Issue No. 231 | Oct. 27, 2021
Strengthening American capacity for effective engagement
Chinese for Effective Professional Engagement
AMS is excited to announce the launch of our new online Chinese course


Over the course of a year, the American Mandarin Society held a series of roundtables and meetings with experts from government language training centers, universities, think tanks, and the private sector where participants discussed gaps in current language education, asking

“What are the key skills your employees are missing but that you wish they had?”
“What linguistic and cultural mistakes do you see even among experienced ‘China hands’?”
"What would the ideal professionally focused language course look like?"

The key lessons identified were subsequently designed into our course, Chinese for Effective Professional Engagement.

Please visit the course website or contact [email protected] for more information. Ask your employer about educational reimbursement!
俗语 from Xi Jinping's Speeches
开路先锋
kāilùxiānfēng

Meaning: Trailblazer, pioneer; frontier

Original: 我们坚持创新引领,高铁、大飞机等装备制造实现重大突破,新能源汽车占全球总量一半以上,港珠澳大桥、北京大兴国际机场等超大型交通工程建成投运,交通成为中国现代化的开路先锋。

Translation: "Convinced of the need for innovation, we have achieved major breakthroughs in equipment manufacturing like high-speed trains and large aircraft. We have more than half of the world’s new energy vehicles. Mega transport projects like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Beijing Daxing International Airport have been completed and put into operation. Transport has become a frontier in China’s modernization drive" (Qiushi).

Source: Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech on Oct 14 via video link at the opening ceremony of the Second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference. 
Reading
For this week’s reading we recommend this summary of Wang Yi’s meeting with the Afghan Taliban Interim Government delegation in Doha. It gives a good high-level overview of China’s Afghanistan positioning and framework.

Internships & Jobs
"Rhodium is looking for talented Interns to join our world-class team of researchers on China’s economy and global footprint. With a focus on Chinese policies and their global impact, you will support the team’s efforts to produce cutting-edge research on China, and contribute to data collection and analysis, policy monitoring, and the writing of reports and other key deliverables."


"We seek a highly motivated candidate to help with open-source research for Strategy Risks. Effective critical thinking and relevant experience with All-Source or Open-Source disciplines is a must. Candidates who have a degree or work experience with a regional focus on China or East Asia are preferred. Reading proficiency in Chinese is desired, but not required."


"The program coordinator will support GMF’s Asia Program on a variety of convening and research activities that foster transatlantic cooperation related to Asia. S/he will assist with the day-to-day program operations including drafting grant proposals and reports, tracking budgets and expenses, contact database updates, program updates (website, calendar, team call notes, booklet, and op-ed collections), managing interns, and providing research and editorial support."
Study Resources
Brush up on your 军语 with this guide published by CASI on October 25, "ITOW: PLA Terms and Concepts: Training, Exercises, & Education"

"As part of CASI’s “In Their Own Words” series, we compiled this list of terms and explanations with a focus on the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) to help English speakers studying the PLA understand key terms and concepts."


For more Chinese reading practice, Bill Bishop recently highlighted two helpful substack resources:


Support the American Mandarin Society!

If you appreciate the effort we put into organizing Chinese-language policy events, providing robust language and policy resources on our website, and the kind of content you see in this newsletter, please consider supporting us with a tax-deductible contribution--every bit helps!

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