Smooth as Silk
cctv.com 12-31-2004 14:46
As an experienced English teacher in Beijing, I learn a tremendous amount from my students. But I was shocked recently when I was informed that Yang Rui, the host of CCTV-9鈥檚 鈥淒ialogue,鈥 he lived in china his whole life. I know how difficult the English language can be. There are countless grammatical exceptions and thousands of rules that are inharmonious. So when I try to help people perfect their English here in Beijing, it鈥檚 usually hard. I鈥檓 very familiar with the types of grammatical mistakes and pronunciation difficulties Chinese usually have when try to master English. I naturally assumed Yang was just a little too fluent to have learned English in a Chinese school or in special programs. I had long believed Yang had spent the majority of his life abroad. On the one hand, he has a slight accent and an inexact verbal rhythm. On the other hand, his worldly demeanor trumps any shortcomings in his handling the myriad subtle nuances of fluency.
Moreover, he doesn鈥檛 just speak perfectly; he has somehow managed to implement the English-speaking world鈥檚 most modern and up-to-the-minute sayings. Aspects of spoken English change rapidly, so it is impressive that someone living in China could be aware of such saying as 鈥済ive the green light,鈥 鈥渢he cat鈥檚 out of the bag,鈥 鈥渞oadmap鈥 and 鈥渨histleblower.鈥 To interject them seamlessly and casually into a conversation is not only impressive, but it shows a level of cultural familiarity that makes international dialogue so much easier.
The caliber of the show requires nothing less than perfect English, and Yang Rui meets the challenge impressively. 鈥淒ialogue鈥 is a daily program on CCTV-9, which features foreign and Chinese experts who discuss any and all issues in the world and in China. The guests have ranged from Prof. Pan, an authority on things that happen in the world, to former UN Secretary General Boutras Ghai.
In fact, Yang Rui鈥檚 ability to communicate goes far beyond vocabulary and grammar. He has peered into the western mind, if you will. This is clear because of the way he so unassumingly and gently prods even his foreign guests without offending them. This is deeply impressive. I try so hard to understand the complexities of Chinese culture. I can barely go to Sanlitun without transgressing some invisible code of etiquette, while Yang Rui can politely, though resolutely, reveal the correct views without offending his guests in the least.
I constantly have to remind myself that Chinese culture is at least 10 times older than my own, probably more, and that social intricacies are correspondingly all the more complex. This doesn鈥檛 make Yang鈥檚 feat any less impressive, rather it justifies my stopping to wheeze in my struggle to climb the mountain he so boldly descended.
But think about how important language is for journalists and how difficult it would be to debate in a foreign tongue. Make one unintentional mistake and an important guest might be offended or annoyed. Yet Yang Rui is a Chinese that can say 鈥渘o鈥 and is not daunted by the credentials or opinions of the foreign experts on his show.
As Yang so mildly puts it, 鈥淐CTV-9 functions in some respects to help polish China鈥檚 image鈥ecause in 鈥榝oreign鈥 reporting on China, foreign correspondents tend to dwell on the negative points. What we want to present is a mature outlook.鈥
Maturity and confidence must indeed be the criteria for mastering a guest鈥檚 language to explain to them the reality of your homeland. He prudently teases out the complexity of our globalized world-and all in perfect English. I imagine that some foreign experts come on his show expecting to spend their time criticizing China. Used to journalists like Tim Russert lobbing softballs at President Bush, these foreign experts, whatever kind of expert they are, probably have ulterior motives to portray their home country in a positive light; which is why it鈥檚 so amazing that Yang can turn the tables so politely and so gently that the experts finally realize their misunderstandings about China. He deserves our gratitude for this.
Yang鈥檚 dedication to cross-culture understanding is so profound that sometimes even the so-called experts aren鈥檛 sufficiently astute to understand the connections Yang makes between Chinese and Western social concerns, no doubt hoping to criticize China on a globally prominent news program, have been at a loss when Yang skillfully, yet politely, pointed out their hypocrisy. Foreigners who have not attempted Yang鈥檚 journey should be ashamed of uninformed criticisms of this mystical and ancient land.
At first, my students and I were both intimidated by Yang鈥檚 culture knowhow. But I realized that, as he spent years mastering English and Western culture and history, we too can realize his successes. No doubt his passion for high-quality journalism and for understanding the true situation in the world were his guiding principle.
By Oliver Melton
(Origin: Vol.47 No.32 AUG.12, 2004 Beijing Review)
Editor:Xiang Source:CCTV.com
