華語文教育轉型為以知識與技能為產品元素的服務產業：一個新典範的探討

TCSL as a Service Industry with Knowledge and Skill as Core Elements of Its Product: A Paradigm Shift

近年來，我國政府將高等教育定位為一種產業，並從經濟發展和國際影響力的角度倡議及推動高等教育產業輸出。華語文教育做為高等教育的一環，加上華語文的需求隨著中國經濟崛起而與日遽增，華語文教育產業輸出也順勢成為政府施政的重點。但是，在推動華語文教育產業輸出的過程中，我們注意到華語文教育做為一個產業這樣的概念其實尚未被普遍理解與接受，這個核心的問題會影響整個政策執行的成敗。本文剖析此問題的來源，並以服務科學的理論觀點對華語文教育中的幾個重要概念重新定義與詮釋。依此定義的華語文教育呈現一個有別於傳統的面貌，也意味著相當不同的做法。我們認為華語文教育要成為有國際競爭力的產業向外輸出的話，必須有類似本文所揭櫫的新思維與新做法，而此新思維還必須經由廣泛的討論與實踐，讓各領域的人能普遍理解與接受，才能讓大家看得見這個新產業發展的曙光。我們建議國際華語文教育產業的規劃與推動可以考慮移轉到經濟部或國家發展委員會，以符合其產業的新屬性。學術界可以在科技部的引導下，投入理論面的研究，並舉辦一系列的研討會，邀請跨領域、跨部門的產官學人士，共同討論及訂定華語文教育產業的新框架。

In recent years, higher education has been reconceptualized as an industry by the Taiwan Government, with a strategic plan to export it as a way of furthering the nation’s economy and its international influence. Teaching Chinese as a Second Language (TCSL), by being part of higher education along with the increasing demand of learning Chinese by foreigners due to the booming economy of China, has also made to the export list. Despite the policy effort, the mission of exporting TCSL has met with doubts, hesitations, and indifferences. This is because the concept of TCSL as an industry still escapes many people, scholars and government officials alike. In this article, we reconceptualize TCSL under the theoretical context of service sciences, discussing what the traditional conceptual elements like teacher, students, courses, learning, examinations, etc. mean in this new context. The new concepts redefine TCSL as a field of the service industry. In order for this industry to spread, grow and prosper, the concepts need to be introduced, contested, actualized, and popularized. The new TCSL also requires that it be promoted by the Ministry of Economy and National Development Council, instead of the Ministry of Education, owing to its new identity as an industry rather than mere education. Finally, the Ministry of Science and Technology can join the effort of making the new TCSL a reality by funding research to build a strong theoretical foundation for the enterprise.