Language link offers possibilities in China

YOUR report that China is taking up Irish in one of its Beijing universities (February 9) is very encouraging linguistic and economic news for this country.

It opens up a vista of Irish speakers using technology to bring the language to Chinese enthusiasts on a very large scale. Skype, the telephone online system, for instance, is currently used daily by 16 million people and the number is growing.

As a frequent skype user I know it can be used easily for audio, visual and texting purposes simultaneously. It can also be used in a way that content on screen can be viewed by all parties.