An analysis of higher education systems of teaching Chinese as a foreign language in Poland and China

Abstract

Nowadays, changing trends in terms of interest in language learning are easy to witness. In Poland, more and more higher education institutions, not only public, but also private, are introducing various types of majors concerning oriental languages, such as Chinese translation programs. The aim of this paper is to compare the Chinese learning process in China at the Shanghai Normal University and in Poland at the University of Silesia in Katowice. The article introduces a comparative outline of both types of learning processes, based on the author’s four-year experience in teaching and studying in both of the countries in question. Furthermore, the paper examines and compares the results of teaching Chinese both at the University of Silesia in Katowice and at the Shanghai Normal University. In the end, the author provides suggestions on how to improve the Chinese learning system in non-Chinesespeaking countries.