Expats in China struggling to learn Standard Chinese

Given the soaring popularity of China as an expat destination, it’s no surprise than more and more career-oriented professionals are trying their best to get to grips with the Standard Chinese language.

Unfortunately, what’s now known as standard Chinese is increasingly important for success in the 21st century, even although it’s known as one of the world’s most challenging languages to learn. China’s booming economic significance is one reason why some 50 million individuals are attempting the task or intending to do so in the very near future. As yet, figures for the number who’ve tried and finally given up aren’t as yet available. To assist, the Chinese government has opened more than 500 Confucius Institutes scattered across 142 global regions and countries.

Experienced Chinese teachers believe the reasons why non-Chinese find the language so incredibly difficult are a combination of a lack of regular daily verbal contact with native speakers, the setting of high expectations and a lack of consistency on the part of students. Many teachers feel genuinely sorry for their students, especially when it comes to identifying the characters themselves, most of which can have more than one meaning and pronunciation. Basically, the characters are ideograms which need to be memorised. Self-study is important, according to teachers, with a regular 20 minutes a day getting more results than hours once a week.

For newly-arrived expats, it’s important to register with an accredited, recognised Chinese language school. Spending time with Chinese friends is a great help, especially if it’s a rule the student should only speak Chinese for at least a short while. Other useful hints and tips include watching Chinese language movies, listening to local radio programmes and trying to read books, all of which can make the gargantuan task seem more like fun. One teacher in Beijing added another dimension to learning Chinese, saying expats who really like China and are fascinated by the country’s culture and incredibly long history will find learning the language far easier than those who see it as just another expat location.