Will Chinese Dominate the World as Becoming a Global Language?

By: Shahzad Bashir Posted on Fri, 08-12-2023

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Language? A global language is a medium used by people globally with diverse language and cultural backgrounds to communicate efficiently. Regardless of the geographical and regional differences, this standard language creates room for legal, education, medical, finance, and commercial departments to exchange information while following a standard. English, with its ease of understanding and adaptability by almost every sector, maintains its position as a global language. One question that comes to everyone’s mind is why English is the global language. The answer is the British Empire. In the reign of the British Empire, English became the standard language for trade in Asia and Africa. Another considerable fact behind the growth of English as a global language is the snowball effect. Starting from the language of trade, English kept growing and became the official language of offices, schools, and the Internet. However, with technological and economic advancement, the Chinese language has recently gained significance around the globe. Moreover, the availability of Chinese translation services has also increased the pace of global growth of this language. Let’s figure out the facts of how Chinese is retaining its global value and can replace English as a global language.

Economic Prominence of China in the Global Market

With almost 1.31 billion speakers around the globe, Chinese is by far the most spoken language in the world. Over the years, China has gained stability by improving its trade in multiple sectors including aviation, agriculture, automotive, healthcare, environmental technology, education, infrastructure, energy, and more. Mandarin is the most common Chinese dialect also used as the second language in China. The same language is taught in Chinese schools because it is now counted as one of the best business languages in the global market. Now, although it is a good choice for businesses in the global market, Mandarin is one of the hardest languages to learn. Unlike English, the Chinese language does not contain sounds and phonetic scripts known as alphabets. Chinese or Mandarin language is logographic, which means each written symbol represents the meaning of a word rather than a sound. It requires learning characters which makes it a time-consuming and tiring task. Regardless of the difficulties in learning the Chinese language, it still has the potential to become a global language. How? Let’s try to understand it with an example: English has 1.5 billion speakers worldwide including native or non-native and Chinese alone has 1.31 billion native speakers. So, in terms of the number of speakers, Chinese is stronger than English. Moreover, even though English is used as a global language, it is not adaptive in all parts of the world. People learn English according to their needs and that too can go with Chinese. Arguably, Chinese has the potential to become a global language regardless of any structural disputes.

Cultural Influence of Chinese

Chinese is a culturally enriched language. Though the Chinese language and culture are inherently intertwined, it has a strong impact on its speakers. So, those who are students of the Chinese language need to develop a complete understanding of cultural intricacies. In recent years, the number of Chinese students has rapidly increased. However, the practical value of Chinese is growing significantly. The application of the Chinese language will unlock its practical functions across various occupations, industries, fields, and professions.

Chinese as the Language of Advancement

In the race for career opportunities, academic advantages, and technological and economic advancement, the Chinese language is second to none. Learning Chinese opens up a plethora of career opportunities. China’s increasing role in international affairs has made it a progressively in-demand language in the global market. Companies such as a Chinese translation agency value participants with a greater grip on the Chinese language as a valuable asset.

Chinese as a global language, is a never-ending debate. However, looking at the growing need and statistics of advancement in almost every field, Chinese, no doubt, has the potential to become a global language. Implementing a new language at the global level can disrupt the functioning of the global market. So, if the authorities announce Chinese as a language of the global market, it will take decades to bring the matters in sequence.