Hector Pinto

How are you? I’m great. How are your parents?

Hector comes from Honduras, living in the northern industrial town of San Pedro Sula , located in Central American. Eager to learn Chinese, he takes online classes and downloads Chinese textbooks from the Internet.

Hector Pinto

I think Chinese is the language of the future, because China is a very big economy and has a lot of programs for help, for develop, for infrastructure. China is having a lot of works like bridges, roads which make a difference in a country. If you have no roads, there is no progress. It's a way for the country to get a better life for the people, you know, to work together.

Hector is familiar with China’s ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative. He was among the few locals with connections to China before the establishment of diplomatic relations between Honduras and China last year. With a background in engineering, he worked for a local Huawei office through an outsourcing company seven years ago, where he collaborated with Chinese supervisors and colleagues. He believes that working with others is essential for fostering mutual understanding.

Hector Pinto

They work a lot. They work from very early, you know, to the night. Here, the people work from 8 to 5. The way that we need to learn a lot to understand that the job is very important too. When i was in Huawei, I was invited to eat at the canteen with them, and I ate many different foods with chopsticks, so at the beginning it was very tricky, but after some time, I learnt to use it with my fingers.

Honduras is a former Spanish colony. Last year, its per capita GDP was US$3,247, which is less than HK$25,400, and the unemployment rate was 7.3%. Due to U.S. sanctions, the outsourcing company discontinued its partnership with Huawei after the contract ended. Subsequently, Hector took a job as a driver and translator, but his salary was only one-third of his pervious income. He is grateful that his two years of English study helped him remain employed.

Hector Pinto
I used to have a partner. That guy learned English at the States. When I received my first payment, I saw a difference. That is 300 Lempiras (equivalent to HK$94) different. So I asked my boss why this guy came to work with me at the same time but he had received more money than I received. He said this guy speak English and you don't speak English. So I was trying to study English in Tegucigalpa. If I didn't speak English, I couldn't go to the States, Germany, Czech Republic, having a better experience outside my country.

Hector’s diligent attitude has had a significant impact on his daughter. At just 16, she is fluent in Spanish, English, and French. Besides learning Japanese by herself, she has recently started studying Chinese online. She aspires to secure a scholarship to study at a university in China in the future and embark on an extraordinary journey.

Daniela Pinto

I was interested in this Chinese course because my dad entered in the same place last year. I want to learn as many languages as I can, so I can have more opportunities. Languages open many doors and opportunities for many jobs, and you can make many friends from other countries because of the development that China has experienced these past years. I was really interested to see. I become interested in pharmacy, in chemistry, creating medicines and knowing how they are made. I think that is very rewarding, to help other people.