'Modern Languages'

Lot of debate on language learning going on in the ROI section where it doesnt belong so thought i'd set this up.

A lot seem to be calling for Mandarin in schools, simply put there is not the resources there, the are at best a few dozen qualified to teach it in this country and they teach it in Colleges (UCC, DIT and UCD), I know my own teachers in UCD also run a class in Loreto Bray, the first in Ireland but I can't see tehir resources stretchign further. However UCD has very string links with China so could possibly expand this but at best to just a few schools.

As for the importance of Mandarin, i'm personnally conflicted on this, The Chinese love hearing Westerners speak it and it certainly earns you a lot of respect but on its own it is simply now enough, another skill is also needed. Bear in mind that fluency in Chinese takes 3000 classrooms hours (Spanish is 600), learning it as well as a skill is challening. Personnally i am looking at living in the backarse of China for a year to become fluent.

As for Russia, I dont think its overly important, Portuguese is certainly more important and am dleighted to see UCD now offering it, would have been a tough choice for me between portuguese and chinese has I had the choice.

Siralex wrote: 你一定要学好普通话 - 它不应该采取3000小时 - 这需要时间和耐心，但它的伟大，一旦你。

google translate?

Good one Nvidic , again if people want to lean Mardrian well fair play to them again if this is driven by markets and the need to make money for those looking to do this .

Claret Murph wrote: Good one Nvidic , again if people want to lean Mardrian well fair play to them again if this is driven by markets and the need to make money for those looking to do this . Again I will repeat English, Spanish and French are for me massive for travel with countires covered who use these .   Good on you with keeping up with your Mandrain , I am sure if you don't use it day to day you will forgot words , sure you will drop back into it once you get back . I did hear that you need 1500 characters to read a news paper , can you read one yourself ?

Cant read one yet no, its closer to 3000 but again i've been back in ireland a good while now so slipping away from me even with the classes, will improve massively once/if I go back