A COMPETITION designed to test foreign students’ ability to converse in the Shanghai dialect got under way yesterday. This second annual Shanghai Dialect Showdown will see six contestants — one each from the United States, Denmark, Iran, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Venezuela — vying for the coveted title. Over the next month their language skills will be put to the test in a variety of settings, including teaching at a kindergarten, working as a pastry chef for a Dragon Boat Festival event, and training as an opera apprentice.