Raising a Global Child

Jim Rogers argues that bilingualism is crucial in today’s context where the world is interconnected. And to prepare a child for the 21st century, bilingualism is imperative. He reckons that Asia has the potential to be the world superpower, and because America, the current superpower, is in heavy debt, Asia stands a very high chance to take over that important role. He believes that to truly prepare his children for the future, he should expose them to the Chinese language and culture so that they can thrive in time to come.

I concur with his views on this issue.

In fact, there is evidence that in just ten years from now, well over half the world’s population of almost 8 billion people will live in Asia and by linear projections, China will be the largest Asian economy and second largest in the world after the United States by 2020.

China has a huge domestic market and to do business in China, MNCs need people who can speak Chinese and know how to do business in a Chinese cultural context. Knowing the language and the Chinese culture will give us an edge when competing for an important position. Knowing the Chinese culture will reduce cultural shock and help us understand the Chinese counterparts better.

English remains important because it is a business language among the non-English-speaking countries. MNCs use English and most internet websites are in English.

I would like to quote Mr Lee Kuan Yew to show why we must learn both languages. He said at the Speak Mandarin Campaign in 2009 that if Mandarin were our first language, Singaporeans would be of little use to China. They do not need more Mandarin speakers to add to their 1.3 billion. English gives us easy access to English-speaking societies and the developed world. Thus, Singaporeans bring value-add to China.

Mr Lee also pointed out that China wants to collaborate with us because through English, we are able to connect with the West. At the same time, our Mandarin is fluent enough to communicate with PRC Chinese on different topics and subjects.

In conclusion, I agree with Jim Roger’s view that bilingualism is the basics to raising a global child.