Is Shakespeare outdated for English majors? The question came up when more than 100 foreign language deans gathered in Beijing to discuss the training of practical linguistic talent.

The two-day forum, which ends on Saturday, convened at Beihang University. The deans are expected to reach a declaration for action arising from the gathering.

This is the eighth foreign-language deans' forum since 2005, held jointly by the Higher Education Press and its subsidiary magazine, Foreign Languages in China.

The forum is regarded as a platform to improve English teaching in China.

Zheng Zhiming , vice-president of Beihang University, said the goal of college English teaching is to improve students' cross-cultural interactions and communications.

"China is trying to improve its education quality. Consequently, enhancing students' English skill, as well as their understanding of foreign culture, is crucial for education reform," Zheng said.

Beihang University emphasizes cultural background teaching in its English classes, according to Zheng.

Similar reform at Peking University led to the establishment of a new major — Foreign Language and History — according to Lu Xiaodong, deputy director of the Office of Educational Administration of Peking University.

The major started recruitment during the spring semester. Students are required to take 70 credits in a specific foreign language and another 70 credits in history related to the region that uses the language.

"The special courses will give the students unique knowledge."

"When they graduate, they may not have as perfect pronunciation as those who spent four years studying the language, but in the long term, they will benefit from what they learned," Lu said.

"Is accuracy and perfection in language that important in language teaching, as we assumed before?" Lu said, leaving the question open for debate.

Huang Youyi , chief editor of the China International Publishing Group, said teachers could stop teaching literature such as Shakespeare in class.

"The China International Publishing Group, where I work, is not an English-teaching department, but an employer of English-major students. "

"So I asked our translation experts before I came here, what advice I could provide to college lecturers, as an employer of their students," Huang said.

"The experts thought about it for a while, and said maybe the teachers could stop teaching Shakespeare, because the students will never have a chance to use it."

Currently, almost all students who major in English have to study the work of William Shakespeare, as a measure to understand Western culture.

Qu Yingpu ，Deputy Editor-in-chief of China Daily, emphasized English specialists' understanding of modern society, domestically and abroad.

"For example, the character 卍 represents ‘luck' in Buddhism. But if it appears on the front page of China Daily, it is likely to antagonize some Western readers, because it is similar in shape to Nazi swastikas during World WarⅡ," Qu said.

China Daily is the leading English-language news organization in China since its founding in 1981.