The Huffington Post – Jennifer J. Raab
“…of all the foreign languages young Americans need to master, Mandarin Chinese ranks in the top tier; indeed, it may be first. Consider the facts: Economists believe it is only a matter of time before China passes the United States as the largest economy on Earth…Yes, English will to be the universal language far into the future. Even so, learning languages like Mandarin is imperative. It is a matter of respect for the people with whom we are increasingly engaged in the new global economy. It is also a matter of practical necessity. Communicating with others can be problematic when it has to be done entirely through translators…Clearly then, the U.S. needs to field large numbers of Mandarin speakers in such realms as diplomacy, business, law and academics in order to relate effectively – and compete successfully – with this emerging world power. It is not too much to say that our nation’s future prosperity depends on how well we Americans do in the Mandarin-learning business.”(more)