Foreign Languages in the Contacts of China with the Outside World

In modern China, any language problems — both inside the country or in contacts with the outside world in the process of implementing the so-called “discursive force” — are solved with the help of the latest technologies. The need to intensively apply these technologies and in particular the GenAI in the language sphere is discussed in a special document recently published by the Ministry of Education, the State Language Commission, as well as the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission. In the same document, there is used a new term “digital Chinese”. Artificial intelligence has significantly transformed communication in a globalized world. Native speakers of different languages are able to communicate verbally or translate texts without resorting to the services of translators. Nevertheless, despite the widespread use of the latest technologies in various fields, it is known that modern translation systems can make serious mistakes, and the knowledge of foreign languages both by the high-level translators and, to a certain extent, by the residents as a whole is still in demand in different countries. In China’s official and unofficial contacts, English remains the main means of communication, though other languages are also used at different levels, in particular, in the light of the “Community with a Shared Future for Mankind” concept and the “One Belt and One Road” initiative. As for the Russian language, it is in demand in China’s contacts not only with Russia, but also with the post-Soviet countries of Central Asia, where it still serves as a means of interethnic communication.

China, “discursive force”, translation, information technology, Gen AI, foreign languages, English language, Russian language, Central Asia