Chinese is arguably one of the most difficult languages to learn, but scholars are still wondering if younger children would benefit from learning the language. Young children have proven to be able to learn different languages much more quickly than older children and adults.
Schools across the United States often have immersion schools for German and Spanish, but Chinese is starting to become more popular as well. In fact, it is nearly the most widely spoken second language.
This is because Chinese translation is becoming more important for business in America and other countries, and people want to equip their children for a successful future.
Confucius Institute Helps Elementary Classrooms Learn Chinese
In order to create a pipeline of students who will continue to learn the Chinese language after high school, several different universities across the United States that have Confucius Institutes have started elementary programs for K-12th grade students to learn Chinese in the classroom.
They have also provided scholarship programs for high school students to take college language classes while they are still in high school. The credits they earn can be applied to many different colleges.
The idea behind the programs and scholarships is to encourage students to develop more in-depth language skills so that they can possibly go on to careers where they will be able to provide professional translation and Chinese business translation.