Taiwanese Mandarin Teaching Enters Google Headquarters, Tech Companies Compete for Cooperation

Google engineer Nick, who studied in Taiwan more than 20 years ago and met his wife there, told Central News Agency in fluent Mandarin that this class is held within the campus, and learning with a group of foreigners with similar backgrounds and interests is a new experience that feels more effective, allowing them to discuss how new technologies can aid learning. The Overseas Community Affairs Council, in cooperation with the Taiwan Center in Northern California, started offering Mandarin classes at the Google campus in May 2024, marking the first time Mandarin teaching has entered a Silicon Valley tech company. This successful model has also led Apple and Acer to express interest in cooperation. Nick told reporters that a major reason for joining the course is related to his future life plans. He hopes to live in Taiwan for half the year after retirement, stating, "If I want to integrate and contribute to the local society, I must speak the local language." Nick said he had learned some Chinese, but after returning to the United States, daily communication was almost entirely in English, with few opportunities to use Chinese. This course design emphasizes practical application, from grocery shopping to workplace communication, making the language useful. Instructor Tsai Hsin-ling observed that although the students are all tech company engineers, they come from different ethnic backgrounds. In class, besides comparing differences in language expression between Taiwan and the United States, they often share their respective cultures, sparking different ideas. As word-of-mouth spreads, the number of students has steadily grown. Chuang Ya-shu, director of the Culture Center of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco, stated that the course started with about 50 students in the first session and has consistently maintained over 60 students after the fifth session, with engineers even actively requesting additional classes. In response to the enthusiastic demand from students, the Taiwan Huayu Learning Center also organized "Taiwanese Culture Experience Camps" during breaks between sessions, focusing on topics such as Taiwanese night market food, travel, religious and festive culture, and ordering dialogue practice, to delve into local life. Chuang Ya-shu stated that in addition to Mandarin, Taiwanese language courses are also being planned; many second-generation Taiwanese engineers in Silicon Valley have expressed a strong desire to learn their "mother tongue" or "grandparents' language," hoping to connect with family emotions and cultural roots through Taiwanese.