For each Chinese-speaking westerner, East Asian Studies professor Perry Link said, there are thousands of English-speaking Chinese.
"That leaves the question," Link said, "why do westerners learn Chinese?"
Though English is spoken virtually everywhere — Link called it "a hegemonic language" — it is not always enough, a fact that students and academic institutions are quickly coming to terms with.
Enrollment in Chinese and Arabic classes at Princeton has skyrocketed in the last decade, as political and commercial interests in East Asia and the Middle East intensify. But since many people in those regions already speak English, the desire to learn non-western languages goes beyond the desire to be able to communicate on an everyday basis.
"When you present yourself as a foreigner in China, and you speak English only, the other side accommodates you and communication gets done," Link explained. "However, to get really trusted — to get deeper into people's lives — it's better to do it in their language, and it's especially important that language is spoken correctly."
Near Eastern Studies professor Julie Taylor said the same is true in the Middle East. Though policymakers and businesspeople "can get along very well without speaking Arabic," those who do not "at least make an attempt to speak Arabic" will undoubtedly "have more trouble winning the trust of the people or have a closer relationship," she said.
"People can understand if you're having problems, and they will switch back to English," she said, "but they want to know that you are committed to learning about them."
But Link said that proper pronunciation is crucial. "If you come in speaking English or Chinese with bad tones, can you communicate? Sure. Can you make friends, talk about politically sensitive or personally sensitive issues? Marry a Chinese person? Probably not, or at least not as well."
Making a name abroad
Recognizing the importance of language programs in preparing students who wish to study, travel, work or do research abroad, President Tilghman announced on Feb. 20 the creation of the President's Advisory Committee on Internationalization.
Chaired by History department chair Jeremy Adelman and Wilson School Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter '80, the committee of 12 faculty was formed to "advise [Tilghman] on how the University can best respond to the challenges and opportunities in the international arena," according to a University press release.
Adelman said in an interview that the Committee's main job will be evaluating how to engage in opportunities with "peer institutions and research centers all around the world" in order to facilitate "channels of exchange between scholars and students."
Finding ways to strengthen the University's global reputation is one of the goals of the committee. Princeton "is not as well known internationally" as Harvard and Yale, Adelman said, explaining that the University does not have professional schools to prop up international recognition.
"We're a name brand domestically but not internationally," he said. "The issue is, what kind of image do we want abroad, and how [can] this image be in the service of great teaching, learning and research — otherwise, there's no point."
The University is on a level playing field with its American peer institutions in terms of responding to globalization, Adelman said. "We are no further ahead and no less behind ... Our scholars are world-renowned and they travel in the international circles; our students go abroad in numbers that aren't significantly different from Harvard and Yale."
Tilghman and Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye went on a tour of China, Japan and Korea in 2004 in an effort to raise the University's profile in those countries.
The belief that international education efforts are crucial has become prevalent. An article published yesterday in the online version of the Chronicle of Higher Education said the "number of American universities opening overseas degree programs for foreign students has grown sharply in recent years, leading to an increasingly global competition for students."
Arabic for policy
Many Princeton students have taken on the challenge of learning non-western languages, with enrollment numbers growing in recent years. But it is unclear whether these students make language study the focus of their studies and their careers.
Taylor said that very few Near Eastern Studies majors make extensive use Arabic in their senior thesis research because the language is so difficult.
"For me," Taylor said, "Arabic is always a struggle, but there are sources that I depend on that I can only access through Arabic."
It is tough to find historical sources that have been translated because there are few people who are fluent in both English and Arabic, but when studying modern political issues, translations are more readily available, so academic studies are less reliant on proficiency in the language.
But some of Taylor's advisees did use Arabic extensively in their research, she said, and two have gone on to careers where they can take advantage of their proficiency in the language. One works in intelligence and the other for a security consulting firm.
One obstacle is that government agencies and businesses are "very reluctant to employ people who have real expertise in the region" because they think such people "wouldn't be as loyal to the United States." That belief, she said, "puts everyone in a quandary."
Taylor said she expects "the Middle East will be a longterm interest of the United States."
Though the United States has significant involvement with the oil industry in the Middle East, "there are not a lot of strong business ties," Taylor said. "For instance, it's not similar to the push in the 1980s for students to learn Japanese ... for business opportunities. There are very few of those [opportunities] in the Middle East for foreigners."
Chinese for business
Link said that about 80 percent of the application essays for the Princeton-in-Beijing program, which he directs, indicate that students are interested in China's booming economy and business opportunities.
"That's a bit disappointing," he said, "because there are so many other very good reasons, like history and food and art and poetry and the people." But some students whose "original attractions [are] often mercenary do learn about the culture as well," he said.
Link's focus is on Chinese language and culture, and he aims to impart his passion to even the most business-centric students. "Do I try to pull students in a certain direction? Yes," he said. "I try to pull them deeper into the culture and study of the language but not away from being a banker if that's what they want."
But, he said, "a diplomat who knows something about [the culture] of China and a journalist in Beijing are going to be a better diplomat or journalist than someone who doesn't."
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