Why Study Mandarin?

• Mandarin is the national language of China and Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world.  By learning Mandarin you will be able to speak with more people than any other language- including English.
• Mandarin is comparatively spoken by fewer non-Chinese than most European languages spoken by non-natives of their respective countries.  That means there is a greater demand for Chinese since fewer Westerners are able to speak it.
• China is rapidly becoming a world economic power as it opens its doors to foreign investment expands its infrastructure.  Those who know Chinese will be valuable to business.
• The Chinese population is rapidly expanding its online presence.  It will become increasingly useful for online communication.

Some Challenges in Learning Mandarin

• Mandarin is a tonal language.  Words must be spoken at the right pitch to convey the correct meaning or be understood.
• Many Mandarin sounds are different than those of Western languages.
• The Chinese writing system is extremely difficult.
• It's bloody Chinese!