THE LANGUAGE REVOLUTION

Alex Perchard discovers how Mandarin Chinese is set
to take over as the international language of business.

“IN the next decade, the new ‘must learn’ language is likely to be Mandarin,” said language researcher David Graddol, in a recent issue of the Journal ‘Science’. He echoed a view expressed by academics and business people across the western world: we can no longer be complacent about the importance of languages other than English on the global stage.

English speakers have had it pretty good. Modern English is the most widely taught and understood language in the world, making it the ‘lingua franca.’ It is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, diplomacy and the internet. Around 400-500 million people speak it as their first language and up to 1.5 billion have a basic proficiency in English.

Mother tongue

There have, of course, been other contenders for the ‘lingua franca’ throne. Tom McArthur, a prominent U.K. English Language Training specialist and author of several books on language use, cites a number of ‘world languages’ both before English existed and as it spread: “Competing’ world languages have included, at various times and in various regions, Neo-Latin, French, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Sanskrit, Hindu-Urdu and Malay.”

Today, Mandarin Chinese, the official language of China, is the one to watch. And while the global share of English is clearly still vast, the number of native speakers is dwarfed by those who speak Mandarin as their first language: an estimated 867 million.

The sheer size of China’s population and the country’s increasing importance in the world economy and in politics account partly for its position. But Michel Hockx, professor of Chinese at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, also points to other more subtle developments. “We’re seeing the establishment, for example, of Confucius institutes spreading outside China, reflecting the increase in the country’s power and confidence. Its attitude is changing. The Chinese are recognizing that they do not always have to be the ones to adapt.”

Business speak

The rest of the world, Hockx believes, is cottoning on. “For a long time, learning Chinese was seen as an exclusive specialism of sinology departments, with the sole aim of doing academic research. Now people are recognizing the practical benefits and the role of Chinese in business.” In particular, businesses are interested in employing people who can speak Mandarin, but are not necessarily Chinese, though Hockx feels that even those working in China can still get away with only limited knowledge of the language.

Nick Harrison, Lloyds TSB’s Chief Representative of the People’s Republic of China, has on-the-ground experience, having moved to Shanghai in December 2005. “Very few people in Shanghai speak English so you really need a few words to get by,” says Harrison. “Our business discussions are all in English, however, and the vast majority of office administration is written and spoken in Chinese. This is often the challenge, trying to get things to work or give clear instructions.”

Education is now starting to reflect the growing importance of the language, particularly in the U.S., where an estimated 24,000 young people are already studying Mandarin. With the government setting up a US$114 million initiative to increase in U.S. schools, this number looks set to rise dramatically.

Despite its poor record in language learning, the U.K. is leading the field in Mandarin teaching provision within Europe. This is largely due to the high number of its residents who have Chinese as a first language and English as a second language, which gives the U.K. a larger pool of potential teachers.

Learning the lingo

Learning Mandarin is a daunting commitment though. “We generally say it takes three years of full-time study to have a working knowledge of Chinese, including knowledge of the script. If you just want to speak it, it probably takes one year”, says Michel Hockx. “Perhaps if we started learning at an earlier stage, we might learn faster, but if you are starting in your early 20s, it takes much longer.”

Nick Harrison’s experiences support this theory. “I definitely don’t speak Mandarin, but am having lessons once a week,” he says. “My two-year-old daughter, Claudia, is progressing well and is destined to be my translator in the future.”

The proliferation of the keyboard means that it is no longer as necessary to learn to write the characters, as long as you can recognize them and pick the right key.

Alternatively, make sure you follow Nick Harrison’s lead and get acquainted with a few experts: “I have some excellent help with colleagues in the office who provide valuable linguistic support. Heaven knows I need it.”

(Courtesy: Shoreline Magazine – Issue 69)