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法国人的新爱好：学中文

Not so long ago, Americans and Japanese tourists were the major spenders in France. During these summer months, France's tourism industry now is courting additional clients with major purchasing power: the Chinese. For some French, that means going back to the classroom to study Mandarin¹.

就在不久前，在法国大笔花钱的两大群体还是美国和日本游客。这种情景正在改变。今年暑期，法国旅游业正在讨好购买力旺盛的新主顾---中国人。法国人还开始返回课堂，学习中文。

Teacher Meifen Chen swears it is easy to learn Mandarin, the official language of the Chinese mainland. Maybe she is right, though it is daunting² to watch her jot³ down the characters on a flip⁴ chart.

陈美芬(译音)老师说，中文并不难学。也许她说的不错，不过，到她的班上一看，还是让人生畏。

One of her students is a journalist. Another is just curious about China. The third, business-owner Julie Antonello, travels frequently to China. She said she is studying Mandarin to make sure she strikes good deals.

她的一名学生是记者。另一名学生只是对中国感到好奇。第三名学生是经常去中国做生意的老板朱莉?安东内洛。她说，她学中文是为了保证能谈成好交易。

"But otherwise I just want to understand the culture. Because I go there really often," said Antonello. "Because I want to understand... to try to help myself, to take a taxi or coffee."

“除此之外，我还想了解文化，”她说，“因为我真的是常去中国。我想听懂语言，靠自己就能叫出租或者买咖啡。”

The French are not just doing business in China. Chinese business is coming to France. Today, about half-a-million Chinese visit France every year. Tour operators predict that number may reach two million or more by 2020.

不仅法国人到中国去做生意，中国的生意也到了法国。目前，每年有大约50万中国人访问法国。旅游业者预计，到2020年，中国访客人数每年可达两百万。

With incomes rising in China, middle-class Chinese can now afford to go abroad. English teacher Chester [his Western name] poses for pictures near the Louvre museum with a group of colleagues. He is enjoying Paris ... in a language he understands.

随着中国人收入的提高，中国的中产阶级也有能力到国外消费了。这组教师从中国来到巴黎旅游。一位起了个Chester的西方名字的英语教师说，他欣赏巴黎风光，而且没有语言障碍。

"We see some signs in Chinese everywhere. In shops, in restaurants. We went to some palaces and we saw Chinese everywhere, I'm afraid."

他说，“我们走到哪里都看到一些中文标记，酒店、商店、餐馆，到处都是。”

Chinese are not only flocking to cultural attractions, but also to French clothing and perfume stores. Even those on a budget, like university student Wang Yi.

原因之一是，中国游客热衷逛商场。即使不是挥金如土的游客，比如大学生王颐(译音)也喜欢购物。

"I am going to the Champs Elysee to have a look if there is anything I might be interested in. The makeup⁵, things for women," said Wang.

她说：“我要去爱丽舍大街看看有没有自己喜欢的东西。”

The Chinese are France's biggest foreign shoppers, accounting⁶ for one quarter of all duty-free business, according to shopping group Global Blue. Some major stores are responding by hiring Chinese-speaking staff. And last year, France's Le Figaro media group launched a luxury magazine targeting Chinese shoppers.

根据购物集团“环球蓝联”(Global Blue)的说法，中国人是法国最大的外国购物群体，占所有免税商品业务的四分之一。被中国人俗称“老佛爷百货商店”的名店Galeries Lafayette专门雇用了说中文的店员。

Interest in the Chinese language also is growing. Roughly 30,000 French school students now study Mandarin, making it more popular than Russian and Portuguese⁷. Some French business schools make learning Mandarin mandatory⁸.

Chinese also are snapping up French vineyards and expensive wines. At specialty⁹ wine store De Vinis Illustribus in Paris' Latin Quarter, owner Dominique Michelin showed off some of his rarest bottles. One young Chinese client recently bought one - priced at more than $10,000.

Michelin said that many Chinese buy expensive wines to give as presents, especially during the Chinese New Year. He said they buy the big French wines because they've heard they are luxury items.

Michelin hasn't learned Mandarin - he uses interpreters. But, he has learned something about Chinese customs.

He said Chinese will stay away from wine bottles dated 1968, because they believe that combination of numbers brings bad luck. But they will buy bottles from 1958… or 1978.

Other French want to delve¹⁰ more deeply into the Chinese culture by learning Mandarin. Roughly 30,000 French school students now study the language, making it more popular than Russian and Portuguese. Some French business schools make Mandarin classes mandatory.

法国人对中文的兴趣也与日俱增。目前有大约3万名法国在校生学习中文普通话，热度已超过了俄语和葡萄牙语。一些法国商校把中文普通话列为必修课。

Chen said the interest is immense because China is now a leading economic power. The French business and tourism industries realize learning Mandarin is vital. She said speaking the language also helps Westerners seal friendships more easily with Chinese.

“兴趣非常大。中国如今变得很开放了，是第二大经济体，”她说，“在这种背景下，学习中文变得至关重要了。在商业界，在旅游的时候，会说中文能让西方人更容易和中国人交朋友。”

Chen said her classes are not all hard work. She said every one of her students becomes passionate¹¹ about the Chinese language, without exception.

陈美芬说，她的课并不是那么难。她说，她的每一位学生都变成了如痴如醉的中文爱好者，没有一个是例外。