On the Importance of Teaching Mandarin
By Joe Rowan
Chinese character worksheet (Image: Norman Tsai, CC BY-NC 2.0, via Flickr)
Britain is not known for its language learning. Recent polling shows that only about 38% of Brits speak at least one foreign language, and only 18% speak two. Compare that with the European Union’s 56% for one foreign language and 28% for two, plus the fact that 51% of EU citizens can have a conversation in English, and it’s pretty clear where the stereotypes come from.
And yet, at least for languages such as French, German, or Spanish, there is no major concern that we are about to enter a linguistic drought; the number of students that study these languages at GCSE in the UK is fairly stable and averages out at about 250,000 overall each year. The deeper problem we are facing is not one of general linguistic ignorance (though that may well be the case in comparison with our Continental counterparts), but rather one of widespread inaptitude in more challenging languages, such as Mandarin Chinese.
It is possible, and even tempting for some, to claim that the discussion of this problem has been blown out of proportion, and that the reality of Mandarin teaching in schools is drastically improving year in, year out. One could point to the fact that, for example, only 7-8% of state secondary schools were offering Chinese in 2005, whereas this figure has increased to 13% now, alongside 46% of independent schools. Although this increase is to be commended and represents a glimmer of hope against the backdrop of doom and gloom, it is nevertheless evident that this is nowhere near enough when compared with the increasing need and demand for British speakers of Mandarin on the world stage.
Starting at the level of secondary education, there is no doubt that not enough is being done to teach Mandarin. For a start, though the number of British schools that offer Chinese is steadily increasing, it must be noted that this is from a notably low base, and that it is frequently offered as an extra-curricular subject rather than a mainstream option. This is a clear reflection of Britain’s current diplomatic and economic priorities: it has been deemed from on high that Mandarin is not worth teaching to the bulk of British secondary school students, a decision justified by a variety of excuses - Chinese is too hard; spoken too far away; not a traditional language to study; and poor relations with China.
But what this point of view fails to account for is the fact that, contrary to popular belief, hostile relations with a country by no means imply a lessened need for knowledge of said country’s language. This is a fact which, as noted by a recent The Times article, Britain’s Foreign Office is failing to address: an average of only 14 Foreign Office officials are being trained to speak fluent Mandarin each year, and, from 2017 to 2022, only 70 diplomats reached levels C1 or C2 in Chinese, which equates to fluency in the language. Though these numbers may not seem meagre to some, the fact is that, in a post-Brexit world in which diplomatic and economic cooperation outside of the EU is becoming increasingly important, Britain simply cannot carry out any form of foreign policy towards China without the linguistic expertise to be able to implement and communicate it.
Language is power. And if, as seems to be the case, Britain does not have enough Mandarin speakers in order to carry out any form of soft or hard diplomacy in the region in a clear and unambiguous way, then we are falling short of our responsibilities as an influential Western nation. Indeed, Liz Truss’ view that China represents an “official threat”, shared by many in the Conservative Party, means that this has become even more of a priority, as you cannot attempt to tame a lion without speaking its language (quite literally). No matter how harmonious or hostile Sino-British relations may be over the years to come, if we are to have a clear, cohesive, and coherent foreign policy towards China, then mastering Chinese is a prerequisite for these efforts.
The benefits of a shift in language teaching towards Mandarin in schools would reach beyond just diplomacy, and would help to provide the basis for significant financial benefits for Britain. Although the British government may not be keen on a great degree of reliance on Chinese companies during the present period of sour relations, some degree of economic cooperation would be beneficial to the UK, especially following our exit from the European Union and during our current economic slump. Though Britain’s grievances with China are valid, it will be increasingly difficult to justify our lack of financial cooperation over the coming years as the British economy flails under the financial burdens of Brexit, Covid, and the effects of the war in Ukraine. True, China’s economy itself isn’t doing so great at the moment, but these things can change quickly, and it would be foolish to ignore a country whose GDP was almost 15 trillion USD in 2020, and which occupies four out of the top 10 positions in Fortune’s 2022 Global 500 List.
No matter what your opinion is on China, the fact is that it will have some sort of influence on Britain on the world stage over the years to come. The lack of Mandarin speakers in the British Diplomatic Service is ultimately down to a lack of teaching in schools, and it is thus in schools where this problem must be addressed. Diplomatically, financially, culturally, as well as personally and socially, Britain is depriving itself of strength and opportunities by closing the door on a language spoken by over 1.1 billion people. It is never too late to change the current trend - as a wise Chinese proverb states, “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.”