[NST] Falling behind in the Mandarin imperative

The New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur
14 November 2005

OPINION: Falling behind in the Mandarin imperative
Chow Kum Hor

China’s economic ascendancy has made a knowledge of Mandarin
increasingly valuable. The Education Ministry, however, is still
struggling to introduce the language in national schools, writes CHOW
KUM HOR.

GUNTOR Tobeng may be as Malay as they make them, but when it comes to
earning a living he often falls back on his command of Mandarin.

The former student of SJKC Keat Hwa (K) in Alor Star, who is now in
the solar-powered products and security systems trade, regularly
receives write-ups and literature on these goods from China and
Taiwan.

"My business partners rely on me to read these materials. Based on
that, we have to make important business decisions. I also deal a lot
with the Chinese, whether from China or locals," says Guntor.

His command of Mandarin, which also gives him an insight into the
Chinese way of doing things, has come in very handy indeed with the
emergence of China as the new economic force.

The fact is, Mandarin is becoming increasingly important. It is the
lingua franca for trade and the official language of China, the number
one destination for everyone eager to sell everything, from armchairs
to zippers to its 1.3 billion population.

But as governments the world over encourage their people to take up a
language with great potential, Malaysia has done little. Save for the
availability of national-type Chinese primary schools, little
conscious effort has been made to popularise Mandarin.

Even the Education Ministry’s plans to offer Mandarin and Tamil in
national schools in stages starting next year has been scaled back, a
ministry official says. Not surprisingly, the delay is traced to the
perennial lack of qualified teachers and difficulties in adjusting the
schools’ timetables.

"Right now, what we have is Mandarin for Communications in selected
national primary schools. It is different from Mandarin as a subject,
which we plan to introduce once we get everything in order. We are
still studying the matter," the source says.

This creates a dichotomy in the school system where national-type
Chinese primary school students are able to communicate in Mandarin,
while those from the national schools generally cannot converse, much
less read or write in the language.

"There may come a day when students who do not know the language will
lose out when they join the workforce to those who do," the official
adds.

Putting off a decision means children lose out on the best time for
them to learn a new language, says Universiti Teknologi Mara’s Academy
of Language Studies associate professor Koh Soo Ling.

She says research has shown that younger learners find it a lot easier
to learn a language than older ones.

"You may be surprised how fast children can absorb if given the
opportunity. Their minds are like sponges. It will not be a burden to
them although they are already learning Bahasa Malaysia and English,"
she says.

Malaysia’s tardiness is all the more worrying considering the efforts
other countries are making to get their citizens to pick up Mandarin.

Chinese-majority Singapore, which launched its "Speak Mandarin
Campaign" 14 years ago, is not letting up on its efforts to promote
the language, despite waning interest among the English-educated.

Even in Thailand, each educational district will be required to have
at least one high school with a Mandarin class by 2007. By 2008, all
high schools are required to offer classes in Mandarin. In addition, a
Chinese university will also be set up in Betong.

That more and more non-native speakers are picking up Mandarin
underlies the potential they see in China’s economic transformation.

Malaysia’s trade with the country, its fourth largest trading partner,
was worth RM61.4 billion last year, an increase of 18.1 per cent over
2003. Malaysia is China’s eighth and its largest trading partner
within Asean.

Malaysia-China Business Council joint-secretary Datuk David Chua says
he notices a growing trend among the local business community,
including non-ethnic Chinese, to learn the language spoken by over 860
million people world- wide.

"This is similar to the time when Japan was emerging as an economic
giant and lots of people were scrambling to learn Japanese," says
Chua, who also sits on the National Economic Consultative Council
(NECC) II.

Besides the obvious advantage in negotiating business deals and
reading documents, Chua says knowing Mandarin can help build
relationships with Chinese trade partners, especially in a country
that still places a premium on guanxi (relationship).

Knowing the language — and by extension, the culture — can help one
wade through the intricacies of Chinese business practices and
sensitivities. For example, it is common to include entertainment,
such as karaoke sessions, during negotiations.

Giving gifts such as clocks or presents wrapped in black paper or even
using only one hand to exchange business cards are among the more
common faux pas in a culture with a 5,000-year tradition.

"Not knowing the language is certainly a setback in doing business in
China," says Chua, himself a businessman who has dealings in China.

Koh says Malaysia must catch up soon and there is no short-cut. The
Education Ministry has no choice but to train more Mandarin teachers,
especially in national schools.

The ministry is also said to be toying with the idea of hiring
teachers from Taiwan and Malaysian graduates from Taiwanese
universities.

Education Ministry Parliamentary Secretary S. Komala Devi says retired
teachers may also be re-employed while the ministry regularly sends
its teachers for training programmes.

But given the red tape involving such decisions, it may take a few
years before the policy finally takes off.

"Government intervention is one thing. Employees must also make a
conscious effort to learn the language," says Malaysian Employers
Federation (MEF) executive director Shamsudin Bardan.

"Just look at the job advertisements in newspapers. A growing number
of employers want their workers to know Mandarin, especially companies
with operations in China and Taiwan."

More people are signing up to learn the language. The Johor Baru
Chinese Association, for instance, has recorded at least 2,000
non-Chinese learning Mandarin in the city. Its president, Goh Hui
Beng, says the overwhelming majority enrolled with career advancements
or business considerations in mind.

But Shamsudin says it is imperative for the Government to introduce
the language in national schools.

"It is either that or we are going to lose our competitive edge to
other countries."

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