Learning Mandarin

This story originally appeared in Playtimes magazine, November 2016. 

“The illiterates of the 21st Century only speak one language,” said my glamorous new European friend. I was an Australian backpacker, fresh off the plane. She was French and spoke three languages. Her comment wasn’t meant to be mean, nor was it directed at me but it cut deep. I’ll never forget it.

Fast forward a decade and as a mother of two, living in a foreign land, I can say with some experience it seems she was right – the illiterates of this century only speak one language. I’m one of them, but I’m damned if my kids will be.

A second language is a powerful gift to give a child. The third, fourth and fifth fall with greater ease after the second. We illiterates should be so lucky! Living in Hong Kong, many parents will decide that learning Chinese is a priority for their child. But what’s the reality of learning Chinese for those kids without any previous exposure? And what’s the difference between Putonghua and Cantonese; simplified characters and traditional characters?

Read the full article here.