Very often people will have their own reasons for learning a new or foreign language, but some languages have extra added benefits or advantages in the World today. Mandarin Chinese is one of these.
There are many reasons why Chinese is one of the most important second languages that can be learned by people of any country–but here are just 10.
1) Almost one quarter of the World’s population speaks Chinese.
This in itself may not be an overwhelming reason to learn the language but when you consider that there are over 1.3 billion people in China itself, not to mention the millions elsewhere in Singapore, Taiwan, South East Asia, America and Europe that also speak Chinese, it is obvious that the language is spreading and growing around the World. Being able to speak the language then, will obviously open up billions of new friends, customers or possible partners than you had before.
2) China has had the fastest growing major economy in the World for the past quarter of a century.
From a business perspective, China is the place to do business. Their economy has been growing steadily (up until very recently) at just under 10% per year. This puts China on a course to being one of the biggest economic powerhouses on the World stage within a few years and very probably the biggest economy in the World. Just like people learned English to break into the US trade, Chinese will soon become one of the major business languages in the World. Why wait?
3) One of the US’s top trading partners
Imports and exports flow like water between China and the US. It is mainly US imports that have driven the Chinese economy so strongly over the past few decades and yet the newly found wealth is allowing the Chinese middle classes to indulge in western luxuries. This open trade between the two countries has made many businesses very successful. Learning Chinese will give any business an advantage over the competition within this market.
4) Definite Edge in Competing for JobsLearning any language is an advantage when looking for a job. Employers like bilingual people. As well as showing dedication, it also gives them an extra language available within the workforce. Chinese is probably the biggest advantage of them all. Any business that are involved in overseas trade or communication will prize Chinese speaking applicants above all else. As stated above, Chinese-US and Chinese-European trade is huge and companies are crying out for people who can speak to the locals. Learn Chinese now and multiply your job prospects.
5) Excellent option for College Application.
Chinese Mandarin is fast surpassing German, French and Portuguese to be one of the most studied languages in the US and Europe. Schools that once taught exclusively French or Spanish are now offering Chinese as an alternative or as a replacement and children are being brought up to speak Chinese. Why is this? Well apart from the obvious business and employment opportunities afforded those that learn the language, students of Mandarin are also looked upon favourably when considered for college application. Just as employers, colleges see the dedication involved to learn Chinese and the opportunities it offers later.
Learn Chinese today and get ahead of the rest of the crowd.
6) Mentally Challenging
It has been scientifically proven that learning a language is good for the brain. It keep the brain young and healthy and can enhance the learning of other subjects, even seemingly unrelated subjects like Math. It has been shown that bilingual students consistently do better on their SATs than non-bilingual ones. This also applies to older people: It has been shown that people who learn languages are less susceptible to Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia and can keep their brains sharper for much longer. This effect is even greater for Chinese: The fact that Chinese is so different from English in sound, tones and script means that learning it is even more mentally stimulating than other languages. Learn Chinese and keep learning for a long long time.
7) Chinese Culture is one of the oldest in the World.
The Chinese culture is ancient. They invented gunpowder and paper, and discovered America before Columbus was even born. Their history and culture is immense and colourful, diverse and fascinating and learning the language will give you insight into this history and culture that you would otherwise never have. If you are interested in Chinese medicine, Chinese Opera or theatre, or even Chinese Kung-Fu movies, then learning the language can give you that added extra appreciation.
8) Never Been Easier
Possibly not the best reason for learning a language but definitely the best time. Since the introduction of Simplified Chinese to unify the different dialects and form one national language, the Chinese language has been more accessible than ever before. This was made even easier by the Government’s sweeping introduction of Pinyin, a transliterated version of the Mandarin script into Roman letters. This means anyone can be speaking and reading Pinyin in days and then progress to the tougher script later on. There are now of course also a multitude of excellent courses available to help you learn Chinese mandarin. These range from small, free vocabulary websites to huge software bohemoths that can teach you everything there is to know about a language… for a price. If you’re serious about learning Chinese though and want to reap the rewards that Mandarin Chinese will bring, then it is definitely worth both the time and the money
9) World Affairs
Sure this is linked to some of the previous reasons but is just as important in its own right. China is playing an increasingly major role in World affairs today, not just economically but also politically and environmentally. China is becoming a superpower but has a lot to work on before its human rights and environmental policies are acceptable globally. These issues will become increasingly more important as China grows, and if you have an interests in these issues, learning the language could certainly put you in a good position to go about changing some of them.
10) Similar Languages
Learning Chinese can give you a strong foundation for learning other languages–most noticeably Japanese. The Japanese and Chinese script are actually almost identical, and although being able to read the script will not mean you will be able to speak Japanese, it will certainly give you a good base from which to learn.
