No, this is not some kind of African language, but the literal Mandarin (sort of) meaning of the phrase: “Sorry, you know how to speak English?”
This is a phrase that we could likely be using in the near future right here in South Africa, not just in China.
After all, South Africa’s biggest trading partner is China, and right now a lot of Chinese businesses are operating on these shores.
South Africa and China are exchanging billions in terms of imports and exports, with Asia offering a vast landscape of economical opportunities.
We are not talking about only corporates getting onto this gravy train, but even individuals, for example, can now import products through simple means from China, to sell in South Africa.
The chances are, thus, quite good that you might have to communicate with someone from China soon – on home soil or trying to close a trade deal in Asia.
Is the thought so far fetched that maybe a deal will be better struck if we communicate in Mandarin?
In South Africa we would like to hold onto the belief that English is our language of commerce, or at least to try to get by with one of the other official African languages.
But the reality is that there are more than 900 million speakers of Mandarin, which claims the top spot as the world’s most common language. It is also one that often requires professional translation services.
Mandarin is one of the five major dialects of Chinese and the official language of China and Taiwan, as well as one of the four official dialects of Singapore.
Thus, approximately 14.4 per cent of the world’s population are native speakers of Mandarin.
The reality is that, while English is a popular language of the business world, even Americans for example have woken up to the fact that the world is shrinking as a global village and so it makes sense to learn how to trade in a number of global languages.
Such languages include Mandarin, along with Spanish (especially for Americans), and here on the African continent, French will take you a long way.
The Ekurhuleni Metro also has very close ties with China, with the mayor, Mondli Gungubele, recently visiting the Far East on a mission to woo investors to invest in the city.
The message from government in general is clear: China is the way to go for many corporate or small enterprises seeking to dabbling in foreign trade. Therefore, learning Mandarin will be a very wise move.
But wouldn’t it be just as wise to get children to learn Mandarin right now, so that when they enter the business world they are already fluent in the language?
Of course it will be, and so the Department of Basic Education has confirmed Mandarin will be introduced as a subject in South African schools next year.
It is a daunting prospect for parents, who will be bound to get their tongues tied in all kinds of twists and knots that makes a sailor’s knot look like child’s play. Mandarin, after all, is not an easy language to learn, but it appears to be quite necessary.
Yes, plans are already in full motion for the Chinese language to be added to the school curriculum in January. Pupils in grades four to 12 will, thus, have the option of taking Mandarin as a second language option.
There are also plans for hundreds of South African teachers to be trained at three Confucius Institutes, designed to promote Chinese culture.
There is, of course, the further dilemma that just maybe our police force and emergency services also need to be trained in Mandarin.
But, just imagine the confusion if the paramedic speaks only broken Mandarin, believing the Asian man’s leg to be broken, when he might be suffering from a heart attack!
At the end of the day we have to get used the idea that we are part of a global village and that future generations will have to be able to communicate globally, be it in Mandarin, Spanish, French or English.
All that I know is that I had better start renting some Chinese movies, before my son asks for a hamburger in Mandarin!
