Taipei Language Institute
Encyclopedia
The Taipei Language Institute (TLI; ) was founded in 1956 by a group of missionaries who wished to provide training in Mandarin Chinese for Taiwan-bound missionaries. Originally named Missionary Language Institute, its founders created the institute as a means of educating these foreigners in Mandarin and Taiwanese.
From the humble beginnings of the first TLI Institute which started with 30 students in Taipei, TLI has grown exponentially over the years to 16 centers across the globe - in Taiwan, China, Japan, the United States, and Canada. TLI has trained tens of thousands of students worldwide, and has instructed clients from a wide range of professions: diplomatic personnel, international businesspeople, engineers, journalists, missionaries, professors, authors, college students, and overseas Chinese
. TLI has prepared hundreds of variations of textbooks and materials covering dozens of different subject matter ranging in difficult level. Courses at TLI are mostly small-group classes of 2-6 students or private tutorials and rigorous audiolingual methods are employed. TLI has compiled many of its own materials, but beginning with the high-intermediate level, students are given the freedom to design their own curriculum based on current or anticipated job needs. It is also possible to study mainland Chinese material which uses simplified characters. The Taipei Language Institute also works in close partnership with the American Institute in Taiwan
at their Chinese language school in Yangmingshan
to provide full-time, advanced training in speaking and reading Mandarin Chinese for diplomatic personnel and employees who need to attain professional proficiency.
, Military Assistance Advisory Group
and Mutual Defense Headquarters. This relationship lasted 20 years, only ending when diplomatic relations between the Republic of China and the U.S. broke off in 1979.
1967: Dr. Marvin Ho, president of TLI, established the Department of Chinese Studies at the University of Delhi
in India
and designed its curriculum. A large number of Indian students enrolled and later became Chinese translators in all levels of Indian Government.
1971: By invitation of the Hong Kong
Christian Association, TLI established a Chinese Language Institute in Kowloon
, which consisted of the Mandarin Language Department and Cantonese
Language Department, for the training of foreign religious groups, businesspeople, diplomats, and locals.
1996: TLI expanded into mainland China
and Japan
.
2000: TLI established an American campus in San Jose, California
2009: TLI and Beijing Language and Culture University
(BLCU) signed an agreement on 28 April that grants TLI the exclusive right to conduct HSK
examinations in the Taiwan area.
History
As the demand for language instruction of foreigners increased, the institute soon found that it could no longer limit itself to training missionaries. In 1958, the school expanded its enterprise and took the name of Taipei Language Institute. It opened its doors to any foreigners aspiring to study Chinese and Chinese heritage in Taiwan.From the humble beginnings of the first TLI Institute which started with 30 students in Taipei, TLI has grown exponentially over the years to 16 centers across the globe - in Taiwan, China, Japan, the United States, and Canada. TLI has trained tens of thousands of students worldwide, and has instructed clients from a wide range of professions: diplomatic personnel, international businesspeople, engineers, journalists, missionaries, professors, authors, college students, and overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
. TLI has prepared hundreds of variations of textbooks and materials covering dozens of different subject matter ranging in difficult level. Courses at TLI are mostly small-group classes of 2-6 students or private tutorials and rigorous audiolingual methods are employed. TLI has compiled many of its own materials, but beginning with the high-intermediate level, students are given the freedom to design their own curriculum based on current or anticipated job needs. It is also possible to study mainland Chinese material which uses simplified characters. The Taipei Language Institute also works in close partnership with the American Institute in Taiwan
American Institute in Taiwan
The American Institute in Taiwan is a non-profit, public corporation established under the auspices of the United States government to serve its interests in Taiwan...
at their Chinese language school in Yangmingshan
Yangmingshan
One of the eight national parks in Taiwan, the Yangmingshan National Park is located between Taipei City and New Taipei City, Taiwan. The districts that house parts of the park grounds include Taipei's Beitou and Shilin Districts; and New Taipei's Wanli, Jinshan, and Sanzhi Districts. During the...
to provide full-time, advanced training in speaking and reading Mandarin Chinese for diplomatic personnel and employees who need to attain professional proficiency.
Timeline
1959: TLI signed a contract with the U.S. Department of State to train American diplomats in Taiwan, including the personnel of the American EmbassyFormer American Consulate in Taipei
The former American consulate in Taiwan is located in the Zhongshan District of Taipei City. The Consulate building began operations in 1925 and in 1926 a two story western style building was erected. The building is close to the overall style of the US South and Victorian...
, Military Assistance Advisory Group
Military Assistance Advisory Group
Military Assistance Advisory Group is a designation for American military advisers sent to assist in the training of conventional armed forces of Third World countries. Before and during the Vietnam War, there were three of these groups operating in Southeast Asia...
and Mutual Defense Headquarters. This relationship lasted 20 years, only ending when diplomatic relations between the Republic of China and the U.S. broke off in 1979.
1967: Dr. Marvin Ho, president of TLI, established the Department of Chinese Studies at the University of Delhi
University of Delhi
The University of Delhi is a central university situated in Delhi, India and is funded by Government of India. Established in 1922, it offers courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the Chancellor of the university...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and designed its curriculum. A large number of Indian students enrolled and later became Chinese translators in all levels of Indian Government.
1971: By invitation of the Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
Christian Association, TLI established a Chinese Language Institute in Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
, which consisted of the Mandarin Language Department and Cantonese
Cantonese
Cantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...
Language Department, for the training of foreign religious groups, businesspeople, diplomats, and locals.
1996: TLI expanded into mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
2000: TLI established an American campus in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
2009: TLI and Beijing Language and Culture University
Beijing Language and Culture University
Beijing Language and Culture University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beiyu , has the main aim of teaching the Chinese language and culture to foreign students. However, it also takes Chinese students specializing in foreign languages and other relevant subjects of humanities and social...
(BLCU) signed an agreement on 28 April that grants TLI the exclusive right to conduct HSK
HSK
HSK may refer to:*The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi , a standardized test of Mandarin Chinese*Horrendous Space Kablooie, a Calvin and Hobbes reference to the Big Bang, a figure skating club in Finland*Auxiliary cruiser or HSK, a German cruiser ship...
examinations in the Taiwan area.
Notable alumni
- J. Stapleton RoyJ. Stapleton RoyJ. Stapleton Roy was a senior United States diplomat specializing in Asian affairs. A fluent Chinese speaker, Roy spent much of his career in East Asia, where his assignments included Bangkok , Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing , Singapore, and Jakarta...
- American diplomat specializing in Asian affairs - John K. FairbankJohn K. FairbankJohn King Fairbank , was a prominent American academic and historian of China.-Education and early career:...
- American academic and founder of the Center for Asian Research at Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. - Charles W. Freeman, Jr.Charles W. Freeman, Jr.Charles W. Freeman, Jr. is an American diplomat, author, and writer. He has served for the State and Defense Departments in many different capacities in the past thirty years, with the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs calling his career "remarkably varied"...
- American Diplomat and Chair in China Studies at Center for Strategic and International StudiesCenter for Strategic and International StudiesThe Center for Strategic and International Studies is a bipartisan Washington, D.C., foreign policy think tank. The center was founded in 1962 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and Ambassador David Manker Abshire, originally as part of Georgetown University... - Ma Ying-JeouMa Ying-jeouMa Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
- President of the Republic of ChinaPresident of the Republic of ChinaThe President of the Republic of China is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China . The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, to govern all of China...
(Taiwanese Language Study) - Nicholas D. KristofNicholas D. KristofNicholas Donabet Kristof is an American journalist, author, op-ed columnist, and a winner of two Pulitzer Prizes. He has written an op-ed column for The New York Times since November 2001 and is known for bringing to light human rights abuses in Asia and Africa, such as human trafficking and the...
- American journalist, author, op-ed columnist, and a winner of two Pulitzer Prizes - Eunice S. ReddickEunice S. ReddickEunice S. Reddick is an American diplomat and incumbent U.S. ambassador to Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe.-Biography:Reddick graduated from Hunter College High School in New York City in 1969 and received a BA in history and literature from New York University and a Masters degree in...
- American diplomat - C. Martin WilburC. Martin WilburC. Martin Wilbur was the George Sansom Professor of Chinese History at Columbia University from 1947 to 1976.-Life:Born in Dayton, Ohio, Wilbur went at an early age with his parents to China, where they worked with the YMCA. He returned to Ohio for college, graduating from Oberlin College in 1931...
- Professor of Chinese History at Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the... - Christopher DoyleChristopher DoyleChristopher Doyle is a cinematographer. He has won the AFI Award for cinematography, the Cannes Technical Grand Prize, Golden Osella, the Golden Horse awards , and Hong Kong Film Award . Doyle is an affiliate of the Hong Kong Society of Cinematographers.-Biography:Doyle was born in Sydney,...
- Award winning CinematographerCinematographerA cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image... - Afaa M. WeaverAfaa M. WeaverAfaa Michael Weaver formerly known as Michael S. Weaver, is an American poet, short story writer and editor. He is author of numerous poetry collections and his honors include a Fulbright Scholarship and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and Pew Foundation...
- American Poet