Wilkes offers Mandarin adding diversity to course offerings

Language is important. Being able to communicate and connect with others who are not native English speakers is something that everyone should want to strive for.
As our society continues to become more globalized, there has been an increasing demand for those who are able to speak more than one language.
It has become a desirable trait for employers. To know how to speak other languages other than English is a skill that is much sought after.
Because of this, Wilkes has been wanting to expand its language offerings for quite some time.
As many are aware, there have been limited language options up until late. The newest one that will soon be added to the list will be Mandarin.
John Hepp, history professor and language coordinator at Wilkes, elaborates on how positive offering Mandarin could be.
“This is a way I think everyone sees as a wonderful way to offer a terribly exciting and important language.”
Hepp also talks about how it could benefit students who choose to take Mandarin.
“Learning Mandarin in a world where China is becoming increasingly important is going to be important no matter what your major is because you’re going to eventually encounter someone who speaks Mandarin.”
Zhaoyang Wang, member of Asian Culture Society, says that learning Mandarin is incredibly important and will be a very useful skill for those who want to further their careers.
He states that, “one-fifth of the world speaks Chinese and [Mandarin] is the mother tongue of over 853 million people, making it the most widely spoken first language in the world.”
In addition he also states that, “China is the second largest economy in the world and is one of the United States’ largest trading partners.”
This brings the growing need for more Mandarin speakers to light.
As Dr. Hepp states, “we talk at Wilkes all the time about global education, to me the clearest commitment to this is teaching languages.”
Learning Mandarin, among other languages, could provide what Wilkes aims to do, which is becoming more globalized and interactive in other cultures.
If you are interested in learning more about Mandarin or offering other languages contact Dr. Hepp at [email protected]