Three months left for 2021! How is your New Year resolution going? Is it too late to start a new goal this year? Or study a language.
The answer is NO. It is never too late to start learning.
In July we received a call from a lady. She asked us if we take old students for our Mandarin Chinese class. We told her it is never too late to learn and we welcome seniors. When I first time saw her husband taking her to our Chinese class, I couldn’t believe my eyes. She came with a rolling walker and a new Chinese book. She told me she always wants to learn Mandarin Chinese and now it is the time to start before her 90’s birthday. After a brief discussion, we started our weekly Mandarin Chinese lesson. Since then we have been enjoying our lessons – not only the language but the culture and fun stories.
I believe you can do better even if you start now.
If your New Year Resolution has been disrupted by the unexpected Covid lockdown, start learning a new language is a good option. No matter it is for brain stimulation, cultural interest, family ties or a new skill for a future career, the number of studying a new language increased 300% during the lockdown in the UK according to a BBC report.
According to recent research conducted by British Council (November 2020) here are some findings:
- 79% believe foreign language should be compulsory at secondary school and 66% at primary school.
- 64% wish they should have kept foreign language study they studied and 58% regret not speding more time studying
- Top three foreign languages: Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese
An article posted on 21 September 2021 shows only 8% of Australian students learning foreign languages compared to 50% of students across OECD countries.
Apparently, we need to do more to promote foreign languages. Quote from the above article as a conclusion:
If Australia is to fulfil its potential on the global stage, particularly in the Asia-Pacific, our students need to gain the skills to equip them to thrive in a world characterised by cultural intermingling. As Kwame Anthony Appiah eloquently suggests, “conversations across boundaries can be delightful, or just vexing: what they mainly are, though, is inevitable”.
https://www.childmags.com.au/why-are-8-of-australian-students-learning-foreign-languages-compared-to-50-of-students-across-oecd-countries/
To help you start to learn Mandarin and Japanese, we are opening some new classes in term 4 starting from 9 October at Aspley State School. If you have learnt Mandarin or Japanese before and like to restart, you can also pick one of the classes which suit your level.
Need help? Call us at 0405-073-523.
For more classes, please visit our website.