5 Reasons Why You May Want to Learn Mandarin

Mandarin is the primary language in China and is spoken and written by a big chunk of the world’s population. It’s no wonder why so many people are interested in learning Mandarin as an additional language. Here in Singapore, 40% of the population speak Mandarin, which is almost half of all Singaporeans. If you’re looking for a great Mandarin course in Singapore, then Lingo Language School may be your best option.

  1. Mandarin has the most native speakers of any language in the world.

In fact, nearly 12% of the world’s population or about 955 million people speak Mandarin as their first language. If you also count non-native speakers, then that results in almost 1.2 billion people in the world that speak Mandarin. Granted, most of them live in China, but several other countries, such as Malaysia, Indonesia and here in Singapore, also have Mandarin-speaking residents.

If you are planning to travel or even work in China or other Mandarin-speaking countries, then learning Mandarin can help you so much not just with communicating but also with developing relationships and expanding your reach.There are also many Chinese people who have migrated to other countries and being able to speak their language can help in interacting and building relationships with them.

  1. Get to know Chinese history and culture.

A lot of the history and culture of China can be appreciated by reading Chinese biographies and history books or by watching historical films that mostly use Mandarin. Learning Mandarin can help you better understand these pieces of Chinese history compared to just reading or watching a translated piece of media.

Although translations can help bridge the gap, some of the deeper themes and meaning can get lost in translation and may not feel as impactful compared to experiencing them in their original language.Some of the most celebrated Chinese stories, are originally written in Mandarin and reading them in their original language will help you better understand the stories and their historical significance.

The Mandarin language itself is a very important part of Chinese culture. It’s a rich and complex language with a deep history and evolution. Having a good grasp of the language can help you understand its significant history and how it has developed into the Mandarin we know today.

  1. Expand your business and work opportunities.

China has one of the largest economies in the world, and it is undeniable that China having the biggest population in the world also means that there are more possible customers there compared to anywhere else in the world. It’s no wonder that many companies do a lot of effort to penetrate the Chinese market, such as Hollywood and the NBA. 

With that in mind, it is of utmost importance that companies have someone with a good grasp of Mandarin before they can start planning to expand in China. If your company works in the entertainment industry, such as movies or gaming, then it is vital that your products have a Mandarin translation before you can start marketing these products in the country. Using machine translations can help, but it doesn’t compare to translations made by someone who actually speaks the language.

Similarly, if you’re looking for a job in China, most if not all listings would include a requirement that applicants can speak Mandarin.Although there are jobs in China that don’t require a mastery of Mandarin, being able to speak the language can help you stand out from a long list of applicants. 

  1. Mandarin isn’t as hard to learn as many people think.

It is a common misconception for new language learners that Mandarin can be a very difficult language to learn. However, studies show that people who learn Mandarin are able to speak at least basic Mandarin in just a few weeks since they started language school.

One of the main reasons people cite about the difficulty of Mandarin is that the language uses pictograms for their symbols unlike other languages that use phonetic writing. However, this is probably the hardest part about the language. Other elements of the Mandarin language are actually much easier to learn compared to others. For example, grammar is much easier in Mandarin since it does not use any tenses, genders, or cases. It also does not use any honorific grammar that is present in other Asian languages such as Japanese and Korean.

Don’t be daunted by the huge number of Mandarin Chinese characters. From the more than 50,000 characters in the language, the average Chinese person will know only about 8,000 of those and you’ll only really need to learn about 2,000 to 3,000 to be able to read most books and newspapers.Mandarin characters may not be as straightforward to learn compared to phonetic languages, but it doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker that you stop learning the language altogether.

  1. Learning Mandarin is easier than ever.

Thanks to advancements in technology, Mandarin learners now have it so much easier compared to before. In the early days of learning Mandarin Chinese, classes were an arduous experience that included the use of big dictionaries, character lists and low-quality videos. It’s not really what you’d call an enjoyable experience, but it got things done before.

Right now, learners have access to several technologies to make the process of learning Mandarin not just an easier experience, but a more fun and enjoyable one as well. These include apps like Memrise and Anki that make it so much easier to learn Mandarin characters with just your phone. Social media platforms such as YouTube and Twitter have also made communication much more streamlined compared to before – people millions of miles apart can communicate and can help each other learn the language. Talking with a native Mandarin speaker will also help accelerate a learner’s mastery of the language.

You don’t need to bring heavy dictionaries or prepare flashcards by hand anymore. Thanks to modern technology, learning Mandarin and any other language has become much more accessible than ever.

Lingo School of Knowledge

87 Beach Road,

#03-01 Chye Sing Building

Singapore 189695

 

https://www.lingo.edu.sg

 

6253 3320

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