In The News

Learning Chinese in Mexico: Children Prepare for the Future

Tracy Wilkinson June 9, 2010
Despite its tough policies on Asian immigration, Mexico hurries to increase economic and cultural exchanges with China. Mexico, late among Latin American nations to sign a free-trade agreement with the rising giant, is now China's second largest Latin American commercial partner and the largest importer of Chinese products in the region. Responding to global economic trends and China's...

Hola! Asian Call Centers Lure Back Spanish

Margot Cohen April 16, 2010
The pursuit of independence by former colonies during the 20th century often included efforts to minimize reliance on the imposed language. In some, like the former Spanish colony of the Philippines, the colonial language fell out of general use even as another colonial language English was embraced as a language of business. Today, less than 1 percent of Filipinos speak Spanish. But the few...

Hear Them Roar

Rana Foroohar April 16, 2010
In countries and conflict zones where female voices are traditionally stifled, women have proven to be some of the most active dissidents. This tendency is not limited to the ranks of activists as female participation in politics and business has grown dramatically worldwide. In the developing world, the levels of basic education for women are rising. There are now as many girls as boys in...

Globalization in Higher Education

Ben Wildavsky April 15, 2010
China’s efforts to improve its universities via partnerships with Western institutions represent an international trend toward bettering higher education. Singapore, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia have all engaged in similar partnerships intended to grow a strong national university system and thus mitigate the effects of the brain-drain. In Western Europe, nations such as France and Germany are...

Is Arabic a Dying Language?

Tom Hundley February 26, 2010
In parts of the Arab world, integration into the world economy has meant incorporating English sometimes at the expense of Arabic. As English has become the language of commerce, it has likewise dominated education. In the United Arab Emirates, both English and Arabic are taught from primary education on, yet students often master neither. At the university level, English is primarily used...

Liberal Applications

Duncan Hewitt February 15, 2010
While most Chinese applicants to US universities apply only to top Ivy League schools, a small but rapidly increasing number have started applying to a wider variety of liberal arts colleges. A liberal arts education can be a tough sell for entrants into the Chinese labor market, where immediate technical proficiency is expected. But the long-term advantages of a broader and more conceptual...

Animosity Against English Teachers in Seoul

Jiyeon Lee February 9, 2010
Foreign English teachers in South Korea are coming under attack. The group “Citizens of Right Education” was formed to rid South Korea of unqualified foreign English teachers, involved in criminal or scandalous activities. Meanwhile, the Association for Teachers of English in Korea (ATEK) claims that English teachers have been vilified in the news, frequently presented as being involved in sexual...