Is Chinese really worth learning today?

Question

Lots of people are coming to China these days and learning Chinese, but how important an asset will it be for a Westerner to speak the Middle Kingdom language? So many Chinese are learning English now, especially higher management personnel..so is there any point for us 'lao wai' to learn these tricky 'tongue'?

Answer 1

This depends on your career path. If you're aiming for a job which will require you to travel to China or Japan a lot - then I'd take the time to learn the language. I've known several people who do travel to these areas on business and the ability to speak their language (even though they do speak ours) is showing them you care about them and you are being respectful. Don't automatically assume just because a foreign country speaks English that you are not required to speak their language also.

Answer 2

If you are dealing with international business, I beleive that it would be prudent to learn the language. And this is not just because that is my heritage, but in transactions where even if the other side of the deal speaks english, it can't hurt to impress them to seal the deal. But maybe that's just me.

Answer 3

I learned Korean, and yeah almost everyone can speak english, but you get much more respect if you go to their country and talk to them in their language. They see you as someone who really cares about what you are doing, and treat you much better than they do others who can't speak it.

Answer 4

depends... but given that a lot of Chinese are into businesses, it wouldn't hurt to learn how to communicate... though they are learning English, it will help in the long run, i believe, to learn the language... so that little, or nothing, will get lost in translation

Answer 5

It depends.For work you might not need to know but to get around by yourself it can be tough if you can't communicate.