North Carolina Cultural Exchange Program Offers Chinese Students Introduction to U.S.

November 21, 2011

For many Americans, China remains a somewhat mysterious land in the far east. But the U.S. is perceived in much the same way by many Chinese people. Perhaps one obstacle to the exchange and understanding process is the language barrier. Both English and Chinese are often considered two of the more difficult languages to learn, so sharing ideas can prove difficult to overcome.

Shuyun Mu of Cary, North Carolina, told The Cary News that she experienced the language hurdle herself when she first moved to the U.S. at the age of 13. Yet, despite the challenges she faced, learning a new language at an older age, Mu understands that young Chinese can only expect greater interaction with American culture and language as global economic ties grow and strengthen.

“We cannot avoid it. The business world is more and more globalized and China is now the world’s second largest economy,” Mu told the news source. “I hope that the younger generation tries to understand each other’s cultures so they have a better future.”

To help the people of her homeland along, Mu organized a cultural exchange program to bring groups of students from Chengdu, in the southwest of China, to North Carolina for a course in conversational English. Mu explained that conversational speech can prove to be the most difficult aspect of the English language for Chinese to learn, in part because of the way they are taught and in part because the lack of convenient conversational partners.

So Mu brought 40 students to the U.S. along with five teachers and matched them with host families, giving them an opportunity to delve into American culture and interact with English-speaking people on a daily basis.

Cultural exchange organizations that offer this type of immersion can prove immensely important, not only for their ability to introduce young people to languages at the conversational level, but also because it fosters appreciation for the culture, traditions and general thought processes of a different people.

As businesses grow increasingly global, many have been surprised to find dramatic differences in the ways various cultures respond to certain rules, tasks or challenges. Appreciating these differences can prove beneficial to people looking to enter the business world.

Of course, this type of learning is a two-way street, and Mu plans to support that idea with a new cultural exchange program in China for American students beginning next summer.