There Are Better Ways to Learn Chinese Than Ever
Computer-assisted learning is making learning Chinese easy and fun
Chinese learning in the past was a laborious process involving huge dictionaries, endless character lists and poorly recorded tapes. Luckily, there are now much better ways for you to learn Chinese. Digital computer-assisted learning techniques have exploded in popularity in the last decade or so, providing learners with great dictionary programs like Pleco and brilliant character-learning programs such as Memrise and Anki.
Digital communications are making handwritten characters less important
Another way in which technology is making Chinese an easier language to learn is the way typing is supplanting character writing in China. A number of popular character input methods are used throughout China on mobile devices and computers, and they have grown to become the primary way that Chinese texts are created.
Chinese Will Open Up a World of Opportunity for You
Of course, you shouldn’t just learn Chinese because it’s easy and accessible, but rather for the benefits that knowing the language will bring you. Indeed, at this point in time, Mandarin Chinese is hands-down the best language to learn in order to get a head start in life.
China’s economy is booming
The main driver of the language’s attractiveness is China’s booming economy and its status as a rising global superpower. Over the last 35 years, China has transformed itself from an impoverished third world country to become what is arguably the largest global economy.
Chinese skills are rare and can make you an attractive hire
Of course, to be this sort of bridge, there is one skill you must have: fluent Mandarin Chinese. Due to the lack of people in the Western business world who can speak both Chinese and English, there’s a huge demand for these skills, and this can of course mean very lucrative wages. Through learning Chinese, you can transform yourself from a low-value employee into somebody who is critical to the success of a project in China, thereby making yourself a very attractive hire.
You Can Communicate with More Than a Billion People in Chinese
China has a huge non-English-speaking population
Aside from the obvious economic and job-seeking benefits of knowing Chinese, there are plenty of other benefits to opening yourself up to communicate with all of those who call China home. While English is widely spoken in many other countries of the world such as India, Nigeria and those of the European Union, this is not the case in China.
The Chinese diaspora is almost everywhere, and eager to help you learn
In connection with this last point, another great reason why you should learn Chinese is that China has a huge diaspora found in almost every country in the world. This presents learners with a readily available pool of people with whom to practice their language skills without even leaving their country.
Gain access to a whole new world of Chinese online spaces
While much of the world shares a common online space, this is not the case for China. Due to government restrictions and the ever-present language barrier, China’s internet sites are effectively inaccessible to outsiders. The Chinese internet is full of its own unique multimedia, memes and other content virtually unknown to the rest of the world.
Make this learning fun, participate in all the fun events related to the language you want to learn.
