The coronavirus has brought the entire world to a standstill, with bars, restaurants, cinemas, schools, offices, shops, factories and airports shut, and curfews requiring millions of people to remain in their homes. While there is understandably some despair at this situation which is impacting the livelihoods of millions, the measures are necessary to lessen the number of lives which could be lost to this dangerous virus. With little option but to stay home and wait till the coronavirus subsides, now is the very best time to start learning Chinese and here’s why.
1, Learning Chinese is a great way to make new friends
With 70% of the human population being urged to shun social interaction, our current circumstances make it difficult to enjoy human interaction and make new friends.
Fortunately, by its very nature, language learning is a very social endeavour, and with the aid of technology meaningful social interaction can be conducted while still observing safe social distancing guidelines. Mandarin Chinese is spoken by over 1.2 billion people, and while you’ll not have time to make friends with all of these people there are plenty of friends you can make.
Language groups on Facebook , Twitter or WeChat are plentiful and provide many opportunities to safely meet native Chinese speakers who are happy to support your language development, especially if you are willing to support their English language development in return.
2, Learning Chinese is mentally stimulating
Learning Mandarin Chinese is a productive use of time, which will not only relieve the boredom of being confined indoors but will also contribute to good mental health. Language learning is excellent exercise for the brain and learning Mandarin Chinese, which makes use of characters to represent words, can supercharge your memory. Learn to speak Chinese and you’ll improve your memory, your decision making skills, your cognitive abilities and protect your mind from mental decline.
3, Learning Chinese is a great career move
China’s economic growth over the past four decades has been phenomenal. Over 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty, the country’s GDP has increased 82 times to $12.24 trillion , that’s 15% of the global economy.
Most business analysts agree China looks set to dominate 21st century trade, and despite the coronavirus originating in China, the country looks set to be among the first to move forward and take advantage of the new economic landscape. China is already providing facemasks and medical equipment to the US and countries in Europe. By 2030, China is expected to be the world’s largest economy (once again ).
From multinational corporations to small private businesses, more and more employers value employees who have the language skills, and cultural competencies, to negotiate with Chinese businesses.
Growing demand for employees with Mandarin language skills is creating plenty of lucrative opportunities. Start learning Chinese during the lockdown and you’ll be reaping the financial rewards as soon as regular business restarts.
4, Free courses now available with Domino Chinese
Domino Chinese offer the most popular and widely used online Chinese language learning resource, with courses for all levels from beginner to full fluency (HSK 6), thousands of satisfied students and hundreds of hours of video lessons.
Furthermore, to help relieve the boredom and stress of the coronavirus lockdown, Domino Chinese are offering their introduction course for free – simply click here!
In mid-April Domino will be offering unlimited access to all their courses entirely free for 1 month. More details to follow soon!
If you are tempted to take the next step towards developing your individual potentially and advancing your career, then join the Domino family today!
5, Be ready to travel and explore China
No one is travelling anywhere right now, with hotels, airports and entire countries closed to travellers. But as soon as the coronavirus comes under control, the travel industry will quickly reopen, offering incredible deals and promotions to kick start the industry and encourage travellers to start exploring once again.
After learning Chinese you’ll be ready to explore China, making great use of your newly acquired skills and taking advantage all those incredible post-Covid travel deals.