Kyle Rothstein

(Languages of this post: Interlingua, English)

Kyle Rothstein, un juvene american de dece e septe annos, es muy popular in Shanghai proque ille parla chinese quasi como un nativo.

Su patre, Jay Rothstein, sapeva que China devenirea de plus in plus importante in le economia mundial contemporanee, e ille inscribeva Kyle in un schola anglese-mandarin in San Francisco, California, quando ille habeva cinque annos.

"Io sapeva que iste decision non esserea facile," diceva su patre. Kyle sovente plorava dicente, 'Io non es chinese. Proque debe io apprender le chinese?'"

Ma tosto le beneficios deveniva obvie. Al etate de dece duo annos, Kyle habeva socialisate con duo presidentes american e con un grande numero de celebritates e functionarios chinese, e ille anque habeva apparite in quatro programmas de television chinese.

Nunc, al etate de dece septe annos, Kyle vive in Shanghai e es le actor principal in un film, "Le lacte e le moda," sur un juvene americano qui vive in China. Su patre es le productor del film.

Un numero de americanos de plus in plus grande nunc crede que le chinese es le lingua del futuro. In le anno 2000 (duo mille) 5.000 (cinque mille) americanos in nostre scholas primari e secondari studiava le chinese. Hodie le numero es circa 50.000 (cinquanta mille).

Le patre de Kyle, qui non poteva practicar le chinese con su filio proque ille non parlava le lingua, portava su filio al sitos touristic de San Francisco in cerca de viagiantes chinese. Al trovar les, ille presentava Kyle a illes, dicente, "Io ha tovate iste juvene in le strata. Ille parla solmente Chinese. Esque vos pote parlar con ille? Esque vos pote verificar lo que ille vole mangiar? Esque vos pote portar le a China?"

Le reaction generalmente esseva "Que? Como? Stupende!" Tosto Kyle deveniva un ambassator unofficial de San Francisco al touristas chinese qui veniva al citate, e in 1998 (mille nove centos noventa e octo) Kyle e su patre formava parte del delegation official qui accompaniava le Presidente Clinton in un viage a China.

Le major parte del amicos de Kyle in China es expatriotas proque le differentias cultural inter le juvenes chinese e american, ille ha trovate, presenta barrieras cultural vermente grandissime, e ille non ha potite trovar amicos vermente bon inter su contemporaneos chinese.

Ma Kyle es multo popular inter su professores. "Ille es le prime studente american de schola secundari que nos ha potite inscriber in un classe de chinese pro nativos," diceva Sally Zhang del schola secondari Jin Cal. "Le major parte de nostre studentes crede que apprender le anglese es importante, e le presentia de un studente american qui parla multo ben le chinese es un fonte de inspiration pro omne illes."

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Kyle Rothstein, a seventeen-year-old American teenager, is very popular in Shanghai because he speaks Chinese almost like a native.

His father, Jay Rothstein, knew that China would become more and more important in the present-day world economy, and he enrolled Kyle in an English-Mandarin school in San Francisco when he was five years old.

"I knew that this decision would not be easy," his father said. Kyle often cried, saying, 'I'm not Chinese. Why do I have to learn Chinese?'"

But soon the benefits became obvious. At the age of twelve, Kyle had socialized with two American presidents and with a large number of Chinese officials and celebrities, and he also had appeared in four Chinese television programs.

Now, at the age of seventeen, Kyle lives in Shanghai and is the lead actor in a film, "Milk and Fashion," about a young American living in China. His father is the producer of the film.

A growing number of Americans now believe that Chinese is the language of the future. In the year 2000 (two thousand) 5,000 (five thousand) Americans in our primary and secondary schools studied Chinese. Today the number is around 50,000 (fifty thousand).

Kyle's father, who could not practice Chinese with his son because he doesn't speak the language, took his son to the tourist sites of San Francisco in search of Chinese travelers. On finding them, he introduced Kyle to them saying, "I have found this kid on the street. He speaks only Chinese. Can you talk with him? Can you find out what he likes to eat? Can you take him to China?"

The reaction generally was "What? How's that? Wow!" Soon Kyle became an unofficial ambassador from San Francisco to the Chinese tourists who came to the city, and in 1998 (nineteen ninety-eight) Kyle and his father were part of the official delegation that accompanied President Clinton on a trip to China.

Most of Kyle’s friends in China are expatriates because the cultural differences between Chinese and American teenagers, he has found, present really huge cultural barriers, and he has not been able to find some really good friends among his Chinese contemporaries.

But Kyle is very popular among his teachers. "He is the first American high-school student that we have been able to enroll in a Chinese class for natives," said Sally Zhang of the Jin Cal High School. "Most of our students think that learning English is important, and the presence of an American student who speaks Chinese very well is a source of inspiration for all of them."