OPINION: Falling behind in the Mandarin imperative
- From: pluto <pluto@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 16:27:33 +0800
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/Columns/20051114082130/Article/indexb_html
OPINION: Falling behind in the Mandarin imperative
Chow Kum Hor
Nov 14:
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China?s economic ascendancy has made a knowledge of Mandarin increasingly
valuable. The Education Ministry, however, is still struggling to introduce
the language in national schools, writes CHOW KUM HOR.
GUNTOR Tobeng may be as Malay as they make them, but when it comes to
earning a living he often falls back on his command of Mandarin.
The former student of SJKC Keat Hwa (K) in Alor Star, who is now in the
solar-powered products and security systems trade, regularly receives
write-ups and literature on these goods from China and Taiwan.
"My business partners rely on me to read these materials. Based on that, we
have to make important business decisions. I also deal a lot with the
Chinese, whether from China or locals," says Guntor.
His command of Mandarin, which also gives him an insight into the Chinese
way of doing things, has come in very handy indeed with the emergence of
China as the new economic force.
The fact is, Mandarin is becoming increasingly important. It is the lingua
franca for trade and the official language of China, the number one
destination for everyone eager to sell everything, from armchairs to
zippers to its 1.3 billion population.
But as governments the world over encourage their people to take up a
language with great potential, Malaysia has done little. Save for the
availability of national-type Chinese primary schools, little conscious
effort has been made to popularise Mandarin.
Even the Education Ministry?s plans to offer Mandarin and Tamil in national
schools in stages starting next year has been scaled back, a ministry
official says. Not surprisingly, the delay is traced to the perennial lack
of qualified teachers and difficulties in adjusting the schools?
timetables.
"Right now, what we have is Mandarin for Communications in selected
national primary schools. It is different from Mandarin as a subject, which
we plan to introduce once we get everything in order. We are still studying
the matter," the source says.
This creates a dichotomy in the school system where national-type Chinese
primary school students are able to communicate in Mandarin, while those
from the national schools generally cannot converse, much less read or
write in the language.
"There may come a day when students who do not know the language will lose
out when they join the workforce to those who do," the official adds.
Putting off a decision means children lose out on the best time for them to
learn a new language, says Universiti Teknologi Mara?s Academy of Language
Studies associate professor Koh Soo Ling.
She says research has shown that younger learners find it a lot easier to
learn a language than older ones.
"You may be surprised how fast children can absorb if given the
opportunity. Their minds are like sponges. It will not be a burden to them
although they are already learning Bahasa Malaysia and English," she says.
Malaysia?s tardiness is all the more worrying considering the efforts other
countries are making to get their citizens to pick up Mandarin.
Chinese-majority Singapore, which launched its "Speak Mandarin Campaign" 14
years ago, is not letting up on its efforts to promote the language,
despite waning interest among the English-educated.
Even in Thailand, each educational district will be required to have at
least one high school with a Mandarin class by 2007. By 2008, all high
schools are required to offer classes in Mandarin. In addition, a Chinese
university will also be set up in Betong.
That more and more non-native speakers are picking up Mandarin underlies
the potential they see in China?s economic transformation.
Malaysia?s trade with the country, its fourth largest trading partner, was
worth RM61.4 billion last year, an increase of 18.1 per cent over 2003.
Malaysia is China?s eighth and its largest trading partner within Asean.
Malaysia-China Business Council joint-secretary Datuk David Chua says he
notices a growing trend among the local business community, including
non-ethnic Chinese, to learn the language spoken by over 860 million people
world- wide.
"This is similar to the time when Japan was emerging as an economic giant
and lots of people were scrambling to learn Japanese," says Chua, who also
sits on the National Economic Consultative Council (NECC) II.
Besides the obvious advantage in negotiating business deals and reading
documents, Chua says knowing Mandarin can help build relationships with
Chinese trade partners, especially in a country that still places a premium
on guanxi (relationship).
Knowing the language ? and by extension, the culture ? can help one wade
through the intricacies of Chinese business practices and sensitivities.
For example, it is common to include entertainment, such as karaoke
sessions, during negotiations.
Giving gifts such as clocks or presents wrapped in black paper or even
using only one hand to exchange business cards are among the more common
faux pas in a culture with a 5,000-year tradition.
"Not knowing the language is certainly a setback in doing business in
China," says Chua, himself a businessman who has dealings in China.
Koh says Malaysia must catch up soon and there is no short-cut. The
Education Ministry has no choice but to train more Mandarin teachers,
especially in national schools.
The ministry is also said to be toying with the idea of hiring teachers
from Taiwan and Malaysian graduates from Taiwanese universities.
Education Ministry Parliamentary Secretary S. Komala Devi says retired
teachers may also be re-employed while the ministry regularly sends its
teachers for training programmes.
But given the red tape involving such decisions, it may take a few years
before the policy finally takes off.
"Government intervention is one thing. Employees must also make a conscious
effort to learn the language," says Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF)
executive director Shamsudin Bardan.
"Just look at the job advertisements in newspapers. A growing number of
employers want their workers to know Mandarin, especially companies with
operations in China and Taiwan."
More people are signing up to learn the language. The Johor Baru Chinese
Association, for instance, has recorded at least 2,000 non-Chinese learning
Mandarin in the city. Its president, Goh Hui Beng, says the overwhelming
majority enrolled with career advancements or business considerations in
mind.
But Shamsudin says it is imperative for the Government to introduce the
language in national schools.
"It is either that or we are going to lose our competitive edge to other
countries."
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pluto
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