DL and the need for Chinese language teachers

Maybe we're not surprised that lots of people are trying to learn the Chinese language. Maybe DL could help.

Distance learning addresses demand for Chinese teachers - China.org.cn

 

I'm more curious how long the fad will last.

 

While I was waiting for my oil change to be finished, there was a woman with her 4 year old son in the waiting room also. She was talking to another mother about their kids. She mentioned she already started her 4 year old on Mandarin Chinese because that will be the "language of the future."

Meanwhile, I'm thinking back to the late 80's when I started learning Chinese, just because I thought it would be cool. However, I quit because everyone talked me out of it saying I should be learning Japanese instead. Sony just bought the Rockefeller Center, people stopped buying American cars, and everyone was freaked because "the Japanese are taking over the world."

So, I started learning Japanese. Although useful for a time when I was practicing Judo or I when watch the occasional anime flick, it is a language I never ever use. Outside of Japan, hardly anyone speaks it. Ironically, many times I need my wife to translate for me talking to people here in the US! (She speaks Spanish.)

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said it is a fad.

 

Here (China) is the largest English speaking country in the world. It is a compulsory part of the education system for all students nationwide. Not everyone is very good, but the average person here communicates better in English, than a non-Chinese would in Mandarin. For international communication, everyone is already using English, for better or for worse, and it works. There isn't really any point to changing to another one when there is already one in widespread usage. Plus Chinese is relatively primitive (not exactly the right word) compared to a phonetic based language, and not very suitable for modern times, especially when it comes to science and technology. Computers have to be "rigged up" essentially for Chinese typing (many don't realize we have the same qwerty keyboards as the USA here), and there isn't a translation for a lot of terms in general.

 

Having been to China as an adult I can say that many people speak English well enough to be easily understood. In fact, if you go to some of the more popular Chinese social networking sites you will find people very eager to chat with native English speakers so that they can improve their skills. As for Chinese being taught in schools, I don't know if it's a fad but based upon the current world dynamics I'd encourage a kid to learn Chinese before French, German or Latin. You could make the arguemnt that Spanish might be more useful but the fact is, most people lose all their foreign language skills once they stop taking formal classes.