世界普通話:美國人搬到中國學漢語
American families are uprooting their entire lives and relocating their families to China to give their children a leg up in learning Mandarin as China's influence continues to grow, according to The Wall Street Journal.
據《華爾街日報》報道，因爲中國的影響在日益增強，爲了給孩子增加一個學習漢語的優勢，許多美國人正改變以前的生活方式，舉家遷往中國生活。High-powered American couples reportedly move to China and enroll their children in elementary schools that teach Mandarin. Instruction is completed in two years in these schools, and then the families move back to the United States.
報道稱，有錢的美國夫婦舉家遷往中國，並在教普通話的小學裏給孩子報了名注了冊。在學完了學校的兩年課程後，全家人又搬回美國去。And even if parents aren't moving there, they are choosing Mandarin submersion programs, hiring tutors, using Skype to talk with teachers in Beijing, and even hiring Chinese-speaking nannies.
即使家長沒有搬過來，他們會選擇含有漢語內容的教程，或請家教，或使用Skype和在北京的老師對話，甚至是僱傭說漢語的保姆。
Sources told The WSJ that prospective employees who speak Mandarin have a leg-up in the job market, and doting American parents are trying to do everything they can possible to give them that edge.
消息人士告訴《華爾街日報》，未來的求職者，如果是會說漢語的求職者，那麼他們在就業市場擁有更多的優勢。溺愛孩子的美國家長在盡他們的一切可能讓孩子們擁有這樣的優勢。Learning Mandarin is hardly an easy task. It's a tonal language and there's no "right" way to learn it.
學習漢語並非易事。漢語是一種聲調語言，學習它沒有所謂的“好”方法。To earn certification in Mandarin, it takes 2,200 class hours, and half of that time spent must be spent in a Mandarin-speaking country. For comparison's sake, Spanish can be learned in 600 to 750 class hours.
要獲得漢語等級證書需要花2,200學時，其中有一半時間必須要生活在說漢語的國家裏。作爲對比，學習西班牙語只要600到750個學時。Ironically in China, where a huge emphasis is placed on education, 85 percent of people whose household income is more than $950,000 recently said they planned on sending their children abroad to study.
不過具有諷刺意味地是，在非常重視教育的中國，85% 家庭收入超過950,000美元的家庭最近表示，他們計劃着要把自己的孩子送出國深造。So, Americans are still playing catch up.
因此，美國人正在迎頭趕上。
