Even if you never plan on doing business in China, knowing Mandarin is the best strategic move you can make for your business career.
China is a currently emerging global superpower, outpacing the United States in terms of economic capability and economic relationships.
Even if China’s economy slows and the population declines, there are still billions of Mandarin speakers all over the world and Chinese businesses are ever-present and highly influential.
No matter how you look at it, knowing Mandarin gives you a sure bet that if you ever deal with Chinese associates, whether it’s to make a deal when talking with suppliers, or dealing with international finance, you’ll be able to impress and communicate clearly so everyone gets what they expect.
Far-Reaching Industries Are Based in China
According to IBISWorld, the top 10 biggest industries in China in 2023 are:
- Copper Ore Mining
- Building Construction
- Online Shopping
- Real Estate Development and Management
- Mail-Order & Online Shopping
- Residential Real Estate
- Bridge, Tunnel, and Subway Construction
- Software Development
- Steel Rolling
- Internet Services
Why are these industries important, even if you don’t work in these particular fields?
Even if you’re not a copper ore buyer, a construction material manufacturer, or a software developer, you may find yourself speaking with reps from China at some point, especially if you work in a STEM field.
Say you work for a company that sells a physical product and solves a modern problem. How could you hope to introduce that product to the Chinese market without knowing the culture, and language, and how to relate to local distributors and customers?
As we saw at the height of the pandemic, supply chains are more delicate than we are aware of. It helps to make connections and contacts to get a better idea of what’s going on and maybe even get an advantage.
Mandarin is the Business Language of Asia
If you want to do business anywhere in Asia, you best know Mandarin.
English and Mandarin are the major business languages in Asia, so if someone doesn’t know one, they’ll likely know the other.
In order to conduct business in Asia, open a branch there, or move the business there, it really is crucial to know enough Mandarin to be able to communicate your ideas clearly.
Businesses and Industries that Require Mandarin
In a lot of cases, learning Mandarin might be best considered an extremely wise, but optional, endeavour. In some avenues, it’s absolutely necessary.
Hospitality and Tourism Industries
If you are sending travellers to China or Asia as part of your tourism business, you’ll need excellent Mandarin to book hotels, tours, guides, restaurants, and more for your clients. You’ll need to be able to ask the right questions, understand how to handle situations in a culturally-aware manner and solve any problems that arise with ease.
Many Chinese people also often take trips all around the world. This hobby was disrupted by the pandemic, but people are eager to begin travelling once again. In a 2019 survey, nearly 36 million Chinese people expressed interest in taking a trip to New Zealand.
If even only a fraction of those people end up taking the trip, that’s still a lot of Chinese tourists! If you are in a restaurant, hotel, tour guide, or tourism industry in New Zealand, knowing Mandarin can make you a hotspot for these tourists to come by. Since not every Chinese person knows English well, being able to communicate with someone in Mandarin abroad can be a major attraction!
Global Marketing
Obviously, as a global marketer, you won’t be expected to know every language. But having a little knowledge goes a long way.
Once again, language goes hand in hand with culture. In order to market, you need to understand your audience. As a marketer, you need to be sure to relate to your audience in culture, vernacular, slang, trends, and so forth.
University Prep Counselor
Especially if you work at a large university, your chance of being responsible for counselling a Chinese student is high.
While many Chinese students who study abroad may already have extensive English education, not every student does. And even if they do, they might not have practical experience, which means they may have a hard time speaking and listening to English.
As an advocate for your students, it may be up to you to help acquire accommodations and be able to listen and explain clearly with your charge.
International Law
It goes without saying that international law is a delicate profession.
Being extremely aware of culture is paramount to avoid misunderstandings, unintentional offences, and how to best conduct an interaction.
You will need to be able to play law politics with people from a foreign world. You’ll also need to understand Chinese laws and how to navigate relations.
CEO, CFO, COO, or Other High Position
Especially as an operations manager, Mandarin will be exceptionally helpful in your position.
Large, international businesses typically have teams or contacts all around the world. You may need to collaborate with a Chinese partner or be responsible for managing a team in China.
To ensure the business runs smoothly and work is properly coordinated across continents, speaking Mandarin is the most effective way if you’re dealing with contacts in Asia.
Other Industries
Without going into detail, other industries where knowing Mandarin is a boon include:
- Teaching and tutoring
- Transcription and translation
- Interpretation
- Research
- Brand ambassador and influencer
- Journalist
- Diplomacy and embassy work
- Flight attending
- Content creator, blogger
- Exporting
- IT
How to Learn Mandarin for Business
When you commit to learning Mandarin for your business endeavours, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.
Taking a regular Mandarin course will teach you a lot about the basics of the language like pinyin and Hanzi, pronunciation, and brush stroke order. But it won’t teach you business terms.
You also might not get a complete understanding of Chinese culture and Chinese business culture from a classroom.
Learning Business Mandarin
Think about the business world in English.
There are terms like ROI, deliverable, capital, KPI, conversion rate, friction, TOFU and MOFU and many, many other terms that might sound confusing or like gibberish to English-speaking people who aren’t in the business world.
Now imagine trying to understand those concepts knowing only basic Mandarin!
To guarantee that you learn everything you need to know to coordinate, collaborate, and communicate with Chinese counterparts, you have a few options.
Take Business Mandarin Courses
Since Mandarin is such a popular and important language for business, there are courses and classes abound out there specializing in this sector.
You can find courses online and in person all over the world. So, if you’d like to travel to China and learn through classroom hours and immersion, you have that opportunity!
You may be able to have your lessons and travel paid for or reimbursed by your company if it’s vital for your position.
By travelling to China, you will learn more about the culture than any other method. You can be told about Chinese culture, sample some foods, watch Chinese media, and listen to songs all day long, but nothing beats living in the middle of it.
Enlist a Mandarin Tutor
Tutoring is the best way to make sure you are advancing in your Mandarin progress. Since your lessons are one-on-one, your tutor can help you in-depth with your pronunciation and clear up any confusion you might run into.
Your progress will likely be faster than in a group setting. Choose a tutor who is of Chinese heritage (and who wants to talk about it) or who is knowledgeable about Chinese culture to learn about the sociology of the country.
It may even be possible to find a tutor or guide in China who can take you around and explain the Chinese way of life to you, firsthand!
Self-Teaching Online
For a more casual (and more affordable) approach, you can always consult YouTube University and other web resources.
It might be more difficult since you won’t have anyone to talk to directly about your pronunciation, but you can find all the information you’re looking for on the internet.
For practice with other Mandarin speakers and learners, check out forums and other communities online meant designed for collaborative learning.
Apps like Tandem, HelloChinese, and Speechling can help you on your Mandarin-learning journey.
If you have bold aspirations in the world of business, or simply find yourself interacting with a Mandarin-speaking crowd regularly, learning this Chinese language will not let you down.
You might find it helpful in places you never even thought about, like the dating scene, a trip to Los Angeles’s Chinatown, or defending yourself against unsuspecting gossipers.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
