Mandarin is a Chinese dialect spoken across most of north and south west China. It is the official language of the People’s Republic of China and one of the four official languages of Singapore. It is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations. China has over 5,000 years of history and a uniquely rich and colourful culture.

Today, Mandarin is the main language of the government, media and education in China and Taiwan. In China, over 53 per cent of the population — or 690 million people — speaks Mandarin. Of this, about 66 per cent speaks Mandarin in the cities while only 45 per cent speaks the language in the countryside.

Around 870 million people across the world speak Mandarin. Other countries where Mandarin is spoken are Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Brunei, Thailand, the Philippines, Russia, the US, Vietnam, Laos, the UK and Mauritius.

What do I have to do?

Learning Mandarin involves knowing the phonetics, the Chinese alphabets and developing reading and comprehension ability. It also provides an opportunity to know about the Chinese lifestyle. Learners can also discover more about the Chinese people and their culture.

Some of the levels of study are as follows.

Intermediate: reading, intensive reading, oral Chinese, composition and listening comprehension.

Advanced: audio-visual Chinese and Chinese speaking, advanced Chinese extensive reading, advanced spoken Chinese, survey of literature, applied writing, introduction to Chinese culture, modern Chinese vocabulary, modern Chinese grammar, modern Chinese rhetoric and Chinese films.

What next?

With the rise of China as a major economic power, there is every reason to learn Mandarin Chinese. China is the world’s most dynamic economy with 7-9 per cent annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth. It is one of the biggest players in global business. It has been the world’s No.1 destination for foreign direct investment since 2004, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, France.

The kind of job that you get in this field depends entirely on your linguistic capability. The degree of fluency in the language determines the range of options open to you. You can consider the following options as full-time careers: interpreter, translator and language teacher.

International organisations like the United Nations, the European Union and other trading organisations take the help of skilled interpreters at their conferences and meetings for either simultaneous or consecutive interpretation. Business and specialist interpreters are required during trade delegations, exhibitions, negotiation of big contracts and at trade fairs.

While interpreting is concerned with the spoken word, translating is concerned with the written word. As a translator you could be engaged by international organisations dealing in politics, trade or commerce as well as by major firms having international interests. Most work as freelancers and are engaged on a temporary basis. The job of a translator involves translating legal documents, scientific articles and projects.

Those interested in working with children and the youth may take up teaching in schools or private institutions.

Fluency in Mandarin will also enhance your career prospects in fields where language skills are considered an asset such as travel and tourism, airlines, hotels, diplomatic service, journalism and mass communication.