Rania Katavouta, a doctoral candidate of modern Greek literature at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, will be awarded a Silver Magnolia Award from the Chinese city of Shanghai for her work teaching Greek to Chinese students.
The Magnolia Awards are bestowed on foreigners working in Shanghai, who contribute to the development of the city and to enhancing relations between China and their country of origin.
In the framework of the Scientific Co-operation Agreement signed between the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Shanghai International Studies University in 2013, Katavouta moved to Shanghai in September 2014 to teach Greek language and literature at the Department of Greek Studies of the University of International Studies in Shanghai.
“Teaching Greek to Chinese students, who are interested in Greek culture and know alot about ancient history and mythology, was an interesting challenge,” Katavouta noted in an interview with the Athens Macedonian News Agency.
“Even though Greek is not their first choice,” she clarified , ” they show determination and they manage and overcome the linguistic differences and difficulties.”
As for what makes it difficult for Chinese students to learn Greek, Katavouta explained the main problems concerned pronunciation and sounds in the Greek language that don’t exist in Chinese.
Katavouta was nominated as a candidate for the award by the Shanghai University of International Studies. “The criterion for my candidacy,” she stressed, “was my teaching as well as the organisation and participation in a series of events related to Greek and Chinese culture.”
She will receive her award on September 6, during a ceremony to take place in Shanghai.
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Source: ANA-MPA
