Things I've Learned, with professor of Chinese Liman Lievens

A world traveler and Excellence in Teaching Award nominee, versed in six languages, Professor Liman Lievens settled at Hopkins to follow in her father's footsteps: to teach Mandarin Chinese.The News-Letter spoke with Lievens about her travel experiences, her family life and her experience transitioning from Chinese to American culture.

News-Letter: Where were you born and where did you grow up?Liman Lievens: I grew up in Taiwan, but my parents were from Beijing. They went to Taiwan and then couldn't go back because the civil war broke out. My father was originally assigned there to train Chinese language teachers because, under 15 years of Japanese occupation, most Chinese didn't speak Chinese anymore. Most people spoke Japanese, so they needed Chinese teachers. My father came out of the Sino-Japanese War, and instead of being sent home, he was sent to Taiwan. They said it was only for two years, but it turned out to be 40 years, because the civil war broke and he couldn't go back any more.

N-L: What was your family life like there? Did you grow up with any brothers or sisters?LL: I have two brothers, one sister, but now I don't have any family in Taiwan. In my own family now I have two sons and my husband. My husband used to work in foreign affairs for Belgium. He was a diplomat. We have traveled to many different places. So my sons were educated in many different places. They are very good at languages.

N-L: Where did you travel?LL: Wherever my husband was stationed. We have been to China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and around Europe. My oldest son repeated first grade three times: The first time was in Chinese, the second times was in Dutch and the third time was in French. When they reached university age, we decided to send them here for undergraduate and then they stayed here. When my husband was assigned back to Belgium - he was going to retire - we decided to come here and join our children. When we were stationed in Asia and the other countries, every summer I'd come here to teach one Chinese language course at SAIS. Then they asked me, "There's a position here at Homewood. Would you consider teaching here?" I said, "Of course," and that's how we ended up moving here.

N-L: How did you first become interested in your field of study?LL: Like they say, it's a family business. I started as an undergraduate as a sort of intern, and I liked it so I stayed in that position. Also, my husband was in my class.

N-L: Is that how you met your husband? He was a student in your class?LL: Yes, he was one of the better students of mine. He speaks very fluently.

N-L: You were stationed in many different countries with your husband before you came to Hopkins. Did you continue to teach before you came here?LL: I tried to teach wherever he was stationed. At one time I was teaching at the National University in Singapore. They have a foreign language center, so many students came from all over the world, many through study abroad programs. That was fun. Now with globalization, it means learning languages is important. I hope our students can know the language and also the culture that exists as well, that's the first step for globalization. We want our people here in the States to understand other people. Through this understanding, we build respect.

N-L: Did you pick up any other languages as you traveled?LL: I speak French, Dutch and three different dialects of Chinese.

N-L: Every year, Chinese international influence grows. How have you seen this new focus on China affect the Chinese language program here at Hopkins?LL: Well, when I came on board 12 or 13 years ago, we had almost 50 students. We were always worried, asking, is this enough to fill three sections? Now we have over 200 students in Chinese language, and I'm sure it will grow.

N-L: Do you foresee any changes in the program in the future?LL: I hope. We have to improve so we can accommodate the great amount of students. Times are changing. We hope we can create more courses focusing on current issues. I would continue to teach Chinese language courses - that's want I'm good at.

N-L: Certainly understanding other cultures is very important. What aspect of American culture did you have the most difficulty adapting to?LL: Americans are the nicest people here on Earth! You can put it in the interview. American people are really nice, it is a great nation, really, and it's sad to see that some people don't realize it and think this way, but it's true. My family has been traveling around many places. American people are open-minded, in general, compared with people in other countries. And they are not arrogant. Here they do not talk about tolerating people, they talk about respect. Here people are really nice.

N-L: What advice would you give students considering studying abroad in China, in terms of adapting to Chinese culture?LL: Chinese are nice too; they like foreigners. If you have a basic, solid foundation of Chinese language, then you should be all right over there. Before you go, learn some Chinese here! I can put propaganda in this interview as well and advertise our program!

N-L: Your family here in the U.S., do they live in Baltimore?LL: No, one of my sons is in New York, one is in Philadelphia. They are both doing computer business. We see each other a lot, which is nice. In fact, during spring break, I went to see them.

N-L: Do you enjoy teaching at the same school as your husband?LL: Yes, yes. But these days it's a little tense because we are both nominated for the Excellence in Teaching Award. I received that award in the year 2000, and this year we are both nominated, so we will see.

N-L: And what happens if one of you wins?LL: Oh, we will be happy of course. It's not a competition.

N-L: What special advice would you like to give to the 200-plus students enrolled in Chinese or to any student considering studying Chinese in the future?LL: As complicated as the Chinese language is, what I can show you is only the tip of the iceberg. My mission here is to inspire my students and make them interested in this culture and this language, because language learning is a life-long process. I hope all of my students will continue learning and studying Chinese.

N-L: Are you currently doing any research or any other interesting academic work?LL: I just took several courses in teaching Chinese as a second language, and I am writing a paper about it: "Learning Chinese as Second Language in the States." The paper will be written in Chinese.