November 2010 - Association of Dutch Businessmen

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Extra MANDARIN FOR EXPATS IN SINGAPORE Text Michiel Sengers Expats in Singapore are increasingly enrolling in language schools to learn Mandarin. Some schools have seen a 30% increase in the number of students signing up last year. Mandarin is becoming an important language to know both for professional and cultural reasons. First of all, the choice to learn Mandarin is a personal one. Whether you are a business man/woman, a student, housewife or lawyer, everybody could have their reasons to learn Mandarin to improve their lives in Singapore. You might want to be able to converse with a non-English speaking stallholder or taxi driver, or maybe you would like to show your respect by introducing yourself and asking about your counterpart at the start of a business meeting. Without any doubt, speaking Mandarin in a country where about three-quarters of the population are ethnic Chinese is always a wise choice! Do not be discouraged by those people saying that foreigners speaking Mandarin with a bit of an accent will always encounter problems uniting with the Chinese, regardless of their level or experience, because they are not native Chinese. Also, there are people saying that it is no use to learn and use Mandarin in Singapore, because a 12 lot of dialects are spoken. It’s a fact that Chinese dialects are still spoken, but this applies most to the elderly and the government is helping a major hand to get the Chinese Singaporeans to speak Mandarin. Different languages might be a better way to call it, because speakers of one dialect are unable to understand speakers of other dialects. Here are a couple of more reasons for expats to learn and converse in Mandarin: • Be part of society: now that you living abroad, adapting to your new environment will enrich your overseas experience. You will be able to understand more of the local traditions, celebrations, and so much more. • Indulge yourself in Chinese culture: learning Mandarin will make you understand much more about Chinese heritage and values. Many words have a historical background or represent cultural and ethical measures. You will get a better idea of how people think and where they are coming from. • Converse with the largest group worldwide: Mandarin is the most spoken language in the world with 800 million native speakers and 200 million as a second language.
Extra • Brain training: learning new languages is good exercise for the brain. Not only does it improve your memory, it also improves your analytical skills. • Prepare yourself for the future: China is rapidly becoming a world economic power as it opens its doors to foreign investment and expands its infrastructure. Those who know Chinese will be valuable to business. In business it’s advantageous to know the culture. Language is an important part of that. Also, Mandarin is fast replacing Japanese as the Asian language of business. Many expats working in Singapore are offered Mandarin classes through their employer. Some offices even facilitate by bringing the teacher to the office, which is a great solution for those who are short in time. If this does not apply for you, there are many schools, governmental institutes, private teachers and tutors that offer Mandarin classes. Roughly, you can choose from beginners, intermediate and advanced levels, depending on your goals and your current Mandarin knowledge. There is also a choice between learning programs which are awarded with a degree, diploma or certificate and those that are not. In Singapore, Mandarin classes are offered through universities, governmental institutions, commercial language schools, and private teachers. E- learning on the internet is also amongst the options and offers you the most flexibility of all. You can even take live private classes through the internet with a Mandarin teacher that is located in China. And if you are really eager to become fluent as quick as possible, you might think of going abroad. Beijing has recently announced a huge expansion plan in language school positions for overseas students in order to boost international fluency. The path to speaking Mandarin fluently can be quite long. These tips might help you and manage your expectations: - You will not be an expert overnight: in general, the rate of progress is slow: there are hardly any reference points for Westerners, which makes it a difficult language to learn and remember. Remember the time that you had to study a list of 20 words for a French test? Studying 20 words in Mandarin will take you ten times as long. - Practice often: seize every opportunity, since there might not be many, depending of how you live your life in Singapore. Try ordering your food or give directions on where you want to go in Mandarin. It is important to become confident in speaking a new language and this is the only way to do it. - Practise tones: they can make a difference between saying ‘horse’ or ‘mom,’ which will obviously get you in trouble if not pronounced correctly. When you first practise the tones, you might feel like being back in kindergarten, but do know that in Singapore schools, it is still taught exactly the same way to Singapore youth. If you have become interested in learning Mandarin, here is a list of websites to check out when searching for your most suitable option: - Singapore Chinese Chamber Institute of Business (www.scciob.edu.sg) - NUS Extension, NUS Enterprise (www.nus.edu.sg/nex) - Confucius Institute, NTU (www.ci-ntu.com) - Hua Language Centre (www.hua.com.sg) Speak Mandarin. This slogan might sound familiar if you have been living in Singapore. The ‘Speak Mandarin’ campaign was first launched in 1979 by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and has been used and renewed ever since. It is a governmental call to all Chinese speaking Singaporeans to encourage them to speak Mandarin rather than non-Mandarin Chinese languages in order to improve communication. The Malay and Indian communities have less problems as they each have their own common language to communicate in. Throughout the years, the goal of this campaign has changed, comprising keeping links to cultural roots and appreciating its heritage and values. In the beginning of this long lasting campaign, the government aimed for Chinese Singaporeans in general. Two years after its start, there was a focus on specific groups within that community. As from the 90’s, it targeted for English-educated Chinese Singaporeans, amongst whom Mandarin was losing ground. SKYPE INTERNET AANSLUITING SOFTWARE & HARDWARE 13
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Page 4 and 5: Contents Vol. 20 / No. 9 / Nov 2010
Page 6 and 7: Events shuttle and an overnight tra
Page 8 and 9: Business Innovative addition to Sin
Page 10 and 11: Business Doctrine of Ants and Ostri
Page 12 and 13: ASSOCIATION News Extraordinary Gene
Page 16 and 17: Interview Interview with Abel Dutil
Page 18 and 19: Bizz News Dutch Caribbean islands g
Page 20 and 21: know your tax What is it about tran
Page 22: Lifestyle Angkor Wat Half Marathon
Page 25 and 26: Embassy and ADb News Public Holiday
Page 27 and 28: ADB Christmas Dinner and Dance Plea

November 2010 - Association of Dutch Businessmen

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