Matthew
Is Chinese a good language to learn?
I am planning on minoring in Business. Will learning Chinese be helpful, even though I will be living in the U.S.A? # Business #Chinese
9 answers
Austin L.
Austin’s Answer
Matthew-
It is so great to hear that you plan on studying Chinese in college. Globalization is happening and has been occurring for the past few decades. China is becoming an increasingly important power globally and knowing how to speak both English and Chinese will only help you in life.I took Chinese in high school and college and i cannot tell you the amount of doors that have been opened due to my language ability.In short, I was able to intern twice in China during college with the government, study abroad in China, get a full time job during my senior year, and now work in consulting largely due to my language skills. Don't think that all because we live in the United States that knowing Chinese is not useful.
I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck. Chinese is by no means easy but it is so worthwhile.
世界上 中文是一个特别重要的语言。上大学的时候，学中文只有好处。
（Globally, China is an extremely important language. Studying Chinese in college only has benefits)
Best,
Austin
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I agree, Chinese is not easy but will be worthwhile.
Matthew
Bridie Kennedy
Bridie’s Answer
Maria Bacon
Maria’s Answer
In a business sense, I was able to interview in Chinese, and used it in my first job. I really enjoyed that, and found it challenging and gratifying! If you are going to learn it, I would definitely study abroad in an immersion program (CET is what I did and loved it!). That way, you get to the point where you can interview in Chinese and show them your skills. I had two interviews where people simply called me and asked me to start talking with them in Chinese. You definitely want to be prepared for those, and immersion programs can definitely get you there! Best of luck with your decision!
Kin Kin
Kin’s Answer
When it comes to the issue of grammatical complexity, Chinese is really one of the easiest languages there is to learn. Unlike most European languages, it does not feature complicated constructs like cases and genders. It also treats tenses in a very simplistic way.
Jo-Ming Huang
Jo-Ming’s Answer
I think it applies to other languages, too. But for Chinese people, it definitely is a good ice-breaking for foreigners to speak Chinese when it may not be expected (especially in Business setting). :)
Vivian Lee
Vivian’s Answer
Hello Matthew-
Chinese has becoming more and more important under globalization. English and Chinese are two very different languages and knowing how to speak them will only be more beneficial to you. There are multiple website offers free Chinese lessons online such as Coursera. As a native Chinese speaker, it might take couple years to really understand and be able to speak fluently. You can also utilize some study abroad opportunities to visit asian countries and speak to native speakers.
I didn't know I could learn Chinese free online. I will search for the websites. That may be very helpful in
expanding my understanding of the language. Thank you.
Matthew
Tsutomu Yoshida
Tsutomu’s Answer
Danomad Kuan
Danomad’s Answer
Firstly as a native Chinese speaker, I am happy to know you are interested to learn Chinese,
By learning Chinese the world will open so many doors to you, no matter as a profession or as a person,
Spoken by 33 countries and 1.1 billion people, the impact of Chinese is getting bigger.
Just saying a few words in Chinese would be a great ice-breaking when you are speaking with Chinese,
and helping you to understand Chinese culture and history.
It will sure be boarding your horizon and circle of friends.
But Chinese is no way easy to learn, I would suggest learning Mandarin and Simplified Chinese,
as they are both easier to learn and has been using by most of the populations.
Good Luck and Have fun learning,
Danomad
Jun Zhou
Jun’s Answer
When it comes to learning a foreign language, the textbooks only show you the tip of an iceberg. I would recommend watching the trending Chinese drama and shows on YouTube once you reach the intermediate level. You will be able to expand your vocabulary, get familiar with the Chinese culture while getting entertained.