By Arnold Vis
When I went to teach English in China, I learned very little Mandarin.
In this blog, I’ll tell you why I think you shouldn’t follow my example, and have a go at learning the local language in your new home.
I’m finally making progress with Mandarin in recent months, and I’ve seen many of our teachers become conversational and even fluent in new languages over the years.
It’s convinced me that learning some of the language in your new home can be very beneficial; here are my four reasons.
Learning a language puts you in a state of learning that will benefit all aspects of your time away.
Travelling someone near to start a new job is incredibly exciting. New country, new city, new colleagues: a fresh start.
When I spoke to one of our candidates recently, he said that he loved living and working abroad because it puts you in ‘a state of learning’.
I couldn’t agree more with this, it’s an exhilarating feeling.
You take in new information left, right, and centre and you are stimulated to explore new thoughts and activities.
The key is keeping this up over time, as you settle into the place and the initial newness wears off.
This is where learning a language can be very beneficial. Starting the day with 20-30 minutes of language learning naturally puts you in this state of learning and exploration. It will stimulate you throughout the day, and make it more likely you keep picking up new things.
It makes everyday interactions fun and interesting instead of frustrating
When I was a teacher in Wuhan, I relied on colleagues and friends to get around and go restaurants. There’s nothing wrong with this, and I bonded with many of them and made friends. But it meant that times I was by myself and had to get by with Mandarin were scary and frustrating.
My Mandarin is still very basic, but because I’ve been studying regularly for a while, there’s now much more of a chance that I can understand more words and figure out the gist of what’s going on. On a recent trip to China, I was able to order some dishes and understand the prices without a menu.
Nothing major, but it made an interaction that would have otherwise been pure frustration into something quite fulfilling, and even a minor win!
Learning the language makes it more likely you will truly engage with locals
Learning the local language will over time mean a greater likelihood of making local friends. When I was in China this summer I spoke to Ewan, one of our teachers
Ewan has been studying Mandarin for many years. He is now at the level that when he hops into a taxi, he is able to have a detailed discussion about China’s economy or recent news events with the driver. It takes a lot of work but reaching this level has enabled him to engage with Chinese society at a much deeper level, a fantastic achievement.
Locals respect it
Locals will really respect and appreciate the effort of you learning their language. In all our destinations, locals will be so interested in you, your story, and what brought you to their country.
They’ll want to know about your home country, and its customs and food.
Reciprocating and showing an interest in their country and language will be the basis for mutual respect and positive interactions.
Convinced that learning a language would be a good idea, but not sure where to start?
Check out Dua Lingo. It’s a free app that’s great fun and very effective.
It makes learning a language feel like a game, with lots of rewards along the way. You can practice at your own pace and in private, and gain confidence and understanding slowly.
While on the program, there are lots of way to keep up with our language progress, including hiring a private tutor, and taking groups lessons. Don’t hesitate to ask us for tips, and we can make recommendations in many cities.
If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at arnold@impact-teaching.com
Please get in touch if would like to learn more about our programs in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Hungary and Poland.
