[EDLING:1321] Money Speaks: Learning Chinese

[Francis M. Hult]

China Daily

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2006-03/13/content_533376.htm

Money speaks
LIU JIE
2006-03-13 07:31

Learning Chinese is no longer just fashionable, but is considered a necessity 
by thousands of aspiring young business people around the world who are keen 
to jump on the China bandwagon.

Thomas Edwards, a 40-something American expatriate working in Beijing for a US 
company, studied Chinese before he even landed his present job because he 
believed his future lay across the Pacific. Now that his future is assured, 
Edwards continues to sharpen his Chinese whenever he has the chance. At coffee 
breaks, for example, he makes a point of mixing with his Chinese colleagues to 
practice his language skills. 

"My Chinese has improved a lot in the three months I've been here," he says. 

Edwards says that when he started learning Chinese in the United States, it 
was the popular thing to do. Now learning Chinese has become a huge trend 
among many young American executives, he says.

The Chinese language craze has spawned a multimillion-dollar business in 
China. Language schools specializing in teaching non-native speakers have 
opened in nearly every major city. Thousands of people have quit their jobs to 
become full-time private Chinese language tutors. Publishing houses are 
working overtime to churn out education materials and learning aides to teach 
foreigners Chinese.

The Chinese Language Education Foundation, a non-profit research facility, 
estimates that there are tens of millions of foreigners around the world 
studying the Chinese language. Each student, it figures, spends an average of 
about 1,000 yuan (US$125) on tuition and learning materials every year. 

In the past, most foreigners learned Chinese largely because they were 
fascinated by the country's rich cultural heritage. Now they are studying 
because they want to do business in the fastest growing major economy in the 
world, says Zhang Li, director of the business Chinese department at Beijing 
Language and Culture University (BLCU).

There is, of course, no shortage of Chinese language teachers and teaching 
facilities in China catering to the increasing numbers of foreign students. 
Several major universities in Beijing, including BLCU, Beijing University and 
Beijing Foreign Studies University, are offering Chinese language courses to 
foreign students.

At BLCU, for instance, tuition for a full-time training programme ranges from 
23,200 yuan (US$2,864) a year for beginners to 28,200 yuan (US$3,841) for 
advanced students. The university also provides short-term courses at prices 
ranging from 2,000 yuan (US$247) a month to 10,000 yuan (US$1,235) for three 
months. 

Costs vary greatly, depending on location and facilities. One-on-one lessons 
can be expensive, with fees ranging from 100 yuan (US$12) to 300 yuan (US$37) 
per hour. 

More multinational companies in China are organizing in-house Chinese language 
classes for their expatriate employees. Edwards and others say that these 
classes are designed to help expatriates and their families better understand 
the cultural background and customs of the local market. Effective 
communication, Edwards says, is not only about language. It is also about 
understanding different cultures and ways of thinking, he says.

Zhang says the Chinese language courses at BLCU are designed to meet the needs 
and requirements of foreign students. 

"We emphasis business Chinese because our students are learning the language 
to find jobs or to help them in negotiations with their Chinese business 
partners," he says. 

Angel Robin, a recent graduate of BLCU, got a job as a sales manager in the 
Beijing office of a French pharmaceutical company. She makes 6,000 yuan 
(US$741) a month. 

"I think I got the job because I can speak some Chinese," she says.

She says she is happy sharing a two-bedroom apartment with a co-worker and 
living in Beijing. 

"I can feed myself and there is still some money left for me to travel around 
China," she says. "That's quite enough for me, at least for now." 

Robin says one of her British classmates now works as the chief representative 
of a foreign property-consulting firm's Beijing office. He makes 300,000 yuan 
(US$37,037) a year, mainly due to his Chinese language skills. 

Speaking the local tongue is a great way to make friends, Edwards says. 

"When I greet somebody with the Chinese greeting "ni hao" I can see the 
appreciation in their face," Edwards says. 

"That's a good start, right? The Chinese say we have friends all over the 
world. I like to say I have teachers all over China."

The proliferation of Chinese language schools throughout the country has 
prompted the government to take regulatory action, according to Ma Jianfei, 
deputy director of the China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign 
Language. Ma says the purpose is to set standards for Chinese language schools 
and protect the interests of foreign students.

The office has issued a series of regulations on capital requirements and 
teaching qualifications. Ma says his bureau is stepping up its supervision by 
making regular visits to registered schools and evaluating teachers. 


(China Daily 03/13/2006 page1)