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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: How important is it for our kids to learn Chinese?
Just wondering how the expat community feels about this.
On the one hand there's the fact that English is and will remain for quite some time the international language, on the other there's the impressive rise of technological gadgets being able to handle instantaneous translations.
So how important is it for our kids to learn Chinese?
12 years 30 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
As an Australian my point of view is that it is very important that a child who wishes to study a language would choose Chinese as it could open up a lot of oportunity in the future with a nation that has huge trade and business links with Australia. Tourism into Australia from China will also be a huge area for future growth if the standards of living continue to boom for many Chinese.
Abmria. What are these technogical gagets you speak of that handle instantaneous translations. All those I have seen require a slow typing process and are only useful for very basic needs.
chinese is not an international language so it is not really important (unless they plan on living in china), but i think it is important for young children to learn as many languages as possible because 0-5 their brains are best suited for learning languages and they will have so much more opportunities in life
Necessary, no. Awesome, yes.
Give you kids that head start. How old are they? Are they at an age where language accusation will be a breeze if you just stick them with other kids? Bilingual people (and musical people) have a higher IQ on average than the rest of us.
Id say do it!
You can get closer to people and share more intimate moments. Some very profound things happen, when you can converse with more of the people you meet. Chinese people have been segregated from the rest of the world for far too long, and the contribution of China to our collective understanding will be an asset; we cannot measure. Chinese have always been great inventors. They deserve that accreditation
I always believe that kids should learn as many languages as they can. My 3 year old boys already know Mandarin (main language), Cantonese, English and some French. Plus since they are in an international school, they are picking up a few words of Japanese & Korean from their classmates.
My kids are WAY smarter than me.
If you have kids here and aren't making sure they learn Chinese, you're a fool. Even if you move home and NEVER have a single Chinese friend or business transaction again, the kid will be better off. I'm also shocked at how many people here think it isn't a big deal. Granted, I come from a super diverse city, but half of it is Asian. HALF. When I go home I feel like I'm still in China. If I could speak Chinese fluently I'd have a job working for the local government making $120,000 a year.
For our point of veiw it is important as half our family dont speak english
Can you imagine not being able to talk to your own family members
I speak enough to get into more trouble but the kids can change from Chinese to english mid sentance and can read and write both as well
Im very proud of them and I know it will open up many oppertunities in their lives
If you are living in china YES! If they speak Chinese, no matter wjhere thery go they will be set appart from most others. I am fluent in engish and spanish and I am now trying to make Chinse my thrid language (a not so easy feat at 43!).
I say go for it! It will make your kids smarter, they will stand appart from the crowd of other expats who only speak a smattering of the language, add to their prestige and whenuniversity time comes, they willl have a very nice feather to stick in their hat.
On a more practical side, speaking the language they will be better able to take care of themselves in china, communicate and understand more peolpe (both friendly and not so freindly).
Best of luck!
Chinese is only useful in China, and also, there are so many dialects and local "hua"s that, except for business (where standard Mandarin is used), this language isn't all that useful. Most of the people who do international business know English anyway.
For cultural reasons, sure, have them learn it. Learning languages is great for kids.
nevermind:
Are you kidding me? Go to Vancouver, Toronto, Seattle, San Francisco or LA.
It is always good to learn a foreign language as it increases the opportunities in one's life.
I think the whole "everybody learn Chinese" craze is a passing thing. They did this back in the 1980's during Japan's "rise" and that vanished. That being said, I think it's an interesting and fun language to learn. I'd encourage my kids to give it a try.
The economic of China have been developed fast, more and more MNC come to China seek chance, so that really big chance for your kid to get a good job from them
Learning anything is good for the brain
We speak both at home and my wife teachs them to read and write Chinese
and they learn English at school and at home.
as long as they are happy what will it hurt them?