China has completely transformed itself into one of the world’s leading economies, on track, as the World Bank forecasts, to be the largest economy within the next two decades. While doing so, the country has gradually opened up to foreign talent, collaboration and investment inflows. Learning Mandarin Chinese provides you with the skills to connect China with global markets and to stand out in a competitive environment. This is why you should learn Mandarin Chinese for Business, and Mandarin Chinese for Law.

Learning Mandarin Chinese requires work. Anecdotally, an English speaker requires roughly 1,800 hours to achieve intermediate fluency – that’s a little over one-and-a-half years if you study 3 hours a day. Of course, different people with different backgrounds learn languages at different paces, so there are no set rules. As with many things, the easiest way to learn to just start!

The right attitude and work ethic over a period of 6 months can lead to significant results. As an illustration, an English speaker should expect to lead a basic conversation in Mandarin Chinese after a month of study, even with little to no prior background.

The short answer is yes. Learning Mandarin Chinese without a formal teacher or instructor is challenging but definitely possible. There are various resources available, including ones provided by Inman Learning that outline foundational vocabulary, frameworks, and basic conversations.

Inman Learning curates premium content – that includes providing readers with practical language tools for use in business and law – check them out now! We also have a guide for career development.

Our guides help readers:
– Draft commercial contracts
– Lead legal and business negotiations
– Manage their business
– Engage and converse with clients
– Use the latest and most updated commercial terms