As we all know, the 21st century is a time of economic globalization and social life informationization. Therefore, the language is just not as simple as an ordinary tool of communication. That’s the reason why more and more foreigners come to learn Chinese in China. Living in this new century, whether you can master a second language becomes the standard of being a qualified citizens.
It attaches great importance to master more than one language, especially the preeminent international language. For those who learn Mandarin in China, they can survive and develop in the fiercely competitive society by this way. For a country, it is an essential condition for international exchange and national economic development. Besides, it is the fundamental guarantee for a nation to make progress and prosperity.
Accordingly, we can say it is impossible to overemphasize the importance of the language education. Here is an example for learners who study Chinese in China. If you country has high scientific and technological level, but if the scientists and engineers don’t master a foreign language, they would fail to obtain the latest information as well as the science and technology exchanges. Then, the country will fall far behind in the competiveness.
For this reason, many western countries such as Sweden and Denmark demand the whole citizens to master two languages. In Germany and Luxembourg, students are required to master two foreign languages in university. Four or five foreign languages are needed for students in Iceland. These countries are demanding in mastering a second language so many westerners come to learn Mandarin Chinese. It indicates that the second language education has a special importance on a country’s development.
The importance of the language education is becoming increasingly apparent for a nation’s progress and prosperity. If you have a chance to go to the ethnic areas when you study in China, you will see people there are show great enthusiasm in learning two languages. For the ethnic minorities, they should learn their own languages in order to maintain their own cultures. But at the same time, they need to learn Chinese to master the scientific technology, thus promoting the development of their minorities.
Therefore, everyone who wants to survive in China should study Mandarin Chinese. If overseas learners fail to master it well, they would be in trouble in progressing in China. Therefore, an increasing number of foreigners is eager to master Chinese language because large quantity of information in China should be obtained by Chinese language.
After discussing so much in above parts, we know the importance of acquiring a second language. It is important not only for the individual survival and development, but also for a country’s the progress and prosperity as well as the scientific and technological development of a certain nation or minority. When foreigners come to China, they can attend Chinese learning programs to acquire Chinese language if they need and show great interest in it.
For a country, especially that has great influence in the world, the language education is a significant measure to expand the state influence and improve the international status. It is known among those who have internships in China that some of the world’s powerful countries are vigorously promoting their native languages such as the Britain and the United State of America.
The followings are some examples that come from the foreign learners who are in one-on-one Chinese learning programs. The president of France personally pays much attention to teaching French to foreigners. Germany is building more Goethe Institute all around the world. What’s more, Spain is promoting Cervantes Institute and Russia is making efforts in Russian Center.
The reason why all of these countries are sparing no effort to promote their own languages is that the language education is closely related to the country’s influence and status in the world. Therefore, it is natural that more and more foreigners come to China to learn Chinese. We attach more importance to promote our Chinese language because China’s status becomes more important in the world as our increasing growth of the international power.
There is no doubt that the measure of teaching Chinese as a foreign language is our country’s business as well as the national business. Besides, according to the present situation, it becomes a career of the world, an international career. Naturally, we should pay more attention to the Chinese language education.