[Siberiaboy]

As a leading edge in global trade and manufacturing looking where most goods are produced and custom imports, no state in the US has taken the lead on language literacy with our largest goods trading partner like it or leave it.

If 30 years from now we had a Connecticut grouping of Americans who can understand directly the dynamic in China in the native tongue we would have an advantage putting our state in a place unmatched in the US what do you all think of this idea?

On this advantage alone, a lot of customized product import retail would choose Connecticut towns to place their operations. On another note it would be a way of reducing anti-Chinese and anti-Asian discrimination by humanizing the Chinese language as a first-hand familiarity for a new generation of Connecticut residents who don’t have to be one grouping to speak the language.

[parentologist]

Some of them already do.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by parentologist

Some of them already do.

In Stamford, Rogers International School teaches it at all grade levels up to 8th grade (even Kindergarten). AITE high school in that same city does as well. I believe Danbury High School and Westside Middle School in Danbury do too.

However, I know someone who is a Chinese teacher in one of those CT schools and after the pandemic they cut her job (they had 2 teachers of Chinese and kept 1). While she very easily got her job when she first became certified over a decade ago (as few programs as they are it's actually hard to find someone to teach Chinese) she did not find a new job and switched to teaching math as she had dual certification in that.

[KH02]

My child's high school teaches chinese already. Many high schools offer it.

[Stepfordct]

Spanish makes more sense.....
Much more opportunities for using it daily. Remember all the calculus and Physics you took back in the day!? Yeah neither do I......Use it or lose it. It's also much harder to learn than Spanish.

Take a language to fight off discrimination? How many languages do you expect us to learn!?

If your referencing the recent media induced flavor of the month suggest you read between the lines

[kidyankee764]

Chinese is offered in some CT high schools, but it has [anecdotally] dwindled. In the US, if students want to get ahead by learning any additional language, it’s Spanish.

[MrGompers]

Spanish would be far more beneficial, plus its easier to learn for English speakers.


When I was in high school in New Britain they offered, spanish, french, italian, polish, and russian. I doubt they still have all of those.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by MrGompers

Spanish would be far more beneficial, plus its easier to learn for English speakers.


When I was in high school in New Britain they offered, spanish, french, italian, polish, and russian. I doubt they still have all of those.

I agree but almost every middle and high school offers Spanish (and by the way I took Spanish from 7th to 9th grade and actually did forget most of it, but as a "brain exercise" I'm relearning it through the DuoLingo app and I do have to say having learned it before helps).

My HS in the 80s offered Spanish, French and Italian. My aunt (by marriage, uncle was my dad's younger brother) was an early post-WW II Soviet emigre and taught Russian in a hs in Los Angeles from the 1950s through the 80s (she retired in 1988)

[Danny K]

I have some very strong opinions on this, but its probably best I do not share them as I believe it might get me into trouble on this forum.

[mdovell]

Manufacturing is about machines, not people. I've toured factories in China and nothing is hand made. The cost isn't that much lower when you factor in translation, foreign, interest rates, time zones, holidays etc. I've dealt with Chinese oems as a side hobby and took mandarin in higher ed. There are many languages in China and not all speak mandarin.

Look at the rail factory in Springfield. CRRC has been around for years. We'll to out it mildly it sucks. They have a high turnover rate and people don't last a year (admin jobs) knowing Chinese isn't going to help you. Guan I is much more than language. Ideanomics didn't work in west Hartford because of this.

https://asialinkbusiness.com.au/chin...xi?doNothing=1