编者按：2021年8月26日，《科技日报》刊发我校“三秦友谊奖”获得者、外教张克的署名文章《education breaks down barriers》。
张克在文中讲述了近年来他多次送教下乡，参与省“双百工程”文化教育帮扶活动的生动故事，他希望尽己所能，向贫困地区的孩子传授知识和技能，增强他们学习的信心，为他们带去梦想和力量。张克自2011年在西安翻译学院从事教学工作以来，在学校领导、师生的关心和帮助下，快速地融入学校成为西译大家庭的一员。在授课之余，他通过走街串巷、与当地居民打成一片，不断了解中国文化和地方风土人情，从而很快融入到当地人的生活中去。在西译工作的十余年间，张克从一个地地道道的德国人变成了越来越有“中国范儿”的西译人。
文章还介绍了现代教学设施对于学生们学习的有效帮助和现代科技对中国人生活方式的深刻影响。张克提到，西安翻译学院为在校师生提供了最先进的教学设施，如：智慧教室和各国文化体验中心，让学生在学习语言的同时，更多地了解到异国的文化传统和民俗风情，极大地提高了学生学习语言的积极性。张克还介绍了遥遥领先、世界第一的中国移动支付技术，它极大的提高了中国人的学习和工作效率，手持一部智能手机就可以走遍中国。尤其在新冠病毒肆虐期间，中国在中国共产党的领导下，相信科学、依靠科学、运用现代科技力量，科学防治，有效地控制了疫情。
现将报道原文转载如下。
education breaks down barriers
by dirk werner hartmann
my name is dirk werner hartmann (my chinese name is zhang ke). i come from germany. for the last ten years i have been working as a foreign teacher at xi'an fanyi university, mainly teaching oral german and english, as well as intercultural classes.
a story about poverty alleviation program
education in my eyes is the key to a better future, the key that opens the door to leave a poverty-stricken life behind. the leadership of my university has helped me progress in the field of education by letting me actively participate in the poverty alleviation program. this has led to an exchange of views on students' education between myself and hundreds of high school teachers. better results in the high school entrance examination, as well as prizes won by students in language contests, show the success of this exchange between a foreign expert and the local staff.
visiting schools in poor rural regions also showed me the difficulties so many students are still facing. i am very impressed by all the help the government, institutions, and teachers give to the students, aware that education is the only way to a better and secure future.
how technology transformed the way of teaching
when i took up my job in 2011, our classrooms were only equipped with traditional blackboards and chalk, but nowadays we work in digital classrooms equipped with state of the art multifunctional technology providing an ideal environment, especially for teaching foreign languages and cultures. the setup of cultural experience rooms creates a very motivating environment for learning and teaching, and offers more possibilities for extracurricular activities like cultural festivals.
in modern society, traditional books can no longer motivate students to learn, we need the help of smart technology to get their attention, after all motivation is the best teacher. furthermore, smart classroom technology allows us teachers to cater to the needs of different kinds of learners, including auditory learning, visual learning and kinaesthetic learning. in foreign language classes, the cultural differences usually get everybody's attention, and now with the help of technology it has become even more interesting and effective.
impact of modern technology on people's life in china
talking about living in china, i am always thrilled how readily people accept modern technology. take electronic payments for example--while in most parts of the western world people still stick to having cash in their wallets, in china electronic payments via the wechat app for online and in-store shopping is common place. i also like to use shopping apps like meituan, that allows people to buy fresh fruit and vegetables from home.
in times of the pandemic, you do not have to go to crowded markets to shop for daily necessities anymore, therefore our lives have become a bit safer. last but not least, the trust in modern science and technology under the leadership of the communist party of china has made china the first country to have the upper hand in keeping covid-19 under control.
how to become a local
in my student years, i thought for a long time that every chinese person speaks putonghua (mandarin). after coming to taiyigong, a county in chang'an district, shaanxi province, where my university is located, i was reminded again how naive i was. a vendor on the local market asked me in his dialect "where i came from" and corrected my answer deguo (germany in mandarin) to deigui (germany in shaanxi dialect). this taught me to better get acquainted with the local dialect, otherwise living in this rather small place would prove to be very difficult. and thus i learned to speak and understand more and more shaanxi dialect over the years. it enables me to make many friends and to dive deeper into the local society.
i believe that a vivid exchange between foreign experts and chinese teachers can contribute a lot to the development of the education system, in order to prepare the next generation for the future that lies ahead of them. china's reform and opening up policy in the 1980s has enabled me to come to china for my education, meanwhile the belt and road initiative will be the chance for future generations to go out into the world. therefore, foreign languages will become more and more important. in order to master a foreign language, you need to constantly update your knowledge. the best way to do this is working together with native speakers instead of sticking to what you once learned from books.
dirk werner hartmann is a foreign teacher at xi'an fanyi university. the views don't necessarily reflect those of the s&t daily.
mr. zhang ke is proudly showing his chinese souvenir. (provided by author)
