In France, demand for lessons in Chinese and Japanese now rivals traditional options Spanish and German. English is still tops.
By Aude Sérès
LE FIGARO/Worldcrunch
PARIS - Chinese class instead of football, Japanese instead of judo. For parents in France, the latest trend is to invest in their children's future by signing them up for Chinese lessons as soon as they reach pre-school.
In the latest indication for the growing popularity of Asian languages, so many parents are sending their children to learn Chinese or Japanese that the CNED (France’s national distance-learning center) has cancelled its traditional German language option for primary school children and replaced it with Chinese. About 100 children are signed up to the course, the same as those signed up for Spanish. As well as lessons, students get a compilation of documents on Chinese culture, and an exercise manual.
“For the last two years we’ve noted a 20% rise each year in the number of young children signed up,” says Ming Zhu, who is responsible for education in the cultural center. “Most often, these are French families making a strategic educational choice. The parents see the teaching as a factor that will contribute to their children’s future success.” But certain children are also instinctively enthusiastic about these languages from an early age. Manga culture and Japanese cartoons, video games, and even the figurines popular with young girls, are all factors attracting youngsters towards the Japanese culture.
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