Chinese

If the entire population of China walked past you in a single line it would never end because of the rate of reproduction; that’s a lot of people that you could converse with if you spoke Chinese!

That may not have you clicking on the National Education Database for the nearest language school near you but there are many other reasons why a proficiency in Chinese will be a major advantage to you in your future. The Chinese dragon is roaring over the dying whimper of the Celtic tiger making it an extremely lucrative time for anyone with an insight to Chinese culture and language. Over 280 Irish businesses have relations with China and Irish exports there increased by half between 2006 and 2007 meaning that employers are placing great importance on anyone with skills that can add to this dynamic.

Chinese is widely known as being a difficult and complicated language to master; however since one-fifth of the world’s population speak it the rewards to be reaped from your efforts are considerable. There are between 6 and 12 main regional groups; the main one by far being Mandarin which is spoke by 850 million people. Standard Mandarin is the official language of the People’s Republic of China and is one of the four official languages of the United Nations.

The standardised test for non-native speakers is the official Chinese Proficiency test; the number of people taking this has risen from 2000 in 1991 to approximately 120,000 in 2005. This growth in demand for learning Chinese has been recognised by colleges and language schools around Ireland and is becoming a common option in a course provider’s curriculum. Different levels are catered for; most colleges differentiate between beginner, intermediate and advanced classes. The beginners is self-explanatory and focuses on teaching a basic knowledge of the language; especially regarding listening and speaking with a particular emphasis put on communication. Students at the intermediate level will be expected to have a certain grasp of Chinese and this will be built upon by concentrating on pronunciation and sentence structure. Those interested at entering an advanced class should be aware of the high level of fluency that will be required. These classes will be much more intensive and will attempt to approach Chinese in the colloquial sense providing students with a much broader knowledge of the language.

In Chinese the word for crisis and opportunity is the same; so why not adopt this cheerful and enthusiastic attitude and look into a nightcourse in Chinese; finally you’ll be able to tell your friend what that dodgy looking tattoo she got when travelling really means…