Bridging Cultures: 52 Students from Austria & Other EU Countries Enjoy Summer Language Courses in Taiwan
"The immersive experience extended beyond the language classes to a series of field trips and cultural experiences that added immense educational value." - a comment made by Adrian Jaros
This summer, three groups of students—from Austria and some from several other European Union countries—studying at universities in Austria enjoyed an opportunity to travel to Taiwan for Mandarin courses. Initially, thirty students in the first two groups received subsidies from the Ministry of Education in Taiwan and from the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research in Austria, to undertake their summer language studies at National Sun Yat-sen University.
In response to many more students expressing a strong interest in undertaking a summer language course in Taiwan, the Education Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Austria arranged further subsidies from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education for a third group, and another 22 students were able to participate in summer Mandarin study programs in Taiwan at National Sun Yat-sen University or Ming Chuan University.
As well as improving language proficiency in an immersion setting, the programs represent more than just enriching educational experiences: they celebrate cultural diversity. The summer language programs include cultural activities to foster better cultural understanding, and help the students to engage more effectively in cross-cultural environments, and this will contribute to more mutual understanding in our world.
