Mandarin is the most common dialect of the Chinese language, spoken by over 730 million people. It is based on the dialect of Beijing, the capital of China, and it has been established as the official form of the language by the Chinese government. With more native speakers than any language in the world, learning Mandarin is an important way to understand and appreciate the ancient culture, famous cuisine, and influential philosophy of one of the world’s great civilizations.

With a $14 trillion GDP according to the World Bank, China is also the second largest economy in the world after the United States. Led by electronics manufacturing powerhouses like Huawei and Haier as well as tech companies like Alibaba and Tencent, China has established itself as a powerful force in the global economy, and there are vast opportunities there for international companies owing to its export industries as well as its growing consumer market. Learning Mandarin is thus an incredibly valuable asset in the business world, allowing speakers to conduct negotiations and socialize with their counterparts in their native language.`

Because of its central role in the global economy, even basic Mandarin skills can help you open doors - and close deals - across a wide range of business careers. If your company has an international supply chain, or sells into global markets, there’s a good chance that speaking Mandarin will create new opportunities by enabling communication with Chinese business owners in their native language.

If you achieve fluency in Mandarin speech, writing, and grammar, you can pursue an exciting career as an interpreter or translator. Helping Chinese business, political, and cultural leaders communicate effectively in English - and for English-speaking businessmen, politicians, and artists get their message across in Mandarin - can be rewarding work full of travel and meeting interesting people. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, interpreters and translators earned a median annual salary of $51,830 in 2019, and economic globalization is expected to drive faster-than-average growth in these jobs.

Yes - or, duì, in Mandarin Chinese! Coursera gives you opportunities to learn languages from around the world, including courses in beginning and intermediate-level Mandarin. You can take courses from top-ranked schools in China including Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Taiwan University, allowing you to learn remotely from native speakers. And, because Coursera lets you view and complete course materials on a flexible schedule, you learn these valuable language skills while maintaining your existing work or family life.