Photo of Leaders (photo by Mou Caimei)
Foreign Languages Corner of UPC was held by School of Foreign Studies on the evening of October 9th , 2020. It was in full swing in the U-shaped outdoor square in front of the Arts and Sciences Building. Several leaders attended, including Shen Liuxia, Director of Publicity Department of CPC Committee, Liu Jishun, Vice Director, Huang Fang, Director of International Office, Yu Jixian, Director of Graduate School Training Office, Mao Haoran, Dean of School of Foreign Studies and Zhang Yongning, Secretary of Party Committee of School of Foreign Studies. Students and international students from all majors also participated in this grand activity.
Welcome Speech by Huang Fang Photo by Mou Caimei
Every semester, Foreign Language Corner (ten sessions with diverse themes) will be held in the U-shaped outdoor square in front of the Arts and Science Building on Friday night. English major students from different classes and grades will organize the activity in turn. With an Oral English Competition system, the participants will give free speeches based on the theme to compete for the championship. The result will come out on the spot. At the end of each semester, ten winners in each round will fight for the final laureate of “the Best Oral Foreign Language Overlord” of the semester on “the Top Ten Challenger Competition”. This session was hosted by Tan Yajing, a Russian major graduate student of 2019, and Liu Luyao, an English major undergraduate of 2018, and the themes were “Covid-19 and Me” and “Get to know each other— Friends come from afar”.
Welcome Speech by Dean Mao Haoran Photo by Mou Caimei
“In recent years, we have been making efforts on constructing our university more international. But still, not all students have the chance to study abroad. Last year, the Office of International Cooperation and Exchanges proposed a new idea, that is, Local Internationalization in UPC, while the series activities of Foreign Language Corner are highly in line with this concept. I hope you take an active part and be brave to speak and improve your oral communication skills. I also wish our activity a complete success. ” said Director Huang Fang in his speech.
The School of Foreign Studies is committed to building the Foreign Language Corner into a Foreign Language Village, trying to reappear the glory of Dongying Foreign Languages Village again, and developing it into a cultural brand in the Qingdao West Coast New Area and even the whole country. “We are committed to developing the Foreign Languages Corner from a platform for oral communication to an academic platform for foreign languages exchange, adding a section of English academic paper instruction, and strengthening cooperation between universities and local communities, so that the Foreign Languages Corner can provide more bilingual and multilingual talents for Qingdao’s international construction,” said Dean Mao. He also pointed out that this activity not only would provide a platform for oral communication among UPC students but also become a broad stage to show that people from UPC seek the truth and the fact, developing with an open mind, and telling the world stories about China with an international horizon.
Communication among Students from Different Countries (Photo by Mou Caimei)
All the teachers and students participated in the free discussion with enthusiasm. What is striking was that even elementary school students participated in this activity, which came here with their parents. “Although I don’t understand some of the words, I find it very interesting. I will participate in it after I grow up. By that time, I can not only understand but be able to speak fluently,” said Qu Haowei, who is still a fifth-grade pupil. We can tell that Foreign Languages Corner not only provides a platform for college students to practice communication, but also plant the seeds of learning foreign languages in the hearts of children.
Free Speech by Students Photo by Mou Caimei
Altogether five contestants fought for the champion of Oral Competition for Foreign Languages. After fierce competition, Ai Wentao, a 2018 undergraduate majoring in Electrical Engineering and Automation and Li Chaozheng, a 2017 undergraduate majoring in Russian separately won the champions of English Corner and Russian Corner. “If you have a partner, then the improvement of oral English accounts for a mutual progress. Both sides should first find common topics and practice together. To listen more, speak more and practice more are essential ways to master a language firmly,” they said.
Communication among Students and Foreign Teachers Photo by Mou Caimei
The plan for Foreign Languages Corner began on September 14, 2020. After about one month of planning, research and deployment, the entire event arrangement was basically completed on October 2. “In order to make its content closer to students’ needs, we have made sufficient preparations. According to the questionnaire, we fully took students’ advice about Foreign Languages Corner, and accordingly changed its venue, time, and content.” In order to stimulate students’ enthusiasm for Foreign Languages Corner and improve the participants’ sense of experience, teachers from School of Foreign Studies who are responsible for this activity have put a lot of effort in the preliminary work.
Foreign Language Corner embodies the persistence and dream of our students to refine foreign languages and embrace the world. Foreign Languages Corner is planned by School of Foreign Studies in UPC and jointly organized by the relevant functional departments of the University and student associations with the aim of “Pursue Language Application, All Walks Far.” Zhang Yongning, Secretary of the School Party Committee, said: “I hope that Foreign Languages Corner can be turned into a beautiful name card of the University, and provide an opportunity and platform for the teachers and students to improve their oral English and academic ability, reflecting the responsibility of our School to contribute to the improvement of students’ foreign languages literacy and the construction of school culture.”
Focusing on themes students are interested in, the Foreign Languages Corner insists on subject-oriented, professional-oriented and curriculum-oriented activities, in order to enhance students’ professional quality and academic level. In the future, famous experts and scholars at home and abroad will be invited to help students enlarge the outlook and enhance the abilities. When it comes to the expectations on the future development of Foreign Languages Corner, Professor Wang Xinbo said, “As a window to the outside world, more famous experts and scholars should be invited to strengthen the intention construction of foreign language disciplines and enhance the educational function and specialty attraction. In that way, it will become a booster for the development of foreign language discipline, an incubator for the improvement of students’ application ability, and a connecting bridge internal and external communication in school.”
“Our talents should know something about everything, from the east to the west, from the past to the future.” School of Foreign Studies attaches great importance to the cultivation of “multilingual” talents. In terms of professional knowledge, the School aims to develop English plus X and other interdisciplinary majors, to improve students’ professional knowledge, comprehensive qualities, language application and core competitiveness.
Some alumni of UPC once wrote that “the prosperity of Foreign Languages Village is the most vivid manifestation of the great UPC”. Today’s Foreign Languages Corner is handed down from generation to generation, and continues to create a new future in Tangdao Bay.
Translators：Gao Fei, Wang Zimeng, Dai Zhenshan
Proofreader: Fu Xiao
Tutor: Fu Xiao
