Research on Foreign Language Planning Oriented to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a general project led by Professor Chen Meihua and funded by the National Social Science Foundation of China (Approval No. 15BYY048）, was completed and rated as “Excellence”. Through dedicated efforts in the past five years, the research team, focusing on “field” and “field foreign language capability”, has proposed a unique perspective on the definition and development of field foreign language capability. Furthermore, it has attempted to construct the status, type, function and acquisition planning of foreign languages, based on large amounts of practical data collected at micro, medium and macro levels ever since BRI was put forward.
The research team conducted a set of investigations into the status quo of foreign language demand, service and planning in key industries related to BRI, collecting data on foreign language planning from enterprises, local governments, universities & schools and families. Based on these first-hand data, the project offers suggestions for the implementation of BRI, which serves as both theoretical basis and practical reference for relevant studies on foreign language planning in China and contributes to realizing the vision of BRI. As one of the first empirical investigations into foreign language planning, the project provides methodological experience in research design and methods for future studies. Findings and publications generated from the project are expected to offer implications for governments, enterprises, universities and high schools in their foreign language planning practice oriented to BRI, and to motivate relevant organizations to guide family foreign language planning adapted to BRI.
Reported by Gao Jian
Translated by Shi Dairong&Ma Xingcheng
