The reasoning behind the growing popularity with Mandarin in South Korea was due to its importance for future generations. With the additional language of Mandarin, future generation of Koreans will seek opportunities to also work in China. Companies, like Honda, currently have factories and offices in China. 

 

Also, for countries such as South Korea to grow, they will need to compete with other countries in auto production for the growing Chinese appetite. Buick and Audi have declared that their companies have sold more cars in China than in the United States. To maintain the Chinese market sales growth of 61% reported in 2003, South Korea will need to invest in Mandarin to exploit competitive opportunities.    

 

China is becoming an important part of the global business world, which makes the Mandarin language an important tool to resolve business challenges. As China becomes more important so are other native Mandarin speaking countries like Taiwan. Taiwanese companies are looking to invest around 40% of their net worth in China. As South Korea and Taiwan invest more into the upcoming China, they will follow the global market in marketing to the large Chinese population.

 

I have studied Mandarin for five months at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU). Mandarin will also provide me a tool to communicate and understand the culture in Taiwan, China, and Singapore travels. For me, negotiating is a big part of Taiwanese culture. In the US, we usually pay a posted price. In American culture, we wait for price reductions and research the store that offers the best price. Few Americans negotiate merchandise or rent. In Taiwanese culture, negotiating is expected - especially if an individual speaks Mandarin. The respect of the negotiation process is part of the Taiwanese culture that I want to understand.

 

I am investigating future career opportunities using Mandarin. Children with special needs, such as learning disabilities or dyslexia, provide a good career opportunity for me. Dyslexia results from differences in how the brain processes written or spoken language. I have taught students with such needs. I have dyslexia and want to help children understand the importance of reading in a world where they see words differently.   

Recently, I reviewed bilingual special education programs, and I want to prepare to help future students with certain learning disabilities. As an English as a Second Language teacher in Taiwan, I see the possibility of expanding English programs by addressing the needs of learning disabled students. As an English teacher learning Mandarin, I will support students learning English with the ability to translate in their native language – Mandarin. 

 

Before signing up for classes at NTNU, I researched the available Mandarin language programs. Since I am in Taiwan, I have the opportunity to learn the Mandarin language in school and practice the language with the Taiwanese. Speaking Mandarin will help me progress in my studies. While I learn best from hearing the language, I also recognize the importance of practicing the Mandarin characters.  In my research, I found few programs like NTNU. The traditional Mandarin programs are offered during times incompatible with daily work week schedules. I reviewed other options such as on-line courses and found few online courses offering Mandarin. For me, the NTNU program is a good program in a country that speaks the Mandarin language. 

 

For those who are not in a Mandarin speaking environment and/or working full time, online courses provide the opportunity to learn Mandarin.   I met an Englishman, Joe, in South Korea who took an online Mandarin course from a Chinese University. Joe talked very highly about the online experience – praising the opportunity to learn one of the important languages in Asia. This program was great for him since he needed to work full time. The program also offered location flexibility. Since Joe planned to travel, an online curriculum allowed Joe the flexibility of traveling around the world and continuing his Mandarin studies. For Joe, total immersion in a Chinese environment was not a requirement for his Mandarin studies. Overall, his experience from my viewpoint seemed to be a joyful one.   

 

 In the future, learning Mandarin brings opportunities for Western countries to improve relations with China.  China wants to improve global relations, and language provides a tool for bilingual speakers to bridge the gap between the Mandarin and Western cultures. As I have shown with the Korean Elementary School language program and the Englishman Joe, Mandarin is continuing to grow as a global language.