TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) sparked online discussion after he encouraged a child to learn Taiwanese during an exchange outside a Taipei restaurant, FTV News reported Friday.
CTEE reported that Huang hosted a dinner for Taiwan supply chain partners on May 28. During the meal, he stepped outside to give boxed meals and drinks to people and reporters waiting near the restaurant.
While greeting the crowd, Huang accepted an ice pop from someone and began eating it. He then spoke with a child nearby and said in Taiwanese that the ice pop was tasty, but the child did not understand him.
An adult helped translate the phrase into Mandarin. Huang looked surprised and asked the child in Taiwanese whether he could speak the language.
Adults nearby told Huang the child could speak English and encouraged the child to talk to him in English. Huang continued to ask the child in Taiwanese whether he could speak Taiwanese and English.
After learning the child could speak basic English but did not understand Taiwanese, Huang told him, “You need to learn Taiwanese.” The short exchange drew wide attention online because many viewers saw it as a reminder of the value of mother tongues.
Economist Wu Chia-lung (吳嘉隆) said Huang had given Taiwan a lesson beyond artificial intelligence. Wu said learning a foreign language should not come at the cost of learning a home or local language.
Wu shared his own experience from his time in the US. He said he once met a woman from Kaohsiung who spoke Mandarin with her son, while her Cuban American husband spoke Spanish with the child.
Wu said he was surprised at first because the parents did not speak English with their son at home. The mother later explained that the child would naturally use English at school, with friends, while watching television, and in public life.
She told Wu that if the child did not use his parents’ languages at home, he would lose the chance to grow up speaking more than one language. Wu said the conversation helped him understand that speaking a home language can be a strength, not a problem.
Wu said Americans often value bilingual ability more than perfect English. He said Huang’s message showed that English is useful, but a mother tongue is also part of a person’s roots.
Wu added that Taiwan is playing a larger role in the world and needs people with strong English ability and an international outlook. However, he said Taiwanese people should also value local languages because Taiwan is a meeting point of many cultures.
He said Taiwan’s diversity and flexibility are also part of its industrial strength. Wu added that Taiwan could one day impress foreign visitors with people who can speak Mandarin, Taiwanese, English, and other languages well.
