Are you thinking of studying Chinese but don’t have the time? You’re not alone. A lot of people have the same problem.
While it’s easy to say that it’s just a matter of making time, reality is not always so simple. Learning mandarin takes plenty of effort, and it’s much harder to do so while holding a full-time job.
In such cases, what should you do? Should you try to push yourself at the expense of your work output, suffering due to exhaustion and lack of sleep? Or, is there a better way?
Lucky for you, there is.
As China positions itself at the forefront of the global economy, more and more companies are starting to realize the benefits of having employees who know how to converse in Mandarin fluently to try and negotiate important deals.
As an employee, this is the best time to request if you can spend an hour, or even a few minutes every day, learning Mandarin in company time.
Why Your Company Might Say Yes to You Learning Mandarin
You might wonder, why would a company say yes?
After all, you’ll be spending precious time that should be dedicated to the company and learning something that personally benefits you. But, when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.
Employees are assets to the company. The better you are as an individual, the bigger of an asset you are. As more and more businesses of all sizes look to expand in today’s global market, it pays to have people who understand the language and culture of the Chinese.
Insert yourself.
Your enthusiasm to learn the Chinese language might be appreciated by employers and companies who are looking towards securing deals with Chinese businesses, such as factories, warehouses, suppliers, and so on.
Having you on the company gives them a significant edge as the Chinese are more likely to do business with their own, or with people who can understand their language. In fact, there are plenty of Chinese courses supported by Skillsfuture – a great opportunity and incentive for both you and your company.
What Do You Have to Lose?
Worst-case scenario – your supervisor might say no.
Even so, you can simply try to find other ways to learn Chinese.
Remember, learning Mandarin can be done in a multitude of ways. You can even do it while on your way to work by tuning in to the multitude of podcasts and books available out there. You don’t always have to attend a formal class or business course to learn Mandarin.
Of course, a classroom setting might be more beneficial for you. However, you can always experiment with other learning methods.
Besides, there are many benefits to learning Mandarin today. There’s plenty of scientific evidence that shows multilingual people are at a much lower risk for dementia and other related illnesses. In addition, your career path is greatly enhanced if you know how to speak more than one language.
What’s most important is your enthusiasm to learn. As long as you have that, you are all set to go.
