Dear Language Enthusiast,
Greetings from Transparent Language! Every so often we send out this free newsletter
with topics of interest to Chinese language enthusiasts. The first part, which you will
find below, is in English, but you can also practice your Chinese skills by reading the
text in Chinese characters or in Pinyin. We hope this helps you with your Chinese language
learning.
As we approach the year 2000, many questions arise around the issues of Y2K, as well as
cultural and religious responses to the new millennium. Here at Transparent Language, Inc.
we thought this would be a good opportunity for you to look at a contemporary topic and
how China is managing it. Included below is an article dedicated to interesting Y2K issues
in China such as who will NOT be affected by computer bugs and what maternity wards can
expect.
You will also find tips for using ChineseNow! appended to the articles.
Sincerely,
Transparent Language
www.transparent.com
In English:
What will the year 2000 bring to the world's most populous nation? Potential computer
difficulties are the main concern, as the structure of China's bureaucracy and its recent
moves toward modernization could cause problems. But a baby boom may also be on the
horizon.
Many Chinese are intensely conscious of omens and lucky dates, and reports indicate
that some made great efforts to conceive nine months before January 1. These efforts were
fueled by rumors that "Millennium Babies" would be eligible for prizes and
money. If those trying to conceive were successful, Chinese hospitals could experience
overcrowding come January.
What will be the computer situation in China when these babies arrive? Chinese
government reports on Y2K readiness are optimistic, but a January report by the U.S.
Embassy in Beijing indicates that problems remain. Chinese ministries do not always
cooperate, and some departments have not wanted to share information with the Ministry of
Information Industry, the group assigned overall responsibility for coordinating Y2K
fixes. In addition, China's decentralized structure means that national directives are not
always implemented at the local level.
China's hardware and software also pose special problems. The hardware, purchased from
all over the world, is often poorly documented. Since much of the software in China is
pirated (some estimates are as high as 90%), the Chinese lack access to fixes made by
software companies for licensed users.
However, many Americans would be surprised at how little potential Y2K crises will
affect much of China. Since more than 100 million Chinese live without electricity, power
grid disruptions will not change their lives. Many industries depend less on computers
than their American counterparts. Multinational financial groups use computers
extensively, but many Chinese banks do not. The abacus, in use in China for 2,500 years,
is naturally Y2K compliant!
Sources:
Report of the United States Embassy in Beijing
Chinese Government Reports
The Irish Times
Tips for ChineseNow!
The following are some hints to help maximize your use of ChineseNow!
Don't miss the Grammar information in the Grammar Window in the lower right-hand corner of
the screen! This window tells you the part of speech of the selected word in the Title,
along with other information.
LanguageNow! also includes a special Grammar Basics file to help you focus on grammar. To
open it, choose 'Reference / Grammar Basics' to see the first page of Grammar Basics, or
select a word in the Title, click the 'Word Tools' button, and select a grammar topic
which applies to that word to go directly to the appropriate topic.
