Do you think it would be better for me to take Mandarin Chinese or French in school next year and why?

Question

Why do you think so? (what opinions do you have on this topic && why do you think so?)

this year i am taking my 2nd year of spanish, but i would also like to start taking a second foreign language. Chinese really seems like the "language of the future" since China is really growing & undergoing expansion right now so it would be a really good language to know; on the other hand, what if I decide to move to Canada at some point in my life, where I have heard knowing French REALLY helps in getting a job, etc. since there are so many French-speakers in Canada. and plus i am already learning Spanish, so French would be much easier for me to learn

if you were in my shoes, which language would you take && why?? which language do you think it would be a greater advantage to learn?? any other reasons why i should take one of the languages and not the other??

i just want to hear lots of different people's opinions on this so feel free to write as much as you want!

by the way, my school only offers Mandarin Chinese

thanks!

i reallyreallyREALLY wish i could take both, but i can't, since i am already taking a foreign language in school, and there are only so many classes that i can take! (and only 24 hours in a day, lol............)

Answer 1

Yes, the Chinese economy is growing but the demand for Chinese-speaking Americans is very low because their writing system is very complex. Some people estimate that it can take around 10 years to learn for non-native speakers. (There are thousands of characters, compared to the 26 letters in English). Also, Chinese can't be taught from a book because it is so dependent on pronunciation. If you can find a good teacher (and have the money) then this isn't too big a problem.

So I'd recommend French which is very valuable in the market place (along with Spanish). There are also more similarities with English in French and Spanish.

Whichever you choose, I wish you the best of luck!!!!

Answer 2

French is a much easier language to learn than Chinese. So, if easy is a factor, there is that. French also uses one system of writing where Mandarin Chinese has several. Hanzi and Pinyin are the biggest, but hanzi (the characters) isn't very easy to master.

There are plenty of places to get jobs that deal with both French and Chinese in America. Bilingual and trilingual people have great prospects. Of course, I'm biased toward Chinese because I like the culture.

Probably the most important thing would be to find the one you find more interesting, culturally. Do you like France or China better? Particularly literature and films. The reason is the whole "use it or lose it" thing. You're more likely to use the language you've got use for. I used to be a lot more fluent in Korean than I am now, but I lost it over the years simply because I never really had a chance to use it. I didn't go out of my way to make chances, either.

That's my take on it anyway. I don't think one or the other is better, nor do I think that one or the other would have better job prospects. Now, if you're an engineer, that would have an impact. If you're a political scientist, that would have an impact. If you're a linguist, where one will serve just as easily as another, then judging the thing will be different.

Answer 3

When do you plan to go to Canada? And before moving to Canada what are you going to do for a living? I think it's a good idea to take those questions into account.

If I were you, I'd do it this way: learn one at school and the other outside school. For example, take Chinese and enroll in the French class in a language school during vacations, attend French classes in Québec during summer, or find an organization which offers French classes on weekends.

If you cannot learn both languages at a time, I personally think you should take Chinese. If you know Chinese you are likely to have a better future. If you have no problem communicating with people who do not speak English very well in Chinese, you have more oppertunities than those who has not learned Chinese when dealing with people from the Chinese communities (e.g. Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Macao, etc.). And if possible, learn BOTH the Traditional and Simplified Chinese characters.

Answer 4

Well, until I read your details, I was going to say that it would depend upon where you live, or plan to live in the future. It would depend upon what type of job you will have, and which countries they do business with.

If you are doing well in Spanish, chances are you will do well in other languages...some people just have a knack for them. If your school only offers Mandarin Chinese, take that for now--you can always take French at a community college some time in the future, at any age. If you find you do well in all languages you take, take more--it can't hurt, but can help!

Answer 5

It fairly is dependent upon in which you desire to paintings. If you desire to stick to your house continent or journey to components of Europe then decide on French. Before English, French used to be beforehand the language of international relations. But it's not as greatly used as Chinese. With Chinese you have to take into account whether or not you are going to be making use of the language by way of both going to China or dealing in international trade family members. China is speedy fitting an excessively strong country, and after stress-free a few of its legislation that beforehand blocked international trade, it's fitting a sizzling spot for funding. But you are going to have to come to a decision if you are going to gain knowledge of Cantonese or Mandarin which can be the 2 principal forms of Chinese. Personally I'd pick Chinese seeing that it's going to expand your task possibilities greater than French.

Answer 6

French is spoken by 150 million people on 5 continents.
French is taught in every country of the world as the English is.
In the World 52 countries have French for official language
50% of the English language gets its origin from French

I am confirming if you move to Canada speaking French will be an asset for you. It is not a necessity (except in Quebec) but if you do you will get better jobs and better pay.

Answer 7

French is much easier than Mandarin, obviously, so if you're hellbent on learning a second language, that would be the way to go. However, financially, it would make sense to take Mandarin if it's already offered in your school.

Answer 8

First of all, to everyone telling you French is "easier to learn" that's an opinion question. True, due to being an Indo-European language with close cross-cultural ties to English (due to the French having held England for a while, plus a good thousand years proximity) French is more similar, and hence theoretically easier for an English native to learn (there may be exceptions). But I'm sure other Sino-Tibetan speakers would find Mandarin easier to learn.

Your question doesn't really have a definitive answer. You might find you're not good with one language or good with another. You might find one will be more helpful to you depending on what career field you go into. However, I'd say Mandarin is the more lucrative choice. If you're looking at say, your job prospects depending on which language you know (by the way, while I didn't think about this in HS, being bilingual is a tremendous advantage once you're in the workforce; there's plenty of jobs you can get with a higher pay than you could if you were monolingual), then it's a question of supply and demand.

The demand, measured in number of speakers, is actually pretty high. Over 873 million people are believed to speak Mandarin, and nearly 65 million people worldwide speak French. (As you can see, there are many more Mandarin speakers, but French is more spread out.)

However, how many people take Chinese as a second language compared to French? (I'm assuming you're an American--French and Spanish are offered in nearly every public HS in the US, but I don't see Chinese outside of the west coast.) When I was in HS, I was offered three languages, but nearly EVERYONE took Spanish and French. At the time I thought Spanish would be the most beneficial arrangement (I actually ended up in German, long story) but now that I'm in the workforce... not so much. I know dozens and dozens of people who are Spanish-English bilingual (I live in Texas at the moment) and they don't make more than anyone else. They work in the same crappy jobs as everyone else and are just expected to translate for Spanish-only customers There are so many Spanish-English speakers that the supply outstrips the demand. Whereas, for example, if my German was a bit better I could get a job working for a credit card company translating for German customers. I have no particular illusions German is very widely spoken or is one of the most useful langauges to know, but since the supply is relatively limited compared to French and Spanish, I still see as many if not more opportunities for it.

My best friend happens to be a French-speaking Canadian. She tells me you can get by without it, depending on where you live, but it's good to know it because you can get more money by employers who want a bilingual person. On the other hand, my Australian aunt in Sydney tells me without hesitation Chinese is the most useful second language to know over there. So either one could be useful to you depending on where you choose to live.

By the by, English does not get 50% of its content from French. According to the Ethnologue English and French share a 27% lexical similarity. Still a lot more than Mandarin, but hardly 50%. (Honestly if you're looking for the most similar language to English it's German. 60% lexical similarity.)

In short, either one would be good for you to learn, but I think Chinese will prove the more beneficial in the long run. A second question--are you sure you can handle learning two languages at once? I was advised against it. With that in mind, you might want to also consider that Spanish and French are similar enough (both being romance languages) that you'll get them confused if you learn them both at the same time. It might be better for you to do one at a time until you get fluent in one.

Answer 9

Mandarin would probably be more beneficial after you graduate but, if you are looking for good grades to get into college, French is an easier language to learn.
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Answer 10

French. It's easier to learn a language if you already know the letters and sounds.