與孔子學(xué)院的初識

My first encounter with the Confucius Institute

記得那年，為了參加孔院中方院長選拔考試，我提前結(jié)束了在美國馬里蘭大學(xué)的訪學(xué)。也就在那兒，我參加了幾次馬里蘭大學(xué)孔子學(xué)院的活動，在與美國朋友的交流中，我感受到他們對中國文化的喜愛和興趣，這是我最初對孔院模糊的認(rèn)識。

I recall the year when I concluded my visitingscholarship at the University of Maryland early inorder to participate in the selection examination forChinese Director of the Confucius Institute. Duringmy time there， I engaged in various activities atthe University of Maryland’s Confucius Institute.Through interactions with both Chinese and Americanfriends， I observed their profound love for andinterest in Chinese culture which formed my initial，albeit vague， understanding of Confucius Institutes.

我要赴任的孔院是一所新的孔院，為了準(zhǔn)備孔院的揭牌儀式，我和3位志愿老師沒有過完2012年的國慶假日就出發(fā)了。我們都不會說當(dāng)?shù)卣Z言——匈牙利語，而當(dāng)?shù)厝撕苌僦v英語。在超市購買生活用品時，我們借助百度翻譯確認(rèn)要買的物品。從住的宿舍到市區(qū)的孔院，我們需要先坐公交車，然后轉(zhuǎn)乘有軌電車。與國內(nèi)不同的是，這里的公交車班次間隔時間很長，錯過一班就要等很久。因此，我和同事一早就在站點等候，上了公交車后也不敢松懈，眼睛不停地打量著周邊，同時緊張地聽著車上的報站信息，努力識別要下車的站名，以防出錯。這讓我們深刻體會到語言的重要性。之后為了方便交流，我們很快就開始學(xué)習(xí)匈牙利語。經(jīng)過一段時間的努力，雖然我們還難以使用匈牙利語進行交流，但在商場和菜市場能夠自信地付費或買自己想要的東西了。

The Confucius Institute I was set to lead wasnewly-established; to prepare for its openingceremony， three volunteer teachers and I left beforethe end of the 2012 National Day holiday. None of uswere conversant in the local language of Hungarian，and few locals spoke English; to purchase necessitiesat the supermarket， we relied on the Baidu Translateapplication. Traveling from our dormitory to theInstitute in the city center involved a bus journeyand transfer to a tram. Unlikein China， the bus intervals werelengthy， and missing one meanta prolonged wait. Thus， mycolleagues and I arrived earlyto the stop; once on the bus， weremained vigilant， constantlyscanning our surroundingsand listening attentively to the“stop” announcements. We triedto recognize our destinationto avoid mistakes， with thisinitial challenge meaning that we deeply appreciated the importance of language.We soon started to learn the Hungarian language inorder to facilitate communication. After much timeand effort， although we struggled with conversationsin Hungarian， we were able to confidently handletransactions and purchase what we wanted in shopsand markets.

就是在各種嘗試和不確定中，我們兢兢業(yè)業(yè)地探索孔院建設(shè)的各項工作：如何與當(dāng)?shù)卮髮W(xué)的教務(wù)系統(tǒng)建立聯(lián)系，讓全校師生獲得中文課的信息；如何與當(dāng)?shù)氐闹行W(xué)建立聯(lián)系，采用何種方式提供中文課程；如何組織一些活動，讓當(dāng)?shù)孛癖娭獣钥自旱拇嬖?；如何開設(shè)并舉辦HSK考試；如何進行參與塞格德大學(xué)文化活動、參與賽格德市大型活動的展演……一次次的活動，從觀看到參與，從陌生到熟悉，孔院的朋友圈就這么擴大了，這也是后來大型活動成功的秘訣。2014年9月首屆孔子學(xué)院日時，孔院在市中心組織的一場持續(xù)8小時的演出和文化活動取得圓滿成功。

Despite some uncertainties， we diligently pursuedthe establishment of the Confucius Institute. Ourefforts included working out how to connect with thelocal university’s academic system to inform all facultyand students about Chinese courses， establishingconnections with local primary and secondary schoolsto determine the most effective way of offering Chinesecourses， organizing events to raise awareness of theInstitute within the local community， setting up andconducting HSK examinations， and participating incultural activities at the University of Szeged， alongwith other major events in the city. Through theserepeated activities， with the attitude of thelocal community evolving from observationto participation， and from unfamiliarityto familiarity， the Institute’s networkexpanded. This approach became the keyto our subsequent successes in large-scaleevents. In September 2014， during thefirst Confucius Institute Day， the Instituteorganized an eight-hour performance andcultural event in the city center， which wasmet with great success.

孔院的合作伙伴也越來越多。兩年內(nèi)，孔院的教學(xué)點延伸到賽格德之外的3座城市，其中布達佩斯市就有3個教學(xué)點。我們也迎來了中文教師和新的志愿者。面對志愿者教師一年一換， 如何建立有效的教學(xué)管理體系、確保中文教學(xué)的連續(xù)性和優(yōu)質(zhì)發(fā)展等問題又成為新的課題。

The Institute’s partner network also expandedsignificantly; within two years， our teaching locationsextended beyond Szeged to include three other cities，with three locations in Budapest alone. We attractedadditional Chinese teachers and new volunteers.With volunteer teachers changing annually， we facednew challenges such as establishing an effectiveteaching management system and ensuring the continuityand quality of Chinese language instruction.

在解決一個個問題中，我們每日都好似在與時間賽跑。孔院的工作既緊張又充實，但到孔院學(xué)習(xí)的同學(xué)多了，訪客多了，邀請孔院參加活動的信息也多了，孔院活動的參與者也越來越多，有老人也有兒童，他們臉上開心的笑容和滿足也深深打動著孔院的中外方工作人員，大家就這樣忙碌并快樂著。

As we resolved each issue， it felt that we weredaily racing against time， although work at theInstitute was both intense and fulfilling. With an increasingnumber of students enrolling， an increasein visitors， numerous invitations for the Instituteto participate in events， and a growing number ofparticipants in Institute activities， including botholder people and children， the Institute’s influenceexpanded. The participants’ smiles and satisfactiondeeply moved both the Chinese and foreign staffat the Institute， with staff feeling busy yet joyful.

從一到十

From one to ten

2014年10月，任期結(jié)束后我?guī)е鴿M滿的獲得感回到學(xué)校。在過去的兩年時間里，我沒有像想象中那樣有時間做自己的科研，但從無到有建設(shè)新的孔院是一種難得的經(jīng)歷，這是與訪學(xué)截然不同的一種厚重體驗。

In October 2014， I returned to my universitywith a profound sense of accomplishment afterthe completion of my term. During the previoustwo years， I had not had as much time for my ownresearch as I had initially anticipated. However， theopportunity to build a new Confucius Institute fromthe ground up was an invaluable experience， whichwas vastly different to my previous role as avisiting scholar.

成立了孔院工作處。就這樣，我與孔院又一次連接，再次進入孔院的工作節(jié)奏。隨著對各家孔院的了解，我對孔院的認(rèn)識也在加深和拓展。每一所孔院的漢語教學(xué)和文化活動都有自己的特色，每一所孔院也都有各自的挑戰(zhàn)和發(fā)展路徑，每一所孔院的院長和老師們都在積極地與當(dāng)?shù)貙W(xué)生和民眾進行各種互動。同時，孔院也在為大學(xué)的學(xué)科建設(shè)和人才培養(yǎng)作貢獻，如學(xué)校增設(shè)了新的語種——匈牙利語和烏茲別克語，國內(nèi)的學(xué)生團體借助孔院平臺到有孔院的國家進行田野調(diào)查，相關(guān)院系與海外的孔院輪流舉辦各種學(xué)術(shù)會議，國內(nèi)外大學(xué)的各種合作和交流也在加深和拓寬。由此，學(xué)校的孔院數(shù)量從7所很快發(fā)展到10所；每年全球孔子學(xué)院大會期間，學(xué)校會舉辦孔子學(xué)院可持續(xù)發(fā)展會議，各孔院的外方大學(xué)校長、中外方院長與本校相關(guān)專家相聚一堂，暢談合作。

By 2015， Shanghai International StudiesUniversity （SISU） had established seven ConfuciusInstitutes and formed a Confucius Institute AffairsOffice. This development reconnected me with theConfucius Institute， enabling me to re-engage withtheir operational rhythm. As I studied the workingsof each Institute， my understanding deepenedand broadened; each Institute had its own uniquecharacteristics in Chinese language teaching andcultural activities， facing its own set of challengesand development trajectories. Directors and teachersactively engaged with local students and communities，developing meaningful connections. Meanwhile，the Institutes have contributed significantly toSISU’s discipline development and talent cultivation;for example， SISU has introduced new languageprograms in Hungarian and Uzbek. Domesticstudent groups have used the Institutes’ platforms toconduct field research in countries where ConfuciusInstitutes have been established， while associateddepartments rotated the hosting of various academicconferences in collaboration with overseas ConfuciusInstitutes. Consequently， the cooperation andexchanges between domestic and foreign universitieshas deepened and broadened， leading to a rapid increase in the number of university-associatedConfucius Institutes from seven to ten. During theannual Global Confucius Institute Conference， aConfucius Institute Sustainable Development Forumwas convened. This event brought together foreignuniversity presidents， Chinese and foreign directors，and relevant experts from our university to discussopportunities for collaboration.

從十到更多

From ten to more

2021年6月，中國國際中文教育基金會與上海外國語大學(xué)簽署合作協(xié)議，共同承辦《孔子學(xué)院》多語種期刊。2022年，《孔子學(xué)院》編輯部成立。在復(fù)刊的同時，在基金會的指導(dǎo)下，編輯部與原承辦各語種刊物的孔院聯(lián)系并建立新的合作模式，以便更好地服務(wù)于國際中文教育。

In June 2021， the Chinese International EducationFoundation and SISU signed a cooperationagreement to jointly manage the multilingualConfucius Institute journal， which was relaunched inthat year. In 2022， the Confucius Institute’s editorialdepartment was established. During the relaunch，under the guidance of the foundation， the editorialdepartment reconnected with the original ConfuciusInstitutes which managed various language versions，establishing new cooperation models to better serveinternational Chinese education.

在眾多專家的指導(dǎo)下，目前《孔子學(xué)院》主要設(shè)有4個欄目?！拔幕暣啊敝饕榻B中國各地特色文化和物質(zhì)、非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)傳承等，幫助海外讀者了解中國各地的特色和生活習(xí)俗；“當(dāng)代中國”旨在呈現(xiàn)各地最新發(fā)展，內(nèi)容涉及不同的行業(yè)，同時關(guān)注年輕人的喜好或當(dāng)下的流行和時尚，講述老百姓的日常生活；“漢語學(xué)習(xí)”聚焦國際中文教學(xué)中的熱點、重點和難點，介紹新的教學(xué)理念、教學(xué)實踐和分享、漢語學(xué)習(xí)策略與技巧、漢語學(xué)習(xí)資源和HSK考試等；“孔院鏈接”講述孔院和孔院人的故事或是留學(xué)生在中國的所見所聞?！犊鬃訉W(xué)院》在服務(wù)國際中文教育的同時，力求講好中國當(dāng)下發(fā)生的故事，講好中國老百姓的生活故事，竭力呈現(xiàn)全面、真實、生動的中國。

Guided by numerous experts， ConfuciusInstitute currently comprises four sections： “CulturalHorizons” introduces distinctive cultures fromvarious regions of China and the preservation ofintangible cultural heritage， helping overseas readersto understand regional characteristics and lifestylecustoms; the section “China Now” presents the latestdevelopments from different regions， covering a varietyof industries while focusing on the preferencesof young people and current trends， and narratingthe daily lives of ordinary people; “Learning Chinese”concentrates on key topics， challenges， and trendsin international Chinese teaching， offering newteaching concepts and practical experiences， learningstrategies and techniques， and learning resources andinformation on HSK exams; finally， the “ConfuciusInstitute Links” shares stories about the Institutesand the people involved， along with the experiencesof international students in China. While servinginternational Chinese education， Confucius Instituteis committed to telling contemporary Chinese storiesand the life stories of ordinary Chinese people，seeking to present a comprehensive， authentic， andvivid portrayal of China.

《孔子學(xué)院》多語種期刊的編輯流程較為復(fù)雜，環(huán)節(jié)多，流程長，僅在編輯環(huán)節(jié)就分采編部和譯審校部：前者主要負(fù)責(zé)策劃、組稿、審稿和編輯加工，后者負(fù)責(zé)各相關(guān)語種翻譯、美術(shù)設(shè)計、排版和三校。期刊稿件主要有3個來源——自由投稿、國內(nèi)組稿和海外合作伙伴供稿。此外，該刊的特殊性和復(fù)雜性還表現(xiàn)在各種協(xié)調(diào)、質(zhì)量監(jiān)控和時間進度把控：如何保障與海外合作伙伴溝通順暢，確保各環(huán)節(jié)保質(zhì)準(zhǔn)時，以完成每兩月一期11個語種期刊的編輯出版任務(wù)。

The editing process for the multilingualConfucius Institute journal is intricate， involvingmany steps and a lengthy workflow; even at theediting stage， tasks are divided between departmentsfor content editing and translation review. Theformer focuses on planning， soliciting manuscripts，and conducting editorial reviews， while the latterhandles translation into relevant languages， alongwith art design， typesetting， and proofreading. Thejournal’s manuscripts are sourced from three primarychannels： open submissions， domestic solicitations，and contributions from overseas partners; itsuniqueness and complexity are further highlighted bythe various aspects of coordination， quality control，and timeline management， which includes ensuringsmooth communication with overseas partners andthe timely， high-quality completion of each step，resulting in the production of 11 language editionsevery two months.

最難的是期刊的讀者對象以海外的漢語學(xué)習(xí)者為主，面對這么多不同國家的讀者，內(nèi)容怎樣篩選，如何滿足他們了解中國文化、學(xué)習(xí)中文的需求，這就要求編輯部在策劃階段具有高度的敏感性。此外，稿件的撰寫亦需從讀者視角切入，突出故事性、敘事性和文化性，要體現(xiàn)大家小話的風(fēng)格，這對很多人來說是一種新的話語體系。這些認(rèn)識說著容易，操作起來卻非常困難，給稿件的編輯加工也帶來很多困難，編輯需要積極與作者聯(lián)系，進行修改和調(diào)整。在版式設(shè)計、圖片選擇等方面，編輯部也在積極嘗試，不斷創(chuàng)新。

One of the most challenging aspects is thatthe journal’s primary readership consists ofoverseas Chinese learners. With readers from manydifferent countries， the editorial department must behighly sensitive during the planning stage to selectcontent which meets their needs for understandingChinese culture and learning the Chinese language.Manuscript writing should also be approached fromthe reader’s perspective， emphasizing storytelling，narrative techniques， and cultural aspects. The goalis to embody a style which addresses significanttopics through relatable and accessible language， i.e.a new discourse system for many. Although theseinsights are easy to articulate， they are challenging toimplement; this complexity adds further challengesto manuscript editing and processing， requiringeditors to actively engage with authors for revisionsand adjustments. In terms of layout design and imageselection， the editorial department experimentscontinuously， seeking innovation and improvement.

當(dāng)刊物出現(xiàn)在2023年世界中文大會上時，老的孔院人像是見到了久違的朋友般激動，新的孔院人則覺得院刊很精美。通過一幅幅畫面，他們可以了解各地的風(fēng)俗和特色，獲得當(dāng)?shù)氐淖钚掳l(fā)展和流行時尚的資訊，當(dāng)然還有美食和旅游方面的信息。在2024年北京國際圖書博覽會（BIBF） 上，2023 年3 個語種的期刊（ 中英版（2023年第5期）、中俄版（2023年第4期）和中德版（2023年第5期）入選“優(yōu)秀期刊推薦”，進一步發(fā)揮出期刊作為孔院品牌矩陣中的重要構(gòu)成部分的影響力。

When issues of the journal were showcased atthe 2023 World Chinese Conference， veteran membersof the Confucius Institute were as delighted as ifthey had been reunited with long-lost friends， whilenew members found the journal to be a remarkabletreasure. Its images enabled them to explore thecustoms and unique characteristics of various regions，gain insights into the latest local developments andfashion trends， and find details of cuisine and tourism.At the 2024 Beijing International Book Fair （BIBF），three language editions of the 2023 journal i.e. Chinese-English （2023 Issue 5）， Chinese-Russian （2023Issue 4）， and Chinese-German （2023 Issue 5）， wereselected for “Excellent Journal Recommendation，”further consolidating the journal’s influence as a keyelement of the Confucius Institute’s brand matrix.

在每期的采風(fēng)過程中，我們有幸接觸到更多分布在五大洲的孔子學(xué)院，聆聽到更多國內(nèi)孔院人的故事，他們以各自獨特的面貌和情節(jié)上演著“和而不同”“美美與共”

的畫面：孔院將更多的人聯(lián)接在一起，民心相通的交流和交融，不論何時何種環(huán)境，它都一直散發(fā)著人文的光輝，可能時弱時強，卻都是溫暖人心、深受歡迎的光亮。

During the research process for each issue， we werefortunate to engage with more Confucius Institutesacross five continents， listening to more stories frommembers of domestic Institutes. Each of these storiespresented unique perspectives and narratives， illustratingthe themes of “harmony in diversity” and “harmoniouscoexistence.” These Institutes serve as bridges， connectingpeople and facilitating meaningful exchanges andintegration. Regardless of time or place， they consistentlyradiate a humanistic warmth which， despite fluctuation，remains heartening and ever-welcome.

孔子學(xué)院正年輕

The Confucius Institute is still young

從2004 到2024，孔院轉(zhuǎn)眼20 歲了。回首過往，我與孔院的緣分也已長達12個春秋。孔院已成為我生活中的一個關(guān)鍵詞，我的許多時間、精力乃至科研都圍繞著孔院展開。然而與國內(nèi)外許多資深的前輩相比，在全球孔院的大家庭中，我不過是滄海一粟，微不足道的一員，然而正是這20年來無數(shù)像我這樣的一滴滴水匯成了孔院的發(fā)展。目前，在國內(nèi)外眾多獻身國際中文教育的專家、學(xué)者、孔院臺前幕后工作人員的默默和不懈努力下，孔院這個大家庭正吸引著越來越多的年輕和杰出人才。

From 2004 to 2024， the Confucius Institutehas covered a journey of 20 years in what feels likethe blink of an eye. Reflecting on my own journey，I realize that my connection with the ConfuciusInstitute has spanned 12 of those years. TheConfucius Institute has become a central themein my life， with much of my time， energy， andeven research centering around it. However， whencompared to the many seasoned predecessors， bothdomestic and international， I am just a single dropin the vast ocean of the global Confucius Institutecommunity， an insignificant member. Yet it is preciselythese countless droplets， such as me， which have cometogether to shape the Institute’s development over thepast 20 years. Today， thanks to the tireless but quietefforts of numerous experts， scholars， and front-lineand behind-the-scenes staff dedicated to internationalChinese education， both at home and abroad， thislarge family continues to attract increasing numbers ofyoung and outstanding talents.

正如孔院官方公眾號每日發(fā)布所言，在全球孔院每天都有很多事情在發(fā)生，上演著各種喜怒哀樂和酸甜苦辣。同時，每年也都有很多學(xué)生到中國學(xué)習(xí)或參加夏令營和“漢語橋”活動，每年都有很多訪問團來到中國，每天也有很多人因為在教中文或在學(xué)習(xí)中文中獲得更多的成就感而成為更好的自己。

As highlighted in the daily posts of the ConfuciusInstitute’s official social media account， a largenumber of events unfold each day across ConfuciusInstitutes worldwide， reflecting a myriad of emotionsand experiences. Each year， many students come toChina to study in summer camps or participate inthe Chinese Bridge activities. Numerous delegationsvisit China annually， with many individuals findinga daily sense of accomplishment through teachingor learning Chinese， continuously becoming betterversions of themselves.

也正是這樣的人群和活動在默默地推動著中國與各國人民相知、相通和相親。面對一張張真誠的笑臉，懷著對未來美好的期望，我相信，涓涓細(xì)流終有匯成大海的時刻。

It is precisely these people and activities thatquietly fostering mutual understanding， communication，and goodwill between the Chinese people andthose of other countries. When faced with genuinesmiles and hopeful expectations for the future， I amconfident that this small stream will eventually mergeinto the vast ocean.

孔子學(xué)院正年輕，相信它會有更美好的明天。

The Confucius Institute is still in its youth; Ifirmly believe that it will create a brighter future.