A Study On Intercultural Adaptive Problems And Countermeasures Of Chinese Volunteer Teachers

With the rapid development of Chinese economy and the increasing effect around the world, the influence of Chinese and Chinese culture attracts worldwide attention. This may result in the need for Chinese teacher around the world. In order to adapt this situation, Hanban/Confucius Institute Headquarters launches a Chinese language teacher volunteer program. Many Chinese volunteers are posted to different countries for Chinese language teaching and culture spreading every year. While teaching Chinese abroad, Chinese volunteer teachers have to experience process of cross-cultural adaptation. In recent years there has been cross-acculturation study of Chinese volunteer teachers, but it concentrated on volunteers who go to the South-East Asian countries. Chinese volunteer teachers who go to European cities need further study. Therefore, I choose to focus on Hungary volunteer teachers of Eotvos Lorand University Confucius Institute for the study, based on the results of questionnaires and interviews, and discuss the cross-cultural adaption during their staying.This article consists of five parts. The first part is preface, which introduces the reason why launch this study, the background, the significance and the review of the cross-cultural theory. The second part mainly introduces the objects and the methods of the study, and analyze the basic personal information of the objects at the end.The third part shows the result of the study. It shows volunteers at the Confucius Institute of Eotvos Lorand University have a better performance in psychology and social life but poor adaption of working and local language learning. From the cross-cultural adaptation phase, Chinese volunteer teachers working at Eotvos Lorand University Confucius Institute have problems in terms of social life in their early time in Hungary. While in their middle stage, there are more problems from language and working adaptation. In their later stage, it tends to appearance more difficulties negative emotions in psychological adaption. For the adaption of social life, poor daily life communication is a major problem for volunteers. Depression, homesickness, loneliness, anxiety and irritability are the behaviors of psychological adaptation. Difficulty of Hungarian and the less popularity of English are two main reasons why volunteers behave poor adaption in language. Volunteers also have problem of working because of teaching instruments and management of class.Based on the conclusions above and author’s own experience, the fourth part provides some advice of improving cross-cultural adaptation for volunteers:First, focusing on local language learning, forming awareness of communication and reducing the psychological expectation. Second, courses of local language should be provided for volunteers. Finally, more details, such as teaching schedule and location, should be informed early for volunteers. which is useful for official to select and train volunteers. It helps volunteer to have a better performance in Hungary.The last part is the conclusion, mainly summarize the article, also pointing out what could be done better in the article.