Scope and Benefits of Learning Mandarin/Chinese Language in India

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Introduction:

Any language, be it verbal or nonverbal, is for communication. All of us express our thoughts, emotions, and everything through language. We learn our native language by observing our surroundings from the moment we were born and becoming proficient. Do you desire or dream to learn any new language? Do you wish to become a multi-linguist? Why not? Here, I would like to tell you that, If you master the Mandarin/Chinese language, you will see the new world with its variety of dialects. Hence, rather than choosing any random or fancy foreign language, why not go for Mandarin / Chinese language. You know, it is the world’s most spoken language, followed by English, German and French. 

In this article, I would like to share my view on the scope and benefits of learning Mandarin/Chinese language in India. 

Do you think having learned Mandarin/Chinese places you on top?

Yes, of course. 

According to statistics, China has the highest population(1.4 billion), so the most spoken language in the world has become Mandarin/Chinese. 

The second-largest population is in India. If you are among the one who speaks Hindi and English and wishes to learn Mandarin/Chinese, you speak the world-famous, most demanded languages in the world. Your chances of getting opportunities to work in East Asian countries will increase. Learning more than one language always puts you on top. 

The rising economy demands us to learn Mandarin/Chinese Language:

Now the entire Indian nation has economically taken a new wing to fly. If you look back to the 17th to 19th centuries, there were a few choices to enjoy financial freedom. But, now in the 20th century, India opened its doors for international companies to trade and establish industries in India, which led to a financial revolution.

Arguably, China is one of those countries that was one of the reasons for the change. In the past 30 to 40 years, China has become an economically strong nation and established many companies in India. China has the most Purchasing Power Parity in the world (PPP). Ranging from small to large industries importing and exporting the raw materials is from China. 

The financial independence in India has taken new steps, and the trade and commerce between the nations have become far and wide.

Exploring Eastern Asian countries:

Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hongkong, Brunel, and Indonesia are the East Asian countries that speak Mandarin/Chinese languages. 

You Know! The state language for Mainland China and Taiwan is Mandarin. On average, 1.4 billion people in and around China consider Mandarin their native language. Who would not like to explore abroad? You might want to -right.

If you want to explore any of those east Asian countries for any purpose, there would be the highest scope of Mandarin/Chinese language speakers.

Expanding India-China relationship:

Cultural Heritage :

In India, we say that India has a vast and diversified culture; we have a tagline called -unity in diversity. China is also known for its rich heritage and culture. The culture or tradition of any nation can be expanded and explained through its language and art.

Since, both India and China are culturally atop on the poll, they even have  a history of cultural exchange. The Vedic culture and civilization of India are similar to the Chinese Shang-Zhou civilization. 

Buddhists like Bodhidharma travelled through a historic silk route and spread Buddhism in China. Dubbed Indian Bollywood films are released /performed in China. 

Chinese music, art, architecture ….most of its cultural values and traditions are recorded in Mandarin/Chinese.

 How do you know the culture? When you do not know the language,

To get into the details about Chinese culture, the Mandarin /Chinese language helps us.

Trade and Commercial relations:

Despite the border disputes between India and China, they have both become active trade partners since 2000. During the president’s visits, both the nation’s leaders have signed almost 16 trade documents in sectors like railways, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, cultural parks, mobile phones, and other electronic gadgets.

150+ Chinese companies are working in India. China and India have bilateral trade; it runs by a few mechanisms or platforms like the Joint Working Group (JWG) in vocational and skill development and the Regional Trading Agreement (RTA) in manufacturing. 

You know! The trade value between these two countries is approximately 3 billion crores. 

Education relations:

China and India have become even educational partners since 2006 and signed the Education Exchange Program (EEP) in which children will be allowed to study in both countries and be awarded scholarships.

As A Result of the cooperation between the two countries, the number of Indian students in China drastically increased; the number of Chinese students studying Hindi and other languages in India has also increased tremendously.

As a result, the Indian community in China is increasing and vice versa. 

Visits of Higher authorities such as ministers Prime Ministers and Presidents:

Both the nations’ leaders meet and visit at a reasonable time in a year to maintain the healthy relationship between the two countries, promote our cultural and traditional heritage, launch new projects in various sectors, and maintain economical/ financial standards.

Marketing:

The E-commerce market in India has also been rapidly growing. Alibaba is one of the e-commerce websites funded by the Chinese government. Chinese social media websites like Tik Tok have ruled Indians for a few years.

Scope of Mandarin/Chinese language in India:

If you learn the most spoken Mandarin/Chinese language in India, you have ample opportunities on your career road. Some of the fascinating and glorious career routes are listed below.

Mandarin/Chinese Language Teacher:  

Since the demand is increasing, the need to supply professionals also increases. As Education is one of the prime agendas between the two nations, the need to have Mandarin/Chinese language professionals arose.

As some of the colleges offer Chinese as an additional language we need qualified or Certified teachers to work. Many institutes are offering foreign language courses, and the institutes are widespread.  

As I said earlier, we have less number of Mandarin/Chinese language professionals, so if you pursue the language, the scope to launch your career as a Mandarin/Chinese language teacher will be in the safe zone. 

Language Translator: 

Mandarin/Chinese:

Since business is expanding in India and China, in the areas like FMCG, Electronics, and Apparel, professional Mandarin/Chinese is required to translate end-to-end documents.

If you are proficient enough in Hindi and English besides Mandarin/ Chinese, you have better opportunities to ace the race. Documents are written in Chinese and are to be transcribed into either English or Hindi.

You can work in India or China as a translator. You can also start as a freelancer. 

 English Language Instructor:

How a Mandarin/Chinese language professional is needed to teach the same in India; a Native English language professional who is strong in English is needed to teach in China for the native speakers of Chinese.

Mandarin /Chinese tourist guide:

Your proficiency in Mandarin/Chinese language aids you to work as a tourist guide in India.

As a tourist guide, you must also be familiar with the culture and traditions of both nations. Hence, you can go as a tourist guide. 

As a tourist guide, you can help Chinese tourists in India or Indian tourists in China.  

When you become professional, your work takes place in two ways as in- either you work as a tourist guide or as an escort to the visitors.

Content Writing and Proofreading:

Digital media is an extreme source of information. If you want to know about a product, brand, gadget, or anything, people read and research it using a digital platform. When your Mandarin/Chinese language is strong, you get high priorities and are sought after to write content for Chinese products or work for Chinese companies.

Work in international firms and agencies:

As I said in the beginning, China is an economically strong nation in the world, offering you multiple paths to launch your career. Both the countries involved and acting together to enrich their culture and economy, Mandarin and Chinese language speakers have more opportunities to work in NGOs (non-government Organisations), international banking sectors, and UNOs. 

College Consultant:

The role of a college consultant is to help Chinese students to get admission into U.S/ U.K/ Indian colleges. To become a college consultant, you do not need any professional or postgraduate degree. However, good Mandarin/Chinese speaking skills are enough besides English and work experience. 

7. You can become an interpreter or work in any BPO or KPO.

8. You can work in Hotels where Mandarin/Chinese speakers are in need such as in Singapore, Hongkong, Taiwan, Mainland China, Beijing.

9. Work as a journalist and media manager.

Benefits of learning a new Language:

Having learned any additional language improves your problem-solving skills and creative and cognitive skills and enhances your memory. Your thinking and analytical skills lie in your brain, learning a new language opens multiple opportunities for the better functioning of your brain and strengthens your ability to focus; you ignore distractions. 

Specifically, the Benefits of learning Mandarin/Chinese languages: 

Global recognition to work in international firms:

China has not only opened its doors to collaborate with India, but it has also left its footprints throughout the world in trade and marketing.

Most countries are tied-up with China and running businesses.

China has not been involved only in producing raw materials for various industries but also has its affairs in the marketing area too.

China has become a player and influencer in the world economy; have become an as strong nation as the USA and USSR.

Hence, if you have learned Mandarin/ Chinese, you would get global recognition and can work across countries. 

To gain travel experience and know more about the culture:

In China, most of them speak only Mandarin, they are monolingual. And if you want to enhance your business opportunities, the only option you have is to speak Mandarin.

Interacting with anyone in their native language connects with you more than anyone who speaks a foreign language. 

Apart from getting an opportunity to work as a tourist guide, if you know the language, it is easier if you travel to China when you get an opportunity. The language leaves you with profound choices to know and understand the culture of China, as most of the records are written in Mandarin/Chinese. 

Adds value to your Curriculum Vitae:

The more learning experiences you have, the more opportunities to work you get.

When you add your Mandarin/Chinese language skills to your CV, you will be spotlighted in your interviews and given priority.

Mandarin/Chinese is the language of the future:

For a few decades, I mean until the early 20s English language was considered the global language since most of the countries were colonised by Europeans.

Now, in the current scenario, China occupies one-third of the world’s economy and shares the population. Hence, Mandarin has become the most demanding spoken language. But, it may not become the global language. Instead, it might coexist with English and occupy such a place. You know! Mandarin is spoken in over 13 countries.

An Overview of Mandarin/Chinese language:

The Mandarin/Chinese language has an old history dating back to 3000 years, originating from Sino-Tibet. Mandarin/Chinese language is not a single language; it is a culmination of different dialects and is a combination of various languages. 

There are various dialects and languages spoken across China. 

• Mandarin/Chinese has four subgroups, they are specific to the four regions of China. 
• Northern Mandarin is spoken in northern provinces, 
• Northwestern- Northwest provinces
• South Western – spoken in southwestern china
• Southern Mandarin – spoken in south/ lower regions of China.

Mandarin has five tones, and other Chinese languages have more than ten dialects.

The tone is like – rising, falling, low and high tones, neutral tones. Often, the tone confuses the non-native speakers. If the tone changes, the meaning changes. 

Is learning Mandarin difficult? 

Why do people think so?

In general, people think that learning any non-native language from scratch to become a master is a tedious task. 

If we have to talk about Mandarin/ Chinese language, people think that it is a difficult /language to learn. 

Mandarin/Chinese is not as difficult as you think to learn. It has its pros and cons. A few languages like English and French look similar to each other. Mandarin/Chinese also share similarities and differences with English or French language.

Characters:

The Chinese language has 50,000 characters, and it does not have any phonetic sounds.

Mandarin/Chinese language characters are individual characters and treated like bricks. Hence, characters can be arranged according to the user just like the alphabet in English. We use twenty-six letters to frame words, sentences, and so on in English.

 In the Mandarin/Chinese language, we arrange characters in such a way to frame words. All the characters in Mandarin/ Chinese have specific syllables, and they do not morph and transform into the new ones as in English. 

Mandarin has two types of writing patterns- simplified and traditional writing systems.

In traditional Chinese schools, they teach simplified writing patterns. 

Grammar:

If we have to talk about grammar- Chinese/ Mandarin grammar is more similar to English in terms of its sentence structure. In English, how a sentence has a subject and a predicate, the same is followed in Mandarin/ Chinese language, but it is different in many ways.

In English, you have to change the verb form when you transform the tense of a sentence. We tend to commit mistakes while doing so, but in Chinese grammar, you do not need to follow the same rule. Verb changes do not happen, so you do not need to memorise all the verb forms at all. 

Chinese/ Mandarin has no specific cases for gender, singular or plural forms. 

flexibility while using parts of speech:

In many languages, you follow pronouns based on the position of a subject or an object in a sentence, but in the Mandarin/Chinese language, no such rule exists. 

In English, we learn different forms of the word- as a noun can transform into an adjective, adverb. No conjugation to follow. But, in Chinese/Mandarin, you do not need to remember all the forms. The arrangement of characters makes sentences. You just need to use one character to show various forms. It becomes easier than we think. 

Pronunciation:

Like many other languages, Mandarin/ Chinese also follows a certain way of pronunciation. In English, we follow phonetics to learn sounds. In Mandarin/Chinese, every word has a specific pronunciation and is pronounced in four or five different ways. This is where most non-native learners find it challenging, but it is not rocket science that we can not learn.
We all know practice makes a man perfect. By continuous and consistent practice, you can become a master.
Slowly, the tone impacts your voice as it creeps into your daily life, and switching over various tones helps you speak softly.

Conclusion:

Learning any new skill or language or anything depends on your perspective regardless of its level of difficulty. Chinese/Mandarin allows your brain to exercise enough to get the vigorous dialects. 

Breaking down your inhibitions and misconceptions about Mandarin/ Chinese is the toughest language to learn.  

With the advent of technology, you have access to more apps like Pleco, and fluent U, it is an easy cakewalk to learn the language. All you need is dedication, interest, and passion. With socio-economic development, the need for professional speakers has reached its peak, so the scope for the Mandarin/Chinese languages in India will never fade out. Go and learn the rich language and turn into a Chinese language pro. 

FAQS:

1. How long will it take to learn Mandarin/Chinese language?

Ans: For any language, it takes a minimum of 30 weeks to 40 weeks to reach level 2. But for Mandarin/Chinese to reach that level it takes a minimum of 70 to 80 weeks.
2. What is the cost for an Indian to learn Mandarin/ Chinese language?

Ans: It depends on the type of course you choose and the place you live in. For a beginner level course it costs around 20,000 Rs to 25,000 Rs in cities like Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai.
Advanced level changes, it may cost around 35,000 Rs to 40,000 Rs.
 3. Do I get placement immediately after learning the language?

Ans:  It depends on the proficiency you achieved. Just by enrolling in the course, you may not get placements. You have to become a master in the language, then you will be put on the edge when you attend job interviews. You can also start as a freelancer as a content writer for Chinese companies and products.  
4. I am proficient in speaking my mother tongue but not in English. Can I learn Mandarin/Chinese?

Ans: Yes, why not? There is no restriction or rule that only English speakers can learn Mandarin/ Chinese. Anybody who is passionate about learning can learn but you need to spend time learning. 
5. What is the minimum pay for a Mandarin/ Chinese language professional?

Ans: Again It depends on the type of job you do. For a language trainer/ instructor the annual salary in India is 7,00,000 to 11,00,000 per annum.Other areas like multimedia, and freelancing you can get good pay. 
6. What is the scope of the Mandarin/Chinese language?

There is en number of opportunities for a Mandarin/Chinese language pro. You become a translator, writer, newsreader, Researcher, Tourist guide, and escort. Always, never-fading career opportunities are available for Mandarin/ Chinese language in India.

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