Principles” and consistently utilize the “8 Actions” are guaranteed to drastically improve their Chinese speaking abilities in only a matter of eight weeks.

Let’s examine ICLP’s 5 Principles:

Focus on Content Relevant to You   At ICLP, the administrators and professors tailor the curriculum to their students’ needs. With many students hoping to use Chinese in their academic coursework and in their future professions, the program focuses on teaching Mandarin for scholarly use. They have found students are better able to retain information that is relevant to them. Ultimately, the program aims to prepare students to use Chinese in their everyday academic and professional lives after leaving the program.

Use the Language to Communicate   As students begin to learn the language, it is critical that students use what they learn to communicate. Students’ communications will reinforce what they learn in the classroom. To encourage this principle, ICLP is a language immersion program. Students must sign a pledge to speak only Chinese while at school and are encouraged to continue utilizing Chinese as they explore Taiwan. In such an environment, students learn from both their professors and their classmates.

Prioritize Understanding the Message   At ICLP, learning is believed to come through understanding. When learning Chinese, students are tempted to prioritize learning what characters look like before learning their meaning. Ultimately, the message is more important for communication. For this reason, the program is structured to emphasize listening comprehension and speaking.

Emphasize Physiological Training   To reinforce successful learning, it is critical that physiological training be a cornerstone of your language study. Because Chinese is a tonal language, students who pay attention to tones early on will have a more wholesome understanding of the language and find greater success in their communications.

Your Psycho-Physiological State Matters   The last, and what ICLP coordinators believe to be the most critical principle in the study of the Chinese language is approaching the learning process with passion and a positive mindset. We will all face our own difficulties throughout the course of our language study, but only those who embrace optimism and maintain their passion for Chinese language and culture will be able to persevere.

Now, let’s examine ICLP’s 8 Actions:

Listen A Lot   While beginners may not be able to communicate effectively, they can improve their communication skills more quickly through active listening. Listening can take place both in and outside of the classroom.  Also, because Chinese is a tonal language, it is critical that students listen to perfect their own speaking and pronunciation. ICLP creates a great environment for listening as students and teachers each agree to speak only Chinese on campus. While beginner students may be overwhelmed at first, they find themselves recognizing new words and phrases each day to use in their own communications.

Focus on Meaning before Words   Instead of simply memorizing what characters look like, ICLP encourages students to use what they learn to increase their overall understanding of the Chinese language and culture. When learning characters, it is critical that students learn the meaning and history behind the words. This meaning-based approach to language study reinforces the learning process and the student’s memory.

Start Mixing   At ICLP, language instructors believe in teaching roughly equal parts nouns, verbs, and adjectives. As you diversify what you learn, you will be able to communicate more effectively and on a broader range of subjects.

Focus on the Core   Instead of teaching Chinese as a progression from simple to challenging words and sentence structures, at ICLP the teaching staff focuses on “the core.” To get students communicating in Chinese more quickly, ICLP prioritizes teaching high frequency vocabulary that will form the core of a student’s every day and professional communications.

Get a Language “Parent”   To reinforce what students learn in the classroom, and to foster ongoing language use students are encouraged to get a language parent. A student’s language parent is anyone they can practice their Chinese with on a regular basis. Without a language parent, students are more likely to not use their Chinese outside of the classroom. A language parent is a critical part of the long-term learning process.

Copy the Face   For students focused on improving their speaking abilities, copying the face is important. Pronunciation can be perfected by both listening and mirroring. Students that pay attention to nuanced facial expressions and how words are enunciated will achieve quicker success.

Establish a Direct Connection to Mental Images   While ICLP emphasizes speaking, they do encourage students to attach mental images to words to help remember the various Chinese characters. Creating such connections will reinforce a student’s reading skills as well as speaking.

Focus on Syntax/Syntactic Rules   To effectively communicate using Chinese, focusing on syntax is crucial. Without a working knowledge of Chinese syntactic rules, one will not be able to master the language. So, at ICLP students focus on learning these rules and applying them to their daily communication. In the immersive environment, these syntactic rules are reinforced and students begin communicating more accurately. With the goal of producing academic speakers, ICLP instructors work to diversify students’ knowledge of syntactic rules.

As I begin my summer studies at NTU, I will embrace ICLP’s approach to language study. I can only hope that this method will improve my speaking abilities as it has all the students before me.

Katelyn DeNap

George Washington University - Elliott School of International Affairs

M.A. Security Policy Studies

Organization of Asian Studies – Vice President

Sigur Center 2017 Asian Language Fellow

National Taiwan University - International Chinese Language Program, Taiwan