Fremont City Government Starts Providing Free Mandarin Training Course for Employees
With the assistance of the Taiwan Overseas Compatriot Education Center and the Taiwan Representative Office in San Francisco, the Fremont City government has initiated free Mandarin training courses for its municipal employees starting last Thursday, September 19th. This program is a collaboration between the Taiwan government and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), marking the first Mandarin training initiative offered by Taiwan to a local government in Northern California.
Last Thursday evening, the course kicked off with an opening ceremony at the Loving Air Chinese School in Fremont. The ceremony was presided over by Fremont City Councilmember Shao Yang, attended by Deputy Director Zhu Yongchang from the Taiwan Representative Office in San Francisco, Director Zhuang Yashu from the Taiwan Overseas Compatriot Education Center in the Bay Area, Fremont City Councilmember Huang Jieyi, City Administrator Karena McGee Shackelford, and Library Manager Chien-Chun Chang.
The Taiwan government and AIT began their collaboration in June 2021 to launch the Taiwan-US Education Initiative. Under this initiative, the Overseas Community Affairs Council of the Republic of China has been promoting the establishment of “Taiwan Centers for Mandarin Learning” (TCML) in the United States.
The center aims to assist overseas Chinese schools by establishing dedicated learning centers to teach and promote adult Mandarin education with a Taiwan focus. The Mandarin training program provided to municipal employees in Fremont by the Loving Air Chinese School is being implemented as part of this initiative.
City Administrator Shackelford expressed her gratitude at the opening ceremony on Thursday to the Taiwan government, TCML, and Loving Air Chinese School for organizing the “TCML City Government Special Class” for Fremont city government employees. She noted that this innovative Mandarin learning program designed specifically for municipal employees will enable them to flexibly apply language skills in their work to better serve the city residents.
Deputy Director Zhu Yongchang remarked during the opening ceremony that in Fremont, where the majority of residents are of Chinese descent, TCML and the Loving Air Chinese School have customized professional teaching materials to meet the practical needs of the city government departments. He emphasized that the courses not only enhance students’ language abilities but also help build trust and good relationships with the Asian community.
Director Zhuang Yashu mentioned that following the Taiwan-US Education Initiative, the Overseas Community Affairs Council has established 84 TCML centers globally, including 8 in Northern California and 1 in Fremont. She expressed great pleasure in facilitating the collaboration between TCML and the Fremont city government to tailor this high-quality Mandarin learning program specifically for municipal employees, providing them with an opportunity to experience Taiwanese culture.
Mark Hungerford, who works in the City Planning Department in Fremont, was one of the first students to enroll in the Fremont “TCML City Government Special Class.” He learned about the course through emails sent by the city government to various departments. Given the sizable Chinese population in Fremont, the skills he gains from this class will enhance his ability to serve Mandarin-speaking residents and customers. He excitedly shared that his wife is Taiwanese, and their children are bilingual, prompting him to enroll in the course upon learning about it.
Israel Comonfort, responsible for community management in the Community Development Department in Fremont, also learned about the course through emails sent by the city government to employees. Having studied Chinese for several years in high school, he has always been interested in the language. He believes the course will further enhance his Mandarin proficiency and improve his job performance.
According to Director Zhuang Yashu, the Overseas Community Affairs Council, through the TCML program, offers diverse Taiwan cultural exploration activities to overseas Chinese communities, allowing them to discover the beauty of Taiwan’s culture. This year, four Taiwan cultural exploration events have been held in Northern California TCML centers, including discussions on “Qing Ming and Cold Food Festival Culture” in April, “Dragon Boat Festival Food and Culture” in May, “Traditional Taiwanese Cuisine and Children’s Games Culture Exploration” in July, and “Mid-Autumn Festival Food and Culture Celebration” in September.
She noted that these cultural exploration activities not only allow TCML students and families to experience traditional culture but also enhance the joy of learning Mandarin for students and deepen awareness and understanding of high-quality Taiwanese culture among mainstream American school teachers and students.