<p>@dextrous I do have a genuine interest. I love languages, and they come pretty easily to me.</p>
<p>You might think differently once you’re actually taking the class. The benefit to time invested ratio for Chinese is very low. After 2 years, you will realize that you have not learned as much as you wished. But if you do have a genuine interest, at least you will find it fun. I know that if I chose a foreign language like Spanish, which I had absolutely no interest in, I would not have found it as fun as learning Chinese. As for tips on learning Chinese, it is like learning other languages except with more emphasis on memorizing characters. Listen all the time and practice writing characters over and over. Try to find connections between characters. Good luck.</p>
<p>^^ yes. Nicholas Kristoff wrote a column in the NYT saying basically the same thing. Unless u live in china and are immersed in it, u will have little to show for it. It won’t be proficient enough for anything useful except exchanging pleasantries. In an int’l business setting, the dialogue will either be in english or will employ interpreters w the skill to convey subtle nuances in meaning.</p>
<p>@dextrous true, at least I’ll be having fun with it. Thanks for the tips :)</p>