The Vancouver Sun – CHUCK CHIANG
“Mandarin Chinese is a favourite choice when it comes to learning a new language, despite a lack of resources for educators…Program leader Nina Parr said UBC has about 200 adult students registered in its Mandarin classes at any time, and usually about two-thirds are beginners. The overwhelming reason students are taking up the language appears to be career advancement. “It’s not necessarily that they have jobs where they need to speak Mandarin,” Parr said. “It’s more that people in their 20s and even early 30s feel like the language is an added benefit for them. To be able to say to an employer: ‘These are all the skills I have, and I have a basic communication level in Mandarin.’ It’s just an extra bonus to have that skill…Interest in Mandarin is equally high at Langara College, where the dean of Continuing Studies, Daniel Thorpe, said there are 400 students enrolled in the school’s Mandarin Centre, a program offering classes to both children and adults.”(more)