KCDA的小天地

When I was in India, there were numerous students and businessmen who asked me about teaching them Chinese. I kindly refused because speaking the language is quite different from teaching it.

Recently I came to learn some facts:

1. By 2030 India is expected to have a population of more than 1.53 billion while China's population is forecast to be at its peak of 1.46 billion. 

2. India’s CBSE, for example, had announced in 2010 to introduce Mandarin Chinese in class VI in all its affiliated schools from the next academic session. 

3. The result of China’s 2010 census released in April reveals 1.34 billion in its population, which places China as the world’s first largest country. 

4. The world’s most widely spoken language is Chinese (937,132,000), Spanish (332,000,000), and English (322,000,000).

This means there is an increasing demand for people to learn Chinese. But there is a shortage of Chinese teachers, especially in India.

If I were to start a social enterprise in India, teaching Mandarin Chinese seems to be a great business opportunity.

During my two week trip in Taiwan, I went to International Han Institutes for its Chinese Teachers Training Program. It was an intensive, interactive, fun-filled, 21-hour learning experience for me.

Mandarin Chinese sentence structure is quite different from English and other European languages. For example, since the word order doesn't match, sentences which are translated word-for-word to Mandarin will be difficult to understand. You must learn to think in Mandarin Chinese when speaking the language.

My teacher Mr. Chu, who has been teaching Mandarin Chinese in various countries, gave us many practical insights.

I will need to complete the remaining 45-hours of training online. I would need to pass its oral, written, and presentation to receive an internationally recognized TCSOL certificate.

I still have lots of work ahead of me, but it’s a great start.