Chinese: a new Esperanto for the minority languages of Europe? (3)

Note that this all concerns the German, the English and French speaking countries in Europe, that is to say larger nations. Confucius Institutes in smaller language groups can seldom submit similar impressive results. Czechs, Albanians, Greeks,… will probably never be able to advertise a similar success story. Speakers of smaller language groups may at best speculate on why it is that things seems to go so much easier in France, Germany or the UK. One of the reasons may be that small languages find themselves locked up in small countries. Once you start spreading Chinese throughout Hungary for example you will soon bump into the borders of your country. Similarly, Czech or Greek speaking countries do not have the vast machinery of the worldwide network of Goethe Institutes, the centres of the Alliance Française or the British Council. Smaller language groups do not have similar institutions that make them feel as if they are on an equal footing with Hanban or at least that they involved in some kind of two way traffic between equal partners.

I remember that I and the members of the board of my Confucius Institute, once visiting our partner Zhejiang Gongshang University were taken to the local centre of the Alliance Française. At that time we were still in the process of building our Confucius Institute in Brugge, and yet had no real premises for our Institute. Zhejiang Gongshang University had just allocated an impressive building on its campus to the Alliance Française to serve as the local centre for the Alliance Française.

First, what made this particular centre interesting is that it was integrated into the university somewhat like Confucius Institutes must be integrated in their host-institutions abroad. Critics of Confucius Institutes in foreign media often denounce China for its determination to insert its Confucius Institutes into the campuses abroad, whereas – they argue - Goethe Institutes or centres of the British Councils are by definition stand-alone institutions. The argument is that Confucius Institutes funded by the Chinese government on campuses abroad are a threat to academic freedom, whereas a cultural institution in its own independent building off campus is not. But what then to make of the Alliance Française in Hangzhou, which is equally funded by a foreign government?

Secondly, what made this visit to the Hangzhou Alliance clear to us, Belgians in particular was that Belgium no network for the spread of Dutch, similar in size to the Confucius Institutes headquarters or Alliance Française headquarters. Neither do the Bulgarians, Czechs, Romanians, Albanians, ….

To return to the Dublin conference: on occasions as these representatives of Confucius Institutes of smaller nations quickly find each other on some common issues and concerns. First of all, smaller nations often have only one, at best two or three Confucius Institutes. In larger countries, Confucius Institutes can join in national associations. Within each network each particular Confucius Institute can develop its own strengths and excel above the other Confucius Institutes in her own way. For example, if "business" is what you're best at, you can earn yourself a reputation within your country as the best "Confucius Institute for Business". In smaller countries, it is often not possible to set up local networks. Here you are alone as a Confucius Institute.

One of smaller Confucius Institutes' representatives favorite places to meet at Confucius Institutes conferences is the booth with sample Chinese language manuals. Most of the Chinese manuals adopted in courses use English or other international languages as a third language. This is also because most of the teachers sent from China also use this language to teach. Few to no teachers from China have studied Bulgarian, Romanian or any other small language before. At present Confucius Institutes can apply for Chinese teaching materials from China in many dozen smaller languages and virtually all European languages. Yet the choice of titles remains limited. Many of these manuals are sheer translations from English, while a speaker of another language may have difficulties with Chinese that are specific to his or her own language.