Mandarin is a global language that millions of people have learned all over the world. You can join their ranks and reap all the benefits of knowing a second language and knowing Mandarin all in one!
While it presents some initial challenges to English speakers at first, the fact that Mandarin is so widespread and is the second language of business makes it a worthwhile endeavour.
Here are some great reasons to start learning Mandarin!
Mandarin is All Over the World - And You Can Be, Too!
There are over 1 billion people who speak Mandarin all over the world.
You can find large groups of Chinese immigrants on all the inhabited continents. Mandarin is widely spoken in much of East Asia. And the number of speakers grows as China continues to assert its place as an emerging superpower.
All this is to say that you can find a use for Mandarin in all sorts of job industries, day-to-day situations, and worldwide travel.
Scholarships and Grants for University
There are many different kinds of scholarships and grants you can apply for in New Zealand if you’re studying Chinese language or culture, either abroad or domestically.
It’s always a good idea to get as much financial help as possible for your university costs to get a better start in your post-graduation life!
Attend Your Institution of Choice
Knowing Mandarin can give you a leg up when choosing your university.
If you already know a fair amount of Mandarin, you can include that information in your application to the university to help you stand out from other applicants.
There are many great institutions in China, such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. You can learn Mandarin from courses taught by the universities while you’re enrolled, or you can test out of them if you already know the language! In that case, you become a stronger applicant and you don’t need to spend time or money taking the language course!
Advance Your Career
Just as Mandarin-speaking students have an advantage, so, too, do those in the workforce.
Many leadership roles all over the world interact with contacts in China at some point or another for business deals or collaboration. Even though these contacts might know English, it’s much easier for teams to respect each other and feel more comfortable when more effort is made to be inclusive.
Additionally, a byproduct of learning the language is becoming more familiar with cultural norms. Respect is a huge deal in Chinese culture, and it’s not always intuitive to Westerners how to show respect correctly. If you know how to speak and act well, you are the ideal person to be working with Chinese contacts!
And, if you want to move abroad, you will have many more options and opportunities as a Mandarin speaker. You could, of course, move to China. Or, you could move to a place like London, Paris, Vancouver or someplace else with a company that needs a Mandarin-speaking member on their team!
Cultural Context is Everything
China has an incredibly deep, rich, and profound culture dating back thousands of years.
A lot of different rulers have influenced the way the country functions time and time again, all the way up to the present day. The country’s history is complex, nuanced, and dynamic.
Understanding this becomes much easier when you know Mandarin, and vice versa. Language and culture are influenced by and develop one another in turn, over and over again, every day.
Even if you don’t plan on attending university or working in China or with Chinese people, you can still benefit greatly from this type of in-depth understanding.
China has been undergoing many changes in recent history and continues to do so. Have a better understanding of the context behind emerging news and developments in China when you know the angle from which the Chinese are coming with their actions.
On a more casual note, you can also enjoy thoroughly Chinese media, holidays, and more!
Make international friends when you explore the Mandarin side of the internet or travel abroad and find an in-person connection! You’ll have fewer foot-in-mouth moments and misunderstandings when you know the cultural context influencing someone of Chinese descent.
Learn Language for Brain Health
Learning more than one language has been studied time and time again for various brain benefits. Interestingly, it’s been found that knowing multiple languages may increase one’s ability to learn new concepts unrelated to language, process information more efficiently, and even ward off degenerative brain diseases for a time.
Improve at Task Switching and Learning New Things
Learning a new language rewires the brain to be better at learning other new things as well.
When you only ever know one perspective (your own native language), it’s easy for the brain to stay rigid and resist remaining open to other possibilities.
People who know more than one language also tend to be better at switching between tasks without losing their train of thought or becoming too frustrated. It’s theorized that because the brain has more than one way to approach receiving and conveying information via language, it may also be more flexible in the same way for other tasks.
Concepts that don’t have anything to do with language learning may come more easily to you as your brain is better at processing new information.
Learn More Languages Fast
When you prime your neural pathways to learn new words and sounds and contexts, you build a system in the brain that can more efficiently learn language overall.
As time goes on, you’ll learn new words and phrases in Mandarin easily; as easily as you learn a new word in English.
Not only that but should you decide to learn another language, you’ll find it easier than it would have been without practice! That’s why many people go on to learn a third, fourth, fifth, or ninth language after getting a good grasp on a second one. It becomes easier and easier to wrap your head around the writing, and the sounds, and remember it all at once.
Delay Cognitive Decline
Studies show that no matter what time in your life you learn a new language, you reap fantastic brain-health benefits!
While nothing we know about currently can stop diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia from happening, brains reinforced with bilingualism tend to develop these diseases later on than average.
Learning something complex like language increases white matter and grey matter in the brain, making it more resilient to decline. If you learn a second language as an infant or in old age, you give your brain a better chance at staying healthier for longer.
Travel Like a Pro
How would you like to go to China and be able to have an in-depth experience?
When you speak Mandarin, your China adventure is enhanced exponentially!
Off the Beaten Path
While you won’t be able to travel completely at will in China as a tourist, you can go to a great many places for sure. It’s impossible to avoid crowds and long lines in many places simply due to the sheer number of visitors, domestic and foreign, but when you know the local language, you can find some hidden gems.
Chinese people tend to be very excited when a foreigner can speak even a little bit of the local language. You may be able to ask for recommendations and get pro tips from the people of China if you simply ask in Mandarin!
One thing to note: Always be careful not to fall for any scams or go someplace suspicious with a stranger.
Master of Haggling
Haggling is an expected part of buying and selling in Chinese culture. It can feel uncomfortable and awkward for Westerners since it’s not a typical occurrence.
Impress a shopowner with your Mandarin and see how far you can shake them down as you demonstrate your knowledge!
Make Connections
It’s always fun to make connections while travelling. Even if you never see each other again, it’s possible to stay in touch via apps like WeChat which are not banned in China.
Who knows? You might make a best friend or love connection in the Middle Kingdom, but only if you speak the language!
Enjoy the Festivities
Local customs and festivals are always exciting to see and learn about. They’re even better when you can understand what’s being said, as well as the history behind the custom!
Enjoy beautiful light displays, dragon costumes, and red envelopes for their novelty and appreciate the ancient traditions behind them!
How to Learn Mandarin
Is Chinese hard to learn?
The answer is: yes and no. The hardest part for English speakers is grasping the completely different writing system of Chinese characters. Even pinyin, the Romanized phonetic writing system for Hanzi, is difficult because some of the letters are pronounced very differently than in English.
After this learning curve, Mandarin Chinese becomes much easier to continue learning, since the grammar is much simpler.
You have a few different ways to pursue learning and you can always mix it up and use more than one if you’d like!
With a Private Tutor
Hire a private tutor either online or in person to help you learn Mandarin fast. With Superprof, you can easily find a tutor who meets your budgetary and scheduling needs!
Private tuition helps ensure that you receive individual attention, meaning you will progress faster than if you were left to figure out everything on your own.
With a Course or Group Lessons
Lessons are another way to learn from a Mandarin teacher. You can find lessons online or in person. Some will be very wallet-friendly, especially if they are a community offering through your local activities groups!
It's also possible to learn via immersion with a course that takes place in China!
On Your Own
With all the books, blogs, YouTube videos, and other resources out there, it’s possible to learn Mandarin all on your own!
It will likely be much more challenging and you risk learning an incorrect pronunciation without someone to guide you, but if you are extra cautious you can avoid such pitfalls.
Mandarin is an extremely valuable language to know for many reasons, so why not give it a try and start learning today?
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