Ni hao. Do you speak Chinese?

English, French and Spanish are far from being the only languages spoken in the world and that’s why the Languages Service is putting the spotlight this month on another, very special language – which you can learn with us! It’s mysterious, beautiful, artistic, practical, different, popular, musical, somewhat complex and yet not difficult – but, above all, it could be the skill that really makes your CV stand out from the rest and kick-start your career. Do you know what it is? Yes, you’ve guessed it: Mandarin Chinese.

You’re probably already aware of the advantages of knowing the most widely-spoken language in the world – after all, more than 1.2 billion people, one fifth of the world population, speak it every day. But let’s spell out the clear benefits of making Chinese your second, third or even fourth language:

• it stimulates our brains: learning a language which is so different presents a real intellectual challenge and puts your memory to the test – it really puts your mind through its paces;
• it stimulates our artistic capacities: being able to write the mysterious, eye-catching Chinese characters develops our skills with a paintbrush, stimulating our creativity  and helping us to infer hidden meanings;
• knowledge of the Chinese language helps us to understand China’s culture, including its philosophy, religion and customs;
• it improves your employability in Spain: more and more companies are looking for people who can speak Chinese to fill their vacancies; agreements with companies based in China, the world’s second biggest economy, continue to increase and so negotiations with Chinese businesspeople are becoming more and more common – being able to speak Chinese is therefore a real asset;
• it improves your employability in China: football coaches, Spanish teachers, accountants, artists, and network analysts – Europeans with a diverse range of skills have moved to China for work, and few regret it!
• last but not least, being able to speak Chinese can help you to get to know people around you right now: fellow students, neighbours, our children’s friends, shop workers – the Chinese-speaking community is all around us here in Spain.

So, join us on this adventure and fall in love with this unique language. Once you start, you won’t want to stop – we can tell you that from experience! Come along to our taster classes and our new teacher, Shanshan, can tell you all about our courses and workshops – you’ll be utterly convinced that this language and culture is for you!

Taster classes:  22^nd October – 30^th October:*

Monday 22^nd, Wednesday 24^th and Tuesday 30^th: 10:00-10:30 / 12:00-12:30

Tuesday 23^rd, Thursday 25^th and Monday 29^th: 15:00 – 15:30 / 17:00-17:30

The timetable for the classes for the rest of the year will be set after the taster classes.