There have been many studies that have proven that speaking two or more languages is a great benefit for your mental health. There are so many excuses that so many people give as to why they cannot learn a new language. “I’m too busy and don’t have time for that,” or “There is nobody that I’ll be able to talk to anyway,” or “It won’t be useful for me in my everyday life” or even, “It’s so boring!” are excuses I have heard, and often make, myself. However, none of these reasons, or whatever excuses that you make, are good enough reasons as to why you shouldn’t learn. Getting children to learn a new and foreign language may be difficult at first, but you just need to show them how to learn, the fun and interactive way or they will quickly lose the interest and skill for learning it. Allow your child (or yourself) to find the sole reason that they want to start learning Chinese, and then stick to it. If they cannot come up with one themselves, or you cannot think of one, here are a few reasons as to why you and your children should start learning Chinese.
Many people assume that English, French or even German is one of the most widely spoken languages around the world today, but that is not the case. Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken language with more than 1 billion people, knowing how to speak the language fluently. This includes, but is not limited to those living in China, Taiwan, Canada, the United States, Singapore, and even Australia! It is highly likely that you may have to speak Chinese in the future, even if it is just a few sentences to have as a conversation starter so you can talk with your new next door neighbor, or try to order a fried rice and iced milk tea in China Town.
China and the Chinese language has a rich history and culture. No, you don’t have to start reading up on Confucius or other philosophical books for you to understand the Chinese culture and its history, but you must be able to know the basics of the Chinese language. You must learn how to respect the elders, how to act in a formal setting, and how you may act in a casual setting. Chinese has a level of class to it so you cannot just say whatever you like in any situation. Understanding where to be casual and formal is quite important and requires you to stay on your toes so you do not accidentally offend anyone.
There are many people from China that are beginning to go on holidays or vacations now that the Chinese government has loosened the restrictions on its citizens that wish to travel abroad. There are also other countries that are beginning to loosen visa requirements in order for the Chinese to travel to their countries. If you decide that you would like to work in the tourism industry especially, learning Chinese, will be so beneficial for them and for you so that you may communicate with them properly.
Many people like to associate China with business and trade. “Made in China” is not an unfamiliar sight on many tags on clothes, children’s toys, and pieces of technology. This proves that there are many foreign businesses today that have their products made in the factories in China. Doing business with the Chinese people requires you to know at least the basics of the language in order to communicate and have some small form of entertainment and even some ice breakers. When you can speak the language, and gain some experience with reading and writing, that brings you a few steps closer to learning how to live like the Chinese.
The largest revival in the world today is located in China. The largest mission movement in the world today is also located in China. There are many missionaries that are traveling into China to help the revival there, but there are also many missionaries from China that are going out of China to help start a revival elsewhere. If you are someone has a calling to become a missionary in China, learning Chinese (though not required) is highly encouraged. Learning how to communicate with those you are serving, those who you are working with, and even the local people around you, will be crucial for you and how you are able to go on about in your daily life. It will help you to build relationships and connect with the locals there. They will see that you may not get the tones exactly right, that you take a little longer to formulate a response or stumble over your words trying not to mess up the grammar, but they will just be so grateful that you are trying your best to put yourself out there to speak to them.
These have all been logical, realistic, and reasonable reasons as to why you and your children should learn Chinese. Now it is time for you to stop making excuses as to why you can’t learn Chinese, and start coming up with reasons as to why you can.