Why should I learn a new language?

In order to learn a new language takes time and effort. Why do it?

There are many reasons to do it that are practical, emotional, educational as well as inspirational. Whatsoever may be your reason, it is important to know it clearly to be able to garner the energy to complete the task successfully.

Let us discuss some of the reasons that may justify that learning a new language is worth the effort.

• Emigration Needs!

If you plan to move to a new country, then learning the local language will be of great help to communicate and easily integrate with the local community. It is so even if you move to a country where locals speak your language. Like if you are good in English and move to Netherland then there will be no problem as most of the people there can speak and understand English. But if you learn the local language, it will improve your chances to settle there easily as it will show your interest in their society.

If you plan to study in a foreign university or college, then knowing the local language will improve your chances to get admission in the desired college. It will also enable you to settle down faster and better.

• To mingle well with friends

If your partner or friends speak a different language, then it will be worth learning a language to be able to understand them better.

• To settle in your work

If your work demands interacting with foreign nationals, then it will help to know their language. It will help in making sales and selling the contracts. To learn a foreign language will help improve your chances to find a good job, to get promotions or to get overseas postings.

It is a misconception with many English speaking people that they do not need to learn other languages as English the universally spoken and understood in most countries. But even for such people it helps to know the local languages to understand the meaning of personal talks among clients during meetings. It also helps to interact closely with clients after meetings when they like to talk more in their mother tongue.

• In studies abroad

If you are doing research that demands reading and understanding material in different languages, then knowing the language helps you to get access to such information. It will also help you to interact successfully with other students and fellow researchers better than before.

• During travel

If you are travel buff and like to go to different places, to tread the unexplored, then you cannot do it nicely by knowing only English. It is ok till the time you are going to popular tourist spots where you will easily find an English speaking gentry. If you want to go to unexplored places or want to mingle with locals and to understand them better, it helps to know their local language. It will also help you to understand local signs, menus, etc.

A basic knowledge of the local language will enable you to do the basic activities like ordering in restaurants, finding a way, to buy tickets and memorabilia, etc. To have close interaction with locals, you will need better knowledge of the local language. You can be sure that doing so will add an altogether new dimension to your fun during holidays.

The above are some reasons that may provoke you to learn other languages. There can be hundreds of other reasons to do so, and you can have your own, but one thing is there for sure, “learning a foreign language it as a visa for your entry to that place on earth.”

Challenges to Learn Mandarin Yourself

In the recent past, there is an explosive growth in the number of US students that are learning Mandarin. It is estimated that almost 100 million people will be learning Mandarin by 2015. As per US education department targets, they want almost 5% of students to be able to speak and understand mandarin by 2015. It is a promising target and forces us to evaluate the challenges that students normally face while learning Mandarin.

By this article, we want to help all those who are either learning Mandarin or planning to jump into the ring. We want to tell them that it may be easy to think of learning mandarin but taming the language and to become a fluent speaker is altogether a different ball game. Very few hard working men and women, from non-Chinese speaking areas of the world, are able to master Mandarin in its true sense.

It takes lots of hard work and dedication to get hold of Mandarin. Some may be able to master Mandarin in one or two years, but most take many years to become fluent in reading, speaking and understanding the language. To reach the success, you have to be able to conquer the headaches, frustrations and temptation to leave it in between as it is not easy as it seems.

Why learning Mandarin is so difficult? Let us discuss some of the practical problems that the native English speakers normally face in their efforts to learn Mandarin.

• You need to stay in some Chinese-speaking area of the world like Taiwan or China itself for at least 6 month to one year to get a real hold on the language.
• To become a master in Mandarin, it must be your only love in life. It should be like a mission to do so. Normally people are not able to muster such a kind of dedication and so leave the course in between.
• The Chinese people are finicky about their language and culture. Even if you somehow you get good hold of the language, if you try to talk to a Chinese person in Chinese he will correct you in public for the mistakes. He may even laugh at you. Tough they may not intend any disrespect to you, but being mocked at and get corrected in public is not an easy thing to digest for anybody.
• It is very difficult for non-native person to become good in writing Chinese, and you may to use the phonemic alphabet named Bo-Po-Mo-Fo so as to be able to type the language. But after all your efforts your style may still remain to be somewhat foreign.

My idea of writing an article is not to discourage you from learning Mandarin. My idea is just to inform you of the reality of the thing that you are getting into. If you think that you will join a Chinese learning class today and will become an expert in 6 month to one year, then my Dear you must be dreaming.

To be really successful in Mandarin you have to have a burning desire in you to stick to the effort whatsoever may happen. If you do not have it in you, better do not learn Mandarin and instead attend a class in Chinese history.

 

Taking Advantage of Full Time Mandarin Course in Singapore

You may have been born and bred in Singapore or having a wish to settle there after arriving over there recently. If you are thinking of joining a full time Mandarin course in Singapore, then you have to consider a few things first.

Most of the critical aspects will be covered in this article, and the information may be sufficient enough to act as a starting point to help you to find the best possible option for you.

Do you have enough time on your hands? Do have any particular schedule in mind?

I had come to Singapore in 2006 with my girlfriend whom I married later. I had graduated recently and did not have any job to do during that period that I could get only much later.

I decided to attend a full-time course in Mandarin as I was free at that time. The course helped me to meet many interesting people and brought order to my daily life. Those initial five months became the base of my Mandarin learning experience in Singapore.

I found that if you attend classes on Mandarin continuously for 20 hours every week, you can cover the fundamental aspects at a single go. You can achieve your objective within a few months which would have taken you years if you had joined part-time classes.

It is a luxury that you may not have. Attending part-time courses is a good option only when you can attend all the sessions.

Do you have a Singaporean or a PR citizenship? Be careful to take advantage of the subsidies on offer.

Irrespective of your present level or being a Chinese, PR or Malay, the “Workforce Development Agency” or WDA will give you 90 percent subsidy if you want to learn business Chinese.

After you have completed this course, you will have to pass the “Business Chinese Test” or BCT, which is also offered at a hugely subsidized rate before you can start work.

The centers that offer courses in Chinese at subsidized rates are, –

• SCCIOB at the City Hall
• The Confucius Institute at Buona Vista
• Crestar / KLC at Jurong East

If you do not have a PR or Singaporean citizenship then I would not recommend the above institutes as options.

You should consider institutes other than the above three if you are unable to get 70 to 90 percent discount. The rates are quite high without any discounts as the size of the class learning Mandarin at these institutes is bigger than that in other institutes.

There are some small institutes that offer lessons that are of good quality, but offer reasonable rates. The timings and the locations of the institutes may also be very convenient to you. You can find the best one that suits you by looking around and gathering information about them.

Which level do you belong to?

You are lucky if you have just started as the content covered in most of the courses will be suitable for you to start with.

If your knowledge of Mandarin is at the intermediate or higher level, then you may find it a bit difficult to enroll in any Mandarin course in Singapore.

You will have a profile that is different from others if you are not an absolute beginner. For instance, you may speak Mandarin freely but your writing skills may need to be honed. In this case, the 60 percent time spent in speaking Mandarin in the class will be a complete waste for you.

The best way to take advantage of a part-time class is to ensure that the students in your class are having goals and levels approximately similar to yours.

It would be even better if you hired a private tutor or took Mandarin lessons through online courses.