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Why Learning English in China is No Longer Just Important
Written by Robert Vance on October 12, 2008 – 8:43 pmLearning English in China used to be important. English was once a valuable commodity in China that few people had the chance to obtain. Those who could communicate in English found themselves facing a much brighter future in China including the prospect of traveling abroad and finding a job related to the international community that would be both intriguing and well paying. They would also have the respect of their extended family and the community at large.
Those days are long gone in China. Not only do most schools and universities now offer English courses in China but there are now thousands of training centers that specialize in teaching English to children and adults. Most students who even halfway paid attention in high school now graduate with at least a basic level of English that they can build on if they so choose. Many universities in China offer English majors and hire foreign teachers to help students with their oral English skills. Even students who are not majoring in English can often have the chance to take advantage of these foreign instructors. Adults who never went to university or want to build on what they learned can take English classes at local training centers in their area. In short, China has been saturated by the business of learning English and now is home to more speakers of English than any other country in the world.
Thus, learning English in China is no longer just important. It is the bare minimum for any serious student. Not learning English here would be tantamount to not studying math or science.Beyond that, Chinese students who want to use their English to further their career will have to do more than just become familiar with the language. They will have to become fluent in it because there is now simply too much competition. English speakers are a ‘dime a dozen’ in China and companies, especially foreign ones, can now be much pickier when they hire their English speaking staff members.
Many students in China who are now entering the university have realized that majoring in English is not going to help expand their horizons these days. These students are choosing to major in another language or another field while at the same time taking English classes on the side. Where I live, studying Japanese or Korean along with English is quite popular.
Perhaps then, the title of this article is a bit deceiving. The pursuit of English skills is as important in China as ever but now a Chinese student must work extra hard to stand out amongst the millions of other students who are also learning the English language.
Foreign teachers in China have a responsibility to stress to their ESL students that mediocrity in English is no longer good enough. English students who have high hopes for where their English skills can take them must push themselves hard to master pronunciation and grammar. Without that extra push, too many students will sadly find that their English ’skills’ really do not mean so much anymore in a country where English speakers are now in great abundance.
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[...] is so popular in China that no one majors in it any more. [The China Teaching [...]
[...] of information: Article mentioned. http://www.teachabroadchina.com/why-learning-english-in-china-is-no-longer-just-important/ China’s balance of trade graph. [...]
I do not agree with your article at all. I’ve lived in China six years and have continually seen a demand for English. This reply is written on November 12, 2008 and I still get calls about learning English. I have connections with most multinationals and they also confirm that the demand is high. Individuals need to learn English for their future. Basic English is not enough anymore. People are afraid to speak English to a foreigner as they fear making a mistake and they would “lose face” because of it.
There is constant press to learn English, especially now. This is due to the fact that the World Expo start in 2010 for six months. There will 50 to 60 million people pass through Shanghai during six months. Can you imagine?
I really don’t know what Robert Vance is talking about.
So, unless Robert Vance has lived, worked and experience China, his words are not accurate. It’s far from reality.
- Andy Zajac BA, MBA, TESOL
Shanghai
http://www.andy.educate.ws
@Andy Zajac,
A few points…
1. You clearly just looked at the title of the article and did not bother to actually read through it so let me help you. Here is what I wrote towards the end…
“The pursuit of English skills is as important in China as ever but now a Chinese student must work extra hard to stand out amongst the millions of other students who are also learning the English language…” It’s better if you read something through once before you comment on it…
2. You said,
“So, unless Robert Vance has lived, worked and experience China, his words are not accurate. It’s far from reality.”
You are what we call a ‘hit-and-run’ case on blogs. You don’t bother to look around on a website and see what it is all about before you make ignorant comments. If you had bothered to look in the ‘About’ section of this website you would have seen the following…
“Robert Vance is a China based freelance writer and teacher who has traveled extensively throughout Asia and Latin America. He spent more than a decade as a radio broadcaster in the United States before moving to Asia to focus on writing about Chinese Culture. He has also lived and traveled throughout Mexico and Central America. He holds a degree in Spanish and International Studies from a unversity in the United States. Presently, he is the senior editor at TeachAbroadChina.com which provides useful cultural information and tips for ex-pats living in the People’s Republic of China. He also writes daily op-ed articles about Chinese culture and politics which appear on the website.”
So there you have it. You didn’t read the article and you were completely wrong about me.
@Rob Vance,
Thanks Robert for the laugh tonight! When Zajac said that “basic English is not enough anymore” he was basically stealing from your article that he claims to “disagree with.” I love people who think they know everything and when they try to show it they make complete fools out of themselves. Anyway, keep up the good work and keep me smiling! That’s all I ask.
Your article is contradictory and is not worth reading in it’s entirety. Politically speaking, because of what Bush and his father have done to the rest of the world people will suffer. China will survive as the strongest and the USA will sink into quicksand. The worst has yet to happen and when it does China will be prepared.
English is essential in China. People didn’t believe it before but now it’s becoming a way of life. The problem is that most Chinese are afraid to speak English.
English is in demand and will be for the next five to ten years.
If you visited my website you’ll see that I have a BA in Media and MBA in Business Management. In addition, I have a license from the Canadian government to teach English in China.
In the late 80’s and early 90’s I was on television in Canada and the US producing and hosting verious success and entertainment tv shows.
I operate several companies in the US, Canada and Europe, travelled the world and decided to stay in China.
English learning is only one opportunity for foreigners. There are many others.
I do not claim to know everything and never did but I do know about what goes in Asia.
So, in the end, you can say what you want about me but most people can figure out who is telling the truth. - All the best..
@Andy Zajac,
I could really care less how many BA’s, MBA’s and licenses you have. Do you think you can somehow prove your worth to everyone with the amount of education you have received or amount of time that you worked in television? I was in radio for ten years and I produced and hosted shows all over the place. So what? That is completely irrelevant to what we are talking about here. You also somehow twisted this into a way to take a whack at Bush…that doesn’t make any sense at all.
I don’t disagree with anything that you have said about English learning in China and I don’t think that you would have disagreed with anything that I wrote had you actually bothered to read the article in the first place.
@Andy Zajac,
Yeah, what’s the point of mentioning how many BA’s ang MBA’s you’ve finshed. You made me laugh with your Nov.12 comments for it seems you haven’t understand what the author would like to emphasize. Before making any contradicting comments, better make it sure that you are on the right side of the road.
Contradicting comments came from Mr. Vance along with a sizable paragrah about himself. I really don’t care about your comments but you shouldn’t mislead the people who are reading this site.
In China nobody cares about a BA or MBA. Chinese people want to know what you can do for them. That’s the way it is. Good luck.
@Andy Zajac,
The ONLY people who would be misled about this article are people like yourself who did not bother to read the entire article before making a comment about it.
Where in the article is there a sizable paragraph about myself? I don’t think I even once mentioned myself in the article. And even if I did, so what? I own and operate this blog.
Perhaps then, the title of this article is a bit deceiving. The pursuit of English skills is as important in China as ever but now a Chinese student must work extra hard to stand out amongst the millions of other students who are also learning the English language.
This does it all. Yeah it’s true that Chinese students must really work hard to be able to achieve that English proficiency in themselves. It really sounds difficult on their part because of the following reasons.
Chinese students don’t know how to:
1. enter a discussion
2. express disagreement without offence
3. pose a question politely
4. hold the floor against an interruption
5. refuse a turn to speak - gracefully
6. deflect a question
7. respond to a challenge
8. use humour
9. respond to humour
10. seek clarification without losing face
I’ve have taught two college schools and a middle school here in China and currently teaching in a kindergarten. These reasons were enumerated for I’ve observed these during my entire teaching career where in my students are adults. You maybe surprise to know why I’m in a kindergarten school now. Teaching college students will really wear you out mentally as compared to teaching kids where in it’s on the physical aspect. Not only that, teaching kids makes us more healthy and young. Why not try it for you will really enjoy rather than teaching lazy college students who think that learning English is not at all important.
@Jhunex,
I’m teaching at the university level right now and I agree with those 10 reasons that you presented. Fortunately, however, out of a class of 60 students, there are usually 4 or 5 who can help me keep things going. These days, I ‘force’ my students to talk by just pointing at random people during my class, making them stand up, and having them respond to a question. Sometimes they are red-faced but they always try their best. I think eventually, they will gain more self confidence.
I have also taught kids and personally, I find that so exhausting. At least college students will pretend to enjoy what you are doing even if they are bored out of their minds.:)
To sum up the well documented 10 points of ‘ Jhunex ‘ in a nutshell, I would venture to say that Chinese students are a shy lot, and so their English teacher must work harder than a teacher of other Nationalities, just to bring them out of their shells…………