20260701 Институт Конфуций – София организира семинар по въпроси на междукултурното общуване при преподаването на китайски език

On July 1, the Confucius Institute in Sofia held an Intercultural Teaching Seminar in a hybrid format, combining both online and in-person participation. The seminar was attended by 21 participants, including Bulgarian Director Aksiniya Koleva, Chinese Director Chen Ying, the secretary of education, current teachers at the Institute, and newly appointed teachers. The seminar was chaired by Chinese Director Chen Ying.

The seminar aimed to enhance teachers’ awareness and competence in intercultural teaching by sharing practical teaching cases and exploring effective ways to integrate cultural learning into Chinese language instruction. Confucius Institute teacher Xiang Han presented a teaching case entitled “A Nod Doesn’t Always Mean ‘Yes’: Misinterpretation of Non-verbal Communication in Chinese Language Classrooms.” Drawing on authentic classroom experiences, the presentation highlighted the importance of non-verbal communication in international Chinese language education. It emphasized that teachers need not only linguistic expertise but also sensitivity to interpreting diverse communicative symbols and the ability to engage in intercultural reflection in order to overcome barriers to cross-cultural communication.

During the discussion session, Wang Ying shared her teaching practice in which students introduced traditional Bulgarian festivals in Chinese. The Chinese and Bulgarian directors further discussed cultural differences between the two countries, focusing on topics such as the translation of culture-specific expressions, concepts of time, customs and taboos, and the symbolic meanings of numbers. They stressed the vital role of intercultural competence in Chinese language teaching.

In her concluding remarks, Chinese Director Chen Ying expressed appreciation for the valuable suggestions put forward by the participants. She noted that the Institute would continue to organize diverse forms of teaching seminars, provide stronger support for collaborative lesson planning, and establish regular teaching observation activities to further improve instructional quality.

Teaching advances through collaboration, and research leads to continuous improvement. As the Confucius Institute in Sofia celebrates its 20th anniversary, this seminar marks a new starting point for further enhancing the quality of international Chinese language education at the Institute.

Contributed by: Confucius Institute in Sofia

Text and photos: Li Xinmei

Reviewed by: Chen Ying, Aksiniya Koleva, Ding Chen

English translation: Dima Pironkova