Learning Mandarin at Home

Learning Mandarin at Home
Posted on 04/17/2020
Evan WilliamsNeed a Hobby During Quarantine? Learn a Language!
Evan Williams
Staff Writer
[email protected]

As Cumberland Valley’s student body comes up on a month of being out of school, boredom may be beginning to set in. As we look for hobbies and things to keep us entertained, why not start something productive by beginning or continuing to learn a language?

Being multilingual is becoming one of the most important traits a person can have in our evolving world. As we begin to search for jobs, we’ll come to find how valuable speaking a second language is to prospective employers, and it can even result in added benefits if you get the job.

Additionally, speaking a different language can open you up to opportunities that you may have ever even thought of. This could be through meeting friends who speak the language you’ve learned and learning about their culture, traveling to a nation in which the language is spoken, or even studying abroad in high school or college.

The aforementioned reasons are exactly why I picked up learning a new language myself. For me, that language is Mandarin, one that may seem very difficult to understand but is surprisingly easy! If you can’t figure out the language you’d like to begin learning, then Mandarin may be the answer, as it is the second most widely spoken language in the world, and increasingly helpful to speak in the worlds of business, government, and many more for that matter.

Even if Mandarin isn’t exactly for you, that’s okay! There are numerous widely spoken languages for one to learn, with each providing its own unique benefits and incentives. For example, Spanish is by far the most popular second language in the United States due to it being spoken by a large portion of the population, meaning that there are many opportunities in translation, human resources, and a wide variety of other fields.

Learning a second language has become increasingly popular in our society over the past few decades, which has resulted in a plethora of resources being available for individuals to use. These include Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, and numerous apps and websites that specialize in a certain language. If you decide to use one of these services, be sure to find external resources as well to aid you along the way.

The most important tip, however, is to be motivated by progress. It would be impossible to learn a language overnight, so be sure to take things at a manageable rate. Many people who do so find that their vocabulary and verbal skills in their chosen language have improved dramatically in less time than they thought.

For almost everybody who takes it up as a hobby, learning a language is an incredibly rewarding experience. The feeling of progress and working through something one lesson at a time is something to take pride in, and with nothing but time on everybody’s hands, I encourage the student body to look into learning a new language or continue to improve upon the language they’re already learning.

Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2024 SchoolMessenger Corporation. All rights reserved.