When there are debates about the world’s top performing education systems, the names that usually get mentioned are the Asian powerhouses such as Singapore and South Korea or the Nordic know-alls, such as Finland or Norway.
当说起世界哪个国家是世界顶级教育强国时，通常被提及的是亚洲的强国，如新加坡和韩国，或者北欧的那些我们都知道的国家，如芬兰或挪威。
But with much less recognition, Canada has climbed into the top tier of international rankings.
虽然加拿大在这方面的知名度不高，但它已经进入了国际排名的前列。
In the most recent round of international Pisa tests, Canada was one of a handful of countries to appear in the top 10 for maths, science and reading.
在最近的国际学生Pisa测试中，加拿大是少数几个跻身数学、科学和阅读前10名的国家之一。
The tests, run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), are a major study of educational performance and show Canada’s teenagers as among the best educated in the world.
由经济合作与发展组织(OECD)主办的这项测试主要对教育程度进行了研究，显示加拿大的青少年是世界上受教育程度最高的青少年。
They are far ahead of geographical neighbours such as the US and European countries with strong cultural ties like the UK and France.
他们远远领先于邻国美国以及像英国和法国这样有着强大文化纽带的欧洲国家。
At university level, Canada has the world’s highest proportion of working-age adults who have been through higher education - 55% compared with an average in OECD countries of 35%.
在大学水平上，加拿大的适龄劳动人口比例是世界上最高的，他们受过高等教育的比例为55%，而经合组织国家的平均水平为35%。
Migrant students
移民学生
Canada’s success in school tests is also very unusual compared with other international trends.
与其他国家相比，加拿大在这个测试中的突出表现也很不一般。
The top performers are often cohesive, compact societies and the current highest achiever, Singapore, has been seen as a model of systematic progress, with each part of the education system integrated into an overarching national strategy.
教育程度最高的是新加坡，它有着强大的凝聚力的、联系相对紧密的社会和目前最高的成就，它被认为是一个系统进步的典范，教育系统的每一部分都整合成在国家的总体战略中。
Canada does not even really have a national education system, it is based on autonomous provinces and it is hard to think of a bigger contrast between a city state such as Singapore and a sprawling land mass such as Canada.
加拿大甚至没有真正的国家教育体系，它是建立在自治省的基础上的，更让人难以想象的是它们之间的巨大反差，新加坡是一个城市国家，而加拿大如此幅员辽阔。
The OECD, trying to understand Canada’s success in education, described the role of the federal government as "limited and sometimes non-existent".
经合组织在试图了解加拿大在教育方面的成功的原因之后表示，联邦政府的作用是有限的，有时是几乎没有的。
More than a third of young adults in Canada are from families where both parents are from another country.
在加拿大，超过三分之一的年轻人来自于父母都来自另一个国家的家庭。
But the children of newly-arrived, migrant families seem to integrate rapidly enough to perform at the same high level as their classmates.
但新移民的孩子们似乎很快就能跟上当地同学们的高水平。
If Canadian provinces entered Pisa tests as separate countries, three of them, Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec, would be in the top five places for science in the world, alongside Singapore and Japan and above the likes of Finland and Hong Kong.
如果加拿大各省作为独立国家进入Pisa测试，与新加坡、日本以及芬兰和香港等国家相比，加拿大其中三个省——阿尔伯塔省、不列颠哥伦比亚省和魁北克省——将跻身于世界的前五名。
So how has Canada overtaken so many other countries in education?
那么，加拿大是如何在教育上超过其他国家的呢?
Despite the different policies in individual provinces, there is a common commitment to an equal chance in school.
尽管个别省份有不同的政策，但在学校里有平等的机会。
Another distinguishing feature is that Canada’s teachers are well paid by international standards - and entry into teaching is highly selective.
另一个显著的特点是，加拿大的教师待遇很好，高于国际标准，但进入教学领域则是竞争十分激烈的。
Equal chances
平等的机会
Prof David Booth, from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, highlights Canada’s "strong base in literacy".
来自安大略大学教育学院的大卫·布斯教授强调了加拿大的“良好的文化基础”。
There have been systematic efforts to improve literacy, with well-trained staff, resources such as school libraries and testing and assessment to identify schools or individuals who are struggling.
他们会系统性地提高读写能力，有训练有素的工作人员，有例如学校图书馆这样良好的资源，同时一些测试和评估可以以确定对有困难的学校或个人。
Migrants coming to Canada, many from countries such as China, India and Pakistan, are often relatively well-educated and ambitious to see their children get into professional careers.
移民加拿大的人，很多来自中国、印度和巴基斯坦等国，他们通常受过良好的教育，并对自己的孩子进入职业生涯抱有很好的期望。
Prof Jerrim says these families have an immigrant "hunger" to succeed, and their high expectations are likely to boost school results for their children.
杰里姆教授说，这些家庭会很想移民，他们的高期望很可能会提高孩子们的学习成绩。
Prof Booth from the University of Toronto also points to the high expectations of these migrant families.
多伦多大学的布斯教授也指出了这些移民家庭的高期望。
"Many families new to Canada want their children to excel at school, and the students are motivated to learn," he said.
他说:“很多来到加拿大的家庭都希望他们的孩子能在学校里出类拔萃，这样学生们都有了学习的动力。”
This has been a bumper year for education in Canada.
今年是加拿大教育的丰收年。
The universities are reaping the benefits of the Trump effect, with record levels of applications from overseas students seeing Canada as a North American alternative to the United States.
这些大学正在从特朗普的一些影响中获益，海外学生的申请数量创下历史新高，将加拿大视为北美的备选选项。
As Canada marks its 150th anniversary, it can claim the status of an education superpower.
在加拿大纪念其150周年之际，它可以宣称自己是一个教育超级大国的地位。
来源:BBC
新闻爱语吧作者:Anne
