Opt to study Chinese

Editor: It is that time of year when Vincentians are being invited to apply for scholarships to study in Taiwan.

I would like to encourage my fellow Vincentians who are applying for these scholarships to take the option of studying Mandarin Chinese.{{more}} While studying Mandarin Chinese will add one year to your length of study if you are reading for a degree, it would be one year well invested in your future.

Mandarin Chinese is becoming an increasing important language. Some say it will be the language of the 21st Century. Learning that language will not only increase your competitive advantage but will also open a whole new world to you. Further, your experience in Taiwan will be much richer for it.

Some people, including persons who have graduated from universities in Taiwan, will tell you that you can survive and successfully complete your studies without being able to speak Chinese. While this is true, it is only when you learn the language that you would fully appreciate the true richness of the time spent in Taiwan.

There are literally hundreds of Vincentians graduates who are fluent in Spanish. Quite a few also speak French. However, fewer than 20 Vincentian graduates are fluent in Mandarin Chinese. Why not give yourself the competitive advantage to work on both sides of the globe? Further, our nation, as it expands its foreign policy and its economic options, will need to call increasingly on people who speak Mandarin Chinese. Join me and the other Vincentian graduates who speak fluent Mandarin Chinese and who will be positioned to take advantage of those opportunities.

Opt to study Mandarin Chinese. Ni yiding buhui houhui de! (You definitely will not regret it!)

Kenton X. Chance
Taipei, Taiwan
(http://tinyurl.com/7l9z6xv)