Mandarin Chinese is all the rage these days.
As more and more companies look to secure strategic partnerships with Chinese companies, employers are keeping an eye out for individuals who have an above-average knowledge of the Chinese language, their culture and how they do business.
With China being at the forefront of many business transactions, there is no better time to start picking up the Chinese language, both for personal, as well as career advancement opportunities.
Having said that, we list down the pros of learning Chinese for business – helping you make an informed decision to finally commit yourself to taking up this wonderful language.
Why You Should Learn Mandarin for Business
- Mandarin is spoken by more than 1 billion people from across the world. If you’re going to be doing business in Asia, learning how to speak Chinese opens up the possibility of working with and doing business with many up-and-coming China-based companies and corporations.
- The Chinese do business differently. They’re not as straight-forward as businesses from the west. For example, they’re more likely to prefer working with companies who take the time to learn about their culture and language. The ability to speak Mandarin will make a good, lasting impression on them, and they’re more likely to prefer doing business with your company over others whose owners and senior management don’t speak Mandarin when it comes down to closing the sale.
- It’s easier to negotiate and make deals when the communication is directly between you and the Chinese company – making you far more attractive to employers.
- Knowing how to speak Mandarin Chinese makes it easier to do business, or get around China, especially if you will be travelling to places such as Shanghai and Beijing frequently.
So, as you can see, learning Chinese comes with plenty of good. If you have your own business or are currently holding a high-ranking position in an international company, it would certainly do you, and your company well to consider taking a Chinese course under Skillsfuture. If it still sounds daunting, get a friend or colleague to join you!
Other than the business and professional benefits, there are plenty of personal advantages of learning another language. All these will help you to build a more holistic portfolio that will make you a more diversified and adaptable player in the working world. This will broaden your horizons to more opportunities in your career and personal life that may appear in the future.