Most foreigners who live in China learn some basic Chinese, even if it’s just learning to count or being able to read the symbol for male or female toilets. A few foreigners go all the way and learn Chinese to an advanced level. A lot of people fall somehere between those two levels.

So do you need to speak Chinese to live or work in China?

In most cases the answer is no. I know many people who’ve lived there and worked there without being able to speak any Chinese. The need to read or write Chinese is even lower.

Many companies will provide foreign staff with a local translator who can assist them with opening bank accounts or on the job. For cases where a translator is not available, there’s often someone around who speaks just enough English to work things out. Students will take the chance to practice their English, shop owners will call a friend who speaks some Chinese and pass the phone to you, etc.

That said, having some Chinese language capablities will certainly help! The more you can speak, the easier things will be – and all the more enjoyable.

Further, I suspect than in the short to medium future, more of the top end jobs for foreigners will go to people who can speak Chinese to a reasonable level, as the expertise of local staff increases and companies start to rely less on foreigners.

As China’s position in the global ecomony becomes ever more powerful, there opportunities are going to start arising for people in the West who have Chinese language skills.

So, although not strictly necessary, it would appear to be a good idea to learn Chinese!

Note: As this site centers around mainland China, the term Chinese refers to Mandarin (or Putonghau), which is the standard language in the People’s Republic of China.