Important of Chinese language.....

[asialinks]

The important of chinese language was reflected in the recent article : Chinese-language requirements trips up Goldman executive

A lot of the older generation of overseas Chinese families still regards learning chinese is less superior then learning a foreign language - English, and as a result given less exposure/opportunities to their kids to master their own language... and it still happening as we speak...

[Senzhi]

Business as usual for all countries:

Besides knowledge of English, you should also have knowledge of your own official languages.

That said, in Belgium you're in for a treat ... 3 official languages + English

[cdn_in_bj]

The language requirement applies to chief executives, deputy chief executives and the heads of supervisory boards at locally incorporated securities firms. The test includes both written and verbal components.

Wow, I hadn't heard of this before. That says something about the amount of influence the government has here over foreign companies, as well as the willingness of these companies to abide by their rules in order to do business here.

[calibre2001]

It sounds like the Chinese government is eyeing for working Chinese nationals abroad to return to fill up those top position vacancies? They would after all possess the WallStreet/London experience and necessary language skills to boot.

Otherwise this protectionist requirement seems impractical for mainland China seeing its small talent pool of experienced executives at managerial positions. They would need more time to allow knowledge and experience transfers from the overseas-trained people to the locals in order to build up the local talent pool. It's gonna be some time before we have sufficient people who are very fluent in both English and Chinese (verbal and written) for business purposes.

[roddy]

Has anyone actually got a link to any information about this exam? I had a look around on the CSRC website but couldn't see anything.

[Long Pan]

The article is not very clear about who is concerned by this test, but it seems to be only securities foreign companies

"The Chinese government's enforcement of language testing is part of a plan to give its citizens increased access to top positions at securities firms." Am I wrong ?

[gato]

Just the securities industry.

http://old.news.hexun.com/4162_2364054C.shtml

高盛中国CEO因未通过中文考试被迫离任

来源: 和讯网

See here for info about the exam:

http://www.csrc.gov.cn/n575458/n776436/n804920/n2466262/n3567667/3567919.html

中国证券业协会关于首次保荐代表人胜任能力考试的通知

[roddy]

So it's not really a test of Chinese language, it's a test of professional knowledge that happens to be in Chinese.

（二）考试科目：（1）证券知识综合考试；（2）投资银行业务专业考试。每科100分，两科总分200分。每科考试时间为2.5小时。

Or is there another exam out there? Not quite what the article lead me to expect. Yet another reason not to read news.

[gato]

That's the test, Roddy. It's probably similar to the exams for financial analysts in the US. Maybe in the UK, too? One would need to be able to read and write English for that exam. The difference here is that the test is in Chinese. I guess the question is why does a CEO need to pass such an exam?

[Language Guy]

South Africa has 11 official languages.

Good luck!

[asialinks]

From business prospective, chinese still going to be much more valuable..unless is their mother-language, i guess you will not send your children to learn an african language, would you?

It was in the newspaper not long ago that wealthy non-Chinese families are hiring Chinese maids so that their children has the edge of learning chinese (from the maids)...an interesting development of how important the language has become.

[cdn_in_bj]

It was in the newspaper not long ago that wealthy non-Chinese families are hiring Chinese maids

Where is this happening? When I left Canada I was quite ignorant about the opportunities in China. In fact, prior to coming here I had met someone through a friend who had left a few years before, and at the time I had found it quite fascinating that he would make the move.

[tiffsmith]

I'm teaching my kids Chinese as part of their homeschooling each day. We will soon be starting the Rosetta Stone language course and eventually they will take classes with qualified instructors. Hopefully they will build on their Chinese language skills from there.

I do believe Chinese is a fundamental part of our future and that my children will benefit greatly from having a good foundation in the language and culture. I know I'm not the only parent who believes so (especially among homeschooling circles) so I am not at all surprised at the notion that people are hiring Chinese speaking nanny's for their children. I would too, if I could afford it.

[xichg]

I'm teaching my kids Chinese as part of their homeschooling each day. We will soon be starting the Rosetta Stone language course and eventually they will take classes with qualified instructors. Hopefully they will build on their Chinese language skills from there.

I do believe Chinese is a fundamental part of our future and that my children will benefit greatly from having a good foundation in the language and culture. I know I'm not the only parent who believes so (especially among homeschooling circles) so I am not at all surprised at the notion that people are hiring Chinese speaking nanny's for their children. I would too, if I could afford it.

I can attest to this. My wife has been teaching Chinese to both Chinese and non-Chinese babies for 2 years. There's been an increasing demand for Chinese tutors. Most of the families are rich and quite a few of them work on Wall Street. We live in New York.