Reply to S/O what''s the point of studying Mandarin?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The PP nailed it but for what it's worth:

OP makes valid points as do many of the respondents who pointed out that the utility of Mandarin outside of China, Taiwan, HK and Singapore is fairly limited. This could also be said of most other foreign languages we study in US schools. German, French and Russian are certainly of limited use when you are in the US. China is indeed an important economic power and a major trade partner of the US and this is unlikely to change however the number of business meetings or trade negotiations conducted in Mandarin between Chinese and Americans is tiny. English is and will remain the leading business and diplomatic language (not French which hasn't had this status in decades except maybe in West Africa).

I studied Chinese in college, lived in China for two years after college during which time I was conversational in the language and worked as a translator. Since returning over a decade ago I have since worked in the intelligence community, trade-focused parts of the government and a think tank. Every one of these positions focused on Asia - most on China. I have found that Asian language skills are valued more as a screening tool when reviewing resumes than actually of any use in the respective positions. State dept types also like to use their (generally mediocre) language skills as a sort of corny ice breaker with foreign delegations before conducting a meeting in English. In my current position I travel perhaps 4-6 times per year to Asia. I cover a region from Korea down to Indonesia. I have neither the time nor the brain power to develop any real facility in the 10+ languages I encounter in those travels. In Hong Kong I find my Chinese is useful (and fun) for speaking with cab drivers and waitstaff. All business negotiations are conducted in English. In Taiwan and China this largely applies as well though I do speak exclusively in Chinese with a few old friends who speak no English. Chit chatting with people and catching up with a few friends doesn't really justify a serious engagement of time and money in learning a language.

As someone who has valued foreign language acquisition and invested a lot of time and money in it I have come to the sad realization that if you have fluent English and no particularly strong tie or interest in any single country or language area then foreign language skills are not of much use. This isn't just for Americans - Germans doing business internationally use English, Swedes vacationing in Thailand use English, Japanese discussing a sourcing contract in Vietnam use English.

Sure, if you are committed to living in country X for some extended period of time or you travel there frequently, have relatives you wish to communicate with, are really really interested in the literature or history then learn the language but for most Americans - even those like myself who travel to Asia on business 4-6 times per year it is of questionable value.

As for learning Mandarin to speak to Mandarin speakers in this area I find that hard to justify. Most of them may speak some English and as a PP pointed out, this is a statistically insignificant percentage of the population. Unless you have a specific need to engage with that population (social work, police, sales and marketing) I really can't see the wisdom of investing in learning the language. You can find lots of opportunities to use Portuguese in Providence RI but that doesn't mean it makes sense for most people up there to learn it.

Does it make sense to learn Chinese if you will be living in China? Sure; Travelling there a lot? Maybe. 
Will learning Chinese bring tremendous job opportunities here in the US? I haven't seen it.

This is not to say "Don't learn Chinese" but it is to suggest that combining a skill of questionable utility like Chinese with something more useful like economics, science or engineering makes more sense.

[/quote]

Yes, exactly.[/quote]

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