Most appropriate non-Mandarin dialects for Foreign Service Officers

[eya323]

Hi,

I am taking my US Foreign Service exam (FSOT) in February and plan to take my language exams in French, German, Mandarin, Modern Standard Arabic, and Egyptian Arabic shortly thereafter, assuming I pass the February exam, that is.

I would prefer to be placed in China, but am questioning the usefulness of Mandarin if I were placed in a rural area of China (or really anywhere besides a large city). Assuming I got my choice, I would eventually be placed somewhere along the southeast coast. What dialects should I study?

If I do not get placed there, are there other common dialects that would be helpful, or are there just too many to chose from? Are there any that are considered "high demand" for foreign government employees? Are there any that are relatively easy to pick up once one knows Mandarin and are used in several locations?

Thank you for your help!

[anonymoose]

I remember reading that the UK intelligence service was looking for speakers of Minnanhua.

But I think dialects generally have limited use since, as you pointed out, there are just too many of them, and apart from possibly the most widespread (Cantonese, Minnan, and so on), they are unlikely to ever be used in any formal capacity (unless they are deliberately used as a means of secure communication, but with so many overseas Chinese, is any dialect really secure?).

It seems like maybe you have a talent for languages if you have mastered Mandarin and Arabic on top of French and German. Nevertheless, learning a Chinese dialect is notoriously difficult, mainly because there are almost no resources available for any of them. I think the only chance you would have at becoming competent at any dialect is if you are the kind of person that can easily pick up languages just through exposure. If you rely on rules and grammar, then you're out of luck.

[gato]

I know as a candidate for US foreign service, you are not allowed to read Wikileaks. I can tell you based on what I read that the kind of locals US foreign service officers in China talk to are mostly government officials, reporters, scholars, and business people, and they most certainly would use either Mandarin or English in communicating with them. If you have some spare time after you have mastered Mandarin, you can start working on something like Cantonese (or Urdu, like our fellow member Wushijiao), but that would be entirely optional.

[eya323]

It seems like maybe you have a talent for languages if you have mastered Mandarin and Arabic on top of French and German.

I certainly haven't mastered Mandarin, but I can watch TV and carry on decent conversations. I could probably pass HSK 3 or 4 without studying and 5 or 6 with a few weeks of study. I plan on preparing quite intensely over the next 10 - 15 weeks before my Mandarin language test.

My Arabic is better than my Mandarin and my German and French are fine. I'm not as worried about those test, especially as I would rather be placed in China, anyway. I would like the language bonuses for all of them, though! ;)

Thanks for your advice!

I can tell you based on what I read that the kind of locals US foreign service officers in China talk to are mostly government officials, reporters, scholars, and business people, and they most certainly would use either Mandarin or English in communicating with them.

Thanks for the insight.

Would it be more worthwhile then to expand the breadth of my Mandarin vocabulary?

[fanglu]

It's pretty unlikely you'll ever be posted to a rural area in China as the US only has six consulates in China, all in big cities.

Remember you'll only get additional points on the test if you actually satisfy their fluency requirements, and that Arabic gets more points than Chinese, which gets more points compared to all other languages. In my view you would be better off working on them rather than starting a new language.

Having said that, it doesn't sound like their requirements are particularly high, only speaking and listening is assessed, and you only need to be graded "Limited Working Proficiency" to pass. So maybe you do have time to study other things.

A question. Is there a point taking the language test for more than one language? The State Department website makes it sound like you can only get the bonus points once:

If you receive a score of S-2 or higher in the Foreign Service Institute-conducted telephone test in any one of the Super Critical Needs Languages or Critical Needs Languages, you will receive 0.4 additional points (0.5 for Arabic) that will raise your ranking on the Register. Candidates who score successfully in other languages will receive 0.17 additional points on the Register

[Meng Lelan]

You may prefer to be placed in China, but that doesn't mean they are going to place you in China. The first several years they will rotate you among various locations. Those locations may or may not be Chinese speaking areas. They may allow the officers to "bid" on desired locations, but they are going to let the more experienced officers take priority over beginning officers.

[eya323]

You may prefer to be placed in China, but that doesn't mean they are going to place you in China. The first several years they will rotate you among various locations. Those locations may or may not be Chinese speaking areas. They may allow the officers to "bid" on desired locations, but they are going to let the more experienced officers take priority over beginning officers.

Yes, but if you pass the language proficiency test and they pay you a language bonus, you are required to be in a country that uses that language during one of your first two tours.

[Meng Lelan]

Ok, so if you pass the Chinese test you get to spend something like two or three years in a Chinese speaking region. Did you take and pass the written assessment already? If you did you would move on to the oral exams. Then they do a security check on you.

[wushijiao]

I can tell you based on what I read that the kind of locals US foreign service officers in China talk to are mostly government officials, reporters, scholars, and business people, and they most certainly would use either Mandarin or English in communicating with them

This is correct. Learn Mandarin, since it's the lingua franca of China. Even in dialect regions, many people in the top tier of society will be from elsewhere, as Gato pointed out, and they will speak Mandarin.

[gato]

Would it be more worthwhile then to expand the breadth of my Mandarin vocabulary?

Yes. To be usable for work, your Chinese should be at a level where you can read easily read an average newspaper or magazine article without a dictionary. That probably would be equivalent to an score of 8 or above on the old HSK.

[taylor04]

As a long-time learner of Mandarin and someone interested in joining the foreign service as well(taking the FSOT in February), I would recommend strictly studying Mandarin to ensure you can get the additional .4 point bonus. You can only achieve the additional points in one language. It is also the highest language bonus you can get other than Arabic. Mandarin is the common language in China, and having been all over China, it is fairly easy to find someone who speaks Mandarin as the younger generation learns it in school anyways.

It is also the gateway to other countries. I have heard from a foreign service officer that the required languages for a posting in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta are Mandarin as well, however, I have yet to find a website that lists language requirements for various postings so I can not confirm this.

If you truly want to be posted in China or a Mandarin speaking country, test in Mandarin. If you test in both Mandarin and Arabic, assuming you pass both, I think you will get the .5 bonus points and will be required to service in Arabic speaking countries. Although, you are to be available worldwide, and they will more than likely make use of your Arabic and Mandarin skills regardless.