【Article by CLC】

Perched on the scenic, up-hilled campus of National Chengchi University (NCCU), the Chinese Language Center (CLC) offers intensive Mandarin courses throughout the year, with terms in spring, summer, fall, and winter. Held Monday through Friday, these courses are designed to help international students from all over the world rapidly improve their Mandarin listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Students can choose to study for three months, one year, or even up to two years, depending on their individual learning goals. Many participants plan to pursue higher education in Taiwan, and thanks to the CLC’s excellent teaching reputation spread by word of mouth, the program continues to attract a growing number of international learners each year.

Following course selection this semester, CLC Director Dr. Estelle Jiang, who also teaches in the English Department, continued the “Language and Cultural Exchange Program,” launched last year. As part of this initiative, 24 students enrolled in the course English Oral Training (III): Speaking and Reading were paired with CLC’s total beginner students, creating opportunities for both sides to practice speaking in their target language. The program received enthusiastic support from students across the university, and successfully matching over 200 language partners this year.

Participants have already begun connecting and arranging meetups, with international students expressing excitement and anticipation upon receiving messages from their Taiwanese partners. With NCCU offering courses in more than 26 languages, most CLC students are able to find partners who speak their target language. Likewise, Taiwanese students benefit from frequent speaking practice and meaningful language use. Through this program, the CLC hopes to foster deeper cross-cultural interactions, build long-lasting international friendships, and shape the unique “NCCU spirit” of mutual understanding and growth.

To make language exchange more convenient, the CLC has also launched a “Language Exchange Wall.” With the consent of most participants, language exchange profiles are posted there during the application period, allowing incoming CLC students to easily find language partners after this December. NCCU students are also encouraged to design creative posters to introduce themselves and their language goals. Once approved and stamped by the CLC, these posters can be displayed on the wall or sent digitally to the center via email (mandarin@nccu.edu.tw).

Through the ongoing implementation of this program, the CLC aims to promote cultural diversity and inclusion on campus. By exploring similarities and differences between languages and cultures, students not only enhance their linguistic abilities but also learn to embrace diversity, respect differences, and grow together.