2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session 2013 special election arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration international internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology television terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

I just heard your program on my car radio and offer a few comments.

I am not of Asian descent, but in the 1970?s I knew Mandarin Chinese well enough to pass for a Chinese on the telephone and work as a translator. (This is no longer true.) I have worked in three foreign languages (Chinese, Bulgarian and French) and studied 11.

I have found studying, and hopefully learning, a language is critical to understanding and working with other people ?whether selling something, trying to achieve other goals, or simply making friends. One can not overestimate the value. In addition, I think learning any foreign language gives us a better appreciation for other cultures and people in general.

One last comment. I think conversational Chinese Mandarin is the easiest language for a native speaker of American English to learn. (It gets more complicated at high levels.) I think it is great for American students to start learning it at an early age.

Joe

posted 4 years, 9 months ago
view in context