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Three years ago, when Discover China first appeared in Frankfurt Book Fair, people paid more attention to an alliance. Behind the large-scale audio-visual teaching material is the cooperation between FLTRP(Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press) and Macmillan Publishers Limited.
Three years later, when the second volume of Discover China appeared, it has covered Europe, Australia, Canada and other English-speaking countries. Increasing oversea sales volume constantly proved the saying that FLTRP cooperates with international publishers to publish high-standard Chinese language textbooks.
Content Differences: Aim at Foreign Learners and Follow Changes of Internet Era
“Just as after China’s reform and opening-up the domestic demand of learning English was strong, nowadays, “Chinese language fever” is getting increasingly hotter in international society.” An expert explained in that way. According to statistics, foreigners learning Chinese will reach 100 million in a few years.
Though huge market lies overseas, many Chinese teaching materials have no chance to reach there. According to president of China Institute of Press and Publication Hao Zhensheng, “Similar content was a big bottleneck limiting the publishing of Chinese teaching materials. Many textbooks did not learn about the foreign learners’ habit of acceptance and just choose content by their own imagination, which led to the similarity of textbooks.”
By contrast, Discover China, which was first published in September, 2009, realized a successful try. This textbook combines various media of paper book, audio and online materials and spreads Chinese culture in Chinese language teaching. Every character is designed carefully, even their ages were deliberated repeatedly. “Character design should accord with teaching content and target consumers in the market”, said Man Xingyuan, president of Chinese branch office of FLTRP.
Man Xingyuan noted that children from English speaking countries are different from Chinese children in habit, cultural background, etc. Discover China reflects such difference and corresponds to English students’ habit when learning a new language. He cited that youths living in the age of Internet do not introduce themselves like before, but demonstrate themselves in their Facebook pages, which are very lively.
Cooperation Channels: Change the Production mode and Join the International Institution
Man Xingyuan said that cooperation between team members was very important for a set of Chinese language teaching material to “go out”. From the process of investigation and research, FLTRP began to cooperate with Macmillan Publishers Limited and the two sides integrated as one team, which was never seen before. Changing the production mode is the biggest breakthrough of Discover China. Instead of direct cooperation between the press and the writer, it planned according to international process, from market survey, frame design, outline writing to finding appropriate writers. As far as Man Xingyuan is concerned, it is FLTRP’s research on Chinese teaching and Macmillan’s understanding of the international market that make Discover China successfully output overseas.
“This mode does not rely on copyright, but reflected the various advantages from the beginning by cooperating with international publishing company in common planning, investment, publishing and distribution, which accelerated the international development of the press.” Hao Zhensheng believed that Discover China shows the unique effect, whether in the strength, scale and efficiency of “copyright output overseas” or in the reward produced in the international society.
From another perspective, the attempt of Discover China is also a change of research and development mechanism of domestic textbooks. Man Xingyuan said, “FLTRP once introduced lots of international textbooks. Every textbook is the combination of research on English itself, psychology, education and other subjects. The function of the press is to build a platform to gather related experts in textbook design and research.”
Draw Lessons From the Core: Grasp International Market Demand and Keep a Foothold of Own Advantages
Hao Zhensheng attributed the influence of the textbook to the joint efforts: the government’s policy support, such as a series of planning about copyright output overseas formulated by GAPP; attempt made by enterprises themselves, such as a Chinese language branch office set up by FLTRP, targeting at international goal from publishing concept to the organization.
At present, some domestic Chinese teaching materials still adopt the mode of government procurement and free present. Under the trend of marketization, it obviously has a big gap between the mainstream mode of “copyright output overseas”. “As the press, ‘output of copyright overseas’ is not only exporting products, but controlling the complicated and uncertain international publishing market in an internationalized view.” In the cooperation with international publishing institutions like Mcmillan, Man Xingyuan experienced the gap and difference between Chinese press and international ones and he noted “maybe conflicts exist, we have to communicate and learn at the same time”.
Temptation of the market sometimes makes people blind. Hao Zhensheng thought that every press had its own advantage and should make full use of them instead of following others blindly. This is also the core of Chinese publishing industry of “going out”: while grasping international market demand, we should also consider resources and find the joint point of them, highlight the brand of “copyright output overseas” and increase the transmissibility of culture.
Three years later, when the second volume of Discover China appeared, it has covered Europe, Australia, Canada and other English-speaking countries. Increasing oversea sales volume constantly proved the saying that FLTRP cooperates with international publishers to publish high-standard Chinese language textbooks.
Content Differences: Aim at Foreign Learners and Follow Changes of Internet Era
“Just as after China’s reform and opening-up the domestic demand of learning English was strong, nowadays, “Chinese language fever” is getting increasingly hotter in international society.” An expert explained in that way. According to statistics, foreigners learning Chinese will reach 100 million in a few years.
Though huge market lies overseas, many Chinese teaching materials have no chance to reach there. According to president of China Institute of Press and Publication Hao Zhensheng, “Similar content was a big bottleneck limiting the publishing of Chinese teaching materials. Many textbooks did not learn about the foreign learners’ habit of acceptance and just choose content by their own imagination, which led to the similarity of textbooks.”
By contrast, Discover China, which was first published in September, 2009, realized a successful try. This textbook combines various media of paper book, audio and online materials and spreads Chinese culture in Chinese language teaching. Every character is designed carefully, even their ages were deliberated repeatedly. “Character design should accord with teaching content and target consumers in the market”, said Man Xingyuan, president of Chinese branch office of FLTRP.
Man Xingyuan noted that children from English speaking countries are different from Chinese children in habit, cultural background, etc. Discover China reflects such difference and corresponds to English students’ habit when learning a new language. He cited that youths living in the age of Internet do not introduce themselves like before, but demonstrate themselves in their Facebook pages, which are very lively.
Cooperation Channels: Change the Production mode and Join the International Institution
Man Xingyuan said that cooperation between team members was very important for a set of Chinese language teaching material to “go out”. From the process of investigation and research, FLTRP began to cooperate with Macmillan Publishers Limited and the two sides integrated as one team, which was never seen before. Changing the production mode is the biggest breakthrough of Discover China. Instead of direct cooperation between the press and the writer, it planned according to international process, from market survey, frame design, outline writing to finding appropriate writers. As far as Man Xingyuan is concerned, it is FLTRP’s research on Chinese teaching and Macmillan’s understanding of the international market that make Discover China successfully output overseas.
“This mode does not rely on copyright, but reflected the various advantages from the beginning by cooperating with international publishing company in common planning, investment, publishing and distribution, which accelerated the international development of the press.” Hao Zhensheng believed that Discover China shows the unique effect, whether in the strength, scale and efficiency of “copyright output overseas” or in the reward produced in the international society.
From another perspective, the attempt of Discover China is also a change of research and development mechanism of domestic textbooks. Man Xingyuan said, “FLTRP once introduced lots of international textbooks. Every textbook is the combination of research on English itself, psychology, education and other subjects. The function of the press is to build a platform to gather related experts in textbook design and research.”
Draw Lessons From the Core: Grasp International Market Demand and Keep a Foothold of Own Advantages
Hao Zhensheng attributed the influence of the textbook to the joint efforts: the government’s policy support, such as a series of planning about copyright output overseas formulated by GAPP; attempt made by enterprises themselves, such as a Chinese language branch office set up by FLTRP, targeting at international goal from publishing concept to the organization.
At present, some domestic Chinese teaching materials still adopt the mode of government procurement and free present. Under the trend of marketization, it obviously has a big gap between the mainstream mode of “copyright output overseas”. “As the press, ‘output of copyright overseas’ is not only exporting products, but controlling the complicated and uncertain international publishing market in an internationalized view.” In the cooperation with international publishing institutions like Mcmillan, Man Xingyuan experienced the gap and difference between Chinese press and international ones and he noted “maybe conflicts exist, we have to communicate and learn at the same time”.
Temptation of the market sometimes makes people blind. Hao Zhensheng thought that every press had its own advantage and should make full use of them instead of following others blindly. This is also the core of Chinese publishing industry of “going out”: while grasping international market demand, we should also consider resources and find the joint point of them, highlight the brand of “copyright output overseas” and increase the transmissibility of culture.