[ti:The Business of Learning Mandarin] [ar:Mario Ritter] [al:Economics Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, [00:02.26]this is the Economics Report in Special English. [00:06.95]English is the international language of business. [00:11.15]But an increasing number of American companies [00:14.75]that do business in China or with Chinese companies [00:18.79]are having their workers learn Mandarin. [00:22.25]Michael Cheng is a Taiwanese-American [00:25.65]Internet entrepreneur and property developer. [00:29.65]He is also in the business of teaching Chinese. [00:34.55]Mr. Cheng is president [00:36.85]and founder of the Mando Mandarin Online School. [00:41.05]The school is based in New York [00:44.25]and uses teachers in China to teach over webcams. [00:50.20]"China over the past few years very quickly [00:52.95]has already become the world's second-largest economy. [00:55.05]And, you know, it's just common business savvy. [00:57.90]If China's got over three trillion dollars in reserves now, [01:01.50]so if you want to do business or connect [01:03.80]with the fastest-growing country in the world, [01:05.69]it might make sense to make an effort [01:07.34]to engage the people in their own language, [01:09.29]as understanding of their language and culture [01:12.25]goes a long way in building strong relationships [01:14.75]-- especially with the Chinese." [01:16.55]By some predictions, China could pass the United States [01:20.60]and become the world's largest economy by twenty twenty-five. [01:25.40]Michael Cheng says that as China's economic power [01:30.55]has increased, so has its cultural power. [01:34.29]"Starting back in two thousand four, [01:36.68]the Chinese Ministry of Education, [01:39.28]along with what was called their Chinese Language Council, [01:43.48]began to set up, around the world, Confucius Institutes, [01:47.82]and with the purpose of promoting and developing Chinese language [01:51.51]and culture teaching resources around the world." [01:53.76]Now, he says, there are more than three hundred Confucius Institutes [01:58.92]in almost one hundred countries. [02:01.76]These institutes work to promote Chinese language at the university level. [02:09.01]The Chinese government has partnered with colleges [02:12.75]and the Asia Society to set up programs across the United States. [02:18.29]High schools have also received money [02:22.54]to start Chinese language training programs. [02:25.98]Mr. Cheng says that, just as many English speakers want to learn Mandarin, [02:32.85]many people in China want to learn English. [02:36.54]"In fact, if you want to talk numbers, [02:39.04]there's, based on sheer population, [02:41.84]there are actually more people learning, [02:47.74]well, who speak English in China [02:49.85]than there are [English speakers] in the United States. [02:51.65]I think right now there's about four hundred million people [02:53.09]who are either learning or currently speak English." [02:55.29]He says taking the time to learn someone else's language [03:00.69]is a great sign of respect and a way to build business relationships. [03:06.63]"Speaking of relationships, [03:29.36]here's a quick business -- Chinese business lesson for some listeners. [03:33.52]It's one word, it's two syllables and the word is guanxi. [03:37.31]To get things done quickly and effectively, [03:40.52]it's important to have what's called guanxi. [03:42.92]In Mandarin it means personal relationships or networks of influence, [03:46.57]and it's very essential to doing business or making connections in China." [03:53.01]And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report. [03:57.37]I'm Mario Ritter.