Throughout 2020, Covid-19 forced the entire world to a standstill, with the closing of bars, restaurants, cinemas, schools, offices, shops, factories and airports.
While the lockdowns have caused emotional and economic despair, the measures have been necessary to avoid the virus from causing an even greater number of illnesses and deaths.
As we move into 2021, the number of people being infected by the coronavirus continues to rise. The development and approval of numerous vaccines is an important step to a long term solution to living with Covid. Unfortunately, it is going to take months for developed countries to vaccinate their populations. For less developed countries with poor healthcare infrastructure, the coronavirus vaccine is unlikely to help much during the year ahead.
With many countries facing more lockdown restrictions, 2021 is a year to make use of the time indoors constructively - and what is more constructive than learning a new language?
And, if you are going to learn a new language in 2021, that language really should be Mandarin Chinese, and here’s why…
1, Learning Chinese is a great way to make new friends
With 70% of the human population being urged to shun social interaction, our current circumstances make it difficult to enjoy human interaction and make new friends.
Fortunately, by its very nature, language learning is a very social endeavour, and with the aid of technology meaningful social interaction can be conducted while still observing safe social distancing guidelines. Mandarin Chinese is spoken by over 1.2 billion people, and while you’ll not have time to make friends with all of these people there are plenty of friends you can make.
Language groups on Facebook , Twitter or WeChat are plentiful and provide many opportunities to safely meet native Chinese speakers who are happy to support your language development, especially if you are willing to support their English language development in return.
2, Learning Chinese is mentally stimulating
Learning to read, write and speak Mandarin Chinese is a productive use of time, which will not only relieve the boredom of being confined indoors but will also contribute to good mental health. Language learning is excellent exercise for the brain and learning Mandarin Chinese, which makes use of characters to represent words, can supercharge your memory. Learn to speak Chinese and you’ll improve your memory, your decision making skills, your cognitive abilities and protect your mind from mental decline.
3, Learning Chinese is a great career move
China’s economic growth over the past four decades has been phenomenal. Over 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty, the country’s GDP has increased 82 times to $12.24 trillion , that's 15% of the global economy.
Most business analysts agree China looks set to dominate 21st century trade, and despite the coronavirus originating in China, the country looks set to be among the first to move forward and take advantage of the new economic landscape. China is already providing facemasks and medical equipment to the US and countries in Europe. By 2030, China is expected to be the world’s largest economy (once again ).
From multinational corporations to small private businesses, more and more employers value employees who have the language skills, and cultural competencies, to negotiate with Chinese businesses.
Growing demand for employees with Mandarin language skills is creating plenty of lucrative opportunities. Spend some time learning Chinese during the lockdown and you’ll be reaping the financial rewards as soon as regular business restarts.
4, You can start learning Chinese for free
One of the most popular and widely used online Chinese language learning resource, Domino Chinese, is offering free access to their courses. They have everything you need to learn Chinese, whether you are an absolute beginner, or a seasoned language learner studding for the formidable HSK 5 and HSK 6 assessments.
If you are tempted to take the next step towards developing your individual potentially and advancing your career, then start learning Chinese today!
5, Be ready to travel and explore China
No one is travelling anywhere right now, with hotels, airports and entire countries closed to travellers. But as soon as the coronavirus comes under control, the travel industry will quickly reopen, offering incredible deals and promotions to kick start the industry and encourage travellers to start exploring once again.
After learning Chinese you’ll be ready to explore China, making great use of your newly acquired skills and taking advantage all those incredible post-Covid travel deals.