Learning Chinese - too old?

[Madelynne]

Hi I am 49 (old I know)

am very interested in learning Chinese-I find it fascinating

I know I can learn it but other than expanding my horizons and intellect is there any advantage monetarily for knowing English and Chinese?

i.e. any work knowing Chinese at my (old-ish ;) ) age and/or what kind of training would an english speaker need?

degree, certificate etc

either way glad to be here-I will be studying for myself so this is just out of curiosity.

Thanks

[Lu]

What kind of work do you do now? Does your sector have relations with China, or does it want ( toexpand its) relations with China? If yes, then there is a good chance that knowing Chinese might have some monetary value for you.

If you plan to make money on knowing Chinese alone, it's possible: there are jobs such as translator or interpreter, tourguide, Chinese teacher, etc. There are jobs, but you would have to compete with native speakers and younger people who learn a language with less effort, and even if you find such a job and are successfull at it, it still won't make you rich.

Apart from the monetary value, there is of course the fact that this language opens a whole new world for you, so if you have the time and the interest I definitely recommend it. When I started studying Chinese in university, I had a classmate in her early 50s, she had to work at least twice as hard as the rest of us, but she graduated before many of my classmates. So it's certainly possible. Good luck!

[Shelley]

Never ever too old!!!!!

I am older than 49 (suffice to say) and I am still learning.

I wouldn't set my heart on doing something to earn money with Chinese, the world is awash with Chinese-english/French/German etc. translators these days.

If the job you are doing now can make use of your Chinese then that might be good.

As you say, it is fascinating and once you start the journey of learning Chinese you will find it almost addictive.

I would wholeheartedly recommend taking up Chinese.

Learn for pleasure and it keeps the brain active and staves off senility hopefully.

Put a toe in the water so to speak and you will get hooked.

Enjoy and best of luck, remember this forum is here and will help whenever it can.

There are several threads about starting study with some very helpful info and resources.

If you only make one purchase to start with for your mobile device (phone or tablet) it really has to be Pleco. Go for the basic pack, you can add more later when you know what you need.

As for a text book try the New Practical Chinese Reader.

Enjoy

[Madelynne]

What wonderful replies, thank you both!

I do customer service work so I am sure there are places that would need Chinese speakers but pay for that would still be quite low, translator sounds a bit better...

Either way, I am going to start, will check out the study materials here-I have always been interested - almost obsessed - with all things Chinese so I will see where it takes me.

Will be hanging around here ;)

Thanks again!

[heifeng]

I don't think you are ever too old to learn, besides, even by learning a little bit, you will begin to 'crack the code' a little bit which is (in my opinion) very interesting.

In terms of profitability, everyone's motivation for studying is a bit different, as is his/her skill in applying language & other skills to their career...or 2nd career, so I can't really address this concisely. HOWEVER, what I would recommend is that you take a step one, maybe enroll in a class* and see if you enjoy it & could stick with it potentially long enough to do something with it & use it in your current or prospective field. However, if you are looking to reach a high level of proficiency quickly, make note that that for an English speaker, for example, it will take MUCH LONGER to come up to a certain level of proficiency compared to other languages & is classified as a category 4 language by certain dept's & institutions.

*Self study is fine too, many on here self study, but I personally like & recommend classes w/ qualified instructors (particularly in the beginning) because they tend to make the process more interactive as a language should be, keep you on track, and you may be able to make some great progress in a short time with a good class environment and by being around others you can 'feel' your progress more....Once you are intermediate/advance you can self study or just throw yourself into the 'real' environment w/o expecting others to simplify everything for you.

Good luck!

[Lugubert]

When I took up university Chinese at the age of 59, mother (then 86) asked me, But for what are you going to use it? I countered, in a drawn out questioning tone, U-u-s-s-e??. She immediately understood and laughed. There's so much more than just language proficiency. My B.A. at 66 years of age doesn't make me able to discuss sensibly with Chinese people, but I survive, and love exploring the country and following up with Internet news and facts when I return home.

[triunfo]

It's never too old to learn Chinese or any language When I was in Perú last summer, my Spanish professor mentioned that she once had an 80 year old Japanese student, which shows there really is nothing stopping you.

[Madelynne]

You guys rock! Thanks so much for the replies, I am going to go for it-just trying to figure out how

[anonymoose]

I think in terms of interest, definitely, go for it. But to be honest, if your motivation is to make money out of it, I'd say choose something easier. For most learners, it is difficult to get their Chinese up to a standard where they can use it professionally, and those that have managed have usually been at it for several years. By the time you get to that level, you probably wouldn't have many years left professionally.

[gato]

About as much money as you can make learning to play the piano ;-)

[querido]

I was just a little younger than you when I started. If I had known then how far I would come I would have been thrilled! But having come to wherever I am now I can't stop because proficiency at some higher level still seems possible.

On the one hand, if I had known how many hours I would have to study to get this far I might have said it wasn't worth it to me.

But on the other hand, I was never a pro at the other interests of my life either, despite having given the best of the prime of my life. So, how does one "spend" one's life? I was lucky to be free to "waste" it so well.

Having Chinese friends is my highest reward now. Receiving their exaggerated praise and then always declaiming it (as the custom goes) is a sweet little game. I hope you find something worthwhile, but you'd better not be in a hurry; how long before Grasshopper could snatch the pebble, eh?

[laurenth]

Hello OP, I was 42 when I started. Although I'm a profesional translator, I decided that I wasn't starting Chinese for the money, because I suspected (how right was I!) that, by the time I'd be ready to use Chinese profesionally, well, I would have run out of time. So, IMHO, you have to enjoy the ride and avoid lofty ambitions.

Querido has explained wonderfully how I feel about that.

Let me add a link. It's an article written by a famous 21st century philosopher called Khatzumoto: http://www.alljapane...-also-your-life

加油 ！

[zhouhaochen]

Never too old to learn Chinese. Our most mature student so far was 80 years old. He will come again to study with us this year, at then 81 will break the school age record again and I presume he plans to continue doing so in future years. He outperformed quite a few of his (much younger) class mates last year as well. I find that at our school a lot of older students actually tend to do very well, because they take their studies usually quite seriously. The bigger challenge is to settle into Chinese culture (or a Chinese homestay) for people who are already quite "set in their ways" - but we had several 50+ students stay with Chinese homestay families (often the same age or only slighly younger than thier "hostparents") and all worked very well.

Bottom line, age doesnt matter, taking your studies seriously and be willing to immerse yourself into a Chinese language environment does.

[Madelynne]

Thank you all for the wonderful replies-I am going to go forward in my studies for my own interest and curiosity, not that worried about "using" my learning, if it happens it happens, I will enjoy learning no matter what

[joshgibbs]

There is absolutely NO WAY you are too old to learn Chinese. Learning at any age is definitely beneficial, regardless of the topic, but since Chinese is such a fun and intuitive topic to learn, it should be even better!

Monetarily, it absolutely will help. I don't know what type of business you're in, but I can't imagine a scenario where it wouldn't make you more money. From being a fast-food server (I assume not) to a Fortune 500 CEO, Chinese will be super helpful. It will also open up new opportunities such is translation, teaching, etc.

[Madelynne]

ordered the practical reader 1 2nd edition with mp3

thank for the advice

[tytzer]

It's never too old to learn anything.. My father had to learn Chinese when his business expanded to China and he was 45 back then.. Now his a fluent speaker (better than I wish to admit). So don't worry! Go for it!

[Madelynne]

thanks tytzer I will

[Cristy26]

Geez Please don't say that you're too old, because I am trailing not so far behind ya and I'm not old !!!!! Many of my co workers (same age) play Candy Crush or read trash mags to kill down time at work - I learn Chinese. It keeps my brain active and young and has far more benefit than Candy Crush.

[li3wei1]

It's a bit like growing your own vegetables. If you look at it entirely in monetary terms, and value your time at anything over minimum wage, it makes no sense. You spend hours and hours and get a handful of things that you could have bought from the shop for a few dollars. Or the weather turns nasty and you don't get anything. Or you get inferior stuff that no one in their right mind would eat. But, lots of people do it, because the process is its own reward. And the veg taste so much nicer when you grow them yourself. So, if you're studying Chinese for money alone, or if you're short on time and need money, think twice, but if you have the choice and you enjoy the ride, go for it.