And while tapes and websites have their place, there are few substitutes for studying in the country where a language and culture are rooted.
The number of American students studying in China, which was never great to begin with, has fallen to around 800, down from 14,887 in the peak 2011/2012 academic year. That compares with some 289,526 Chinese students in US institutions in 2022/2023 from a height of 372,532 in 2019/2020.
The make-up is also worrying. Harvard University Chinese language programme director Jennifer Liu notes that, among Americans at Harvard studying Mandarin in recent years, business students have fallen off faster than those studying security and international affairs, raising the prospect that more people will become spies or diplomats than businesspeople.
According to the Modern Language Association, the US study of all foreign languages fell across the board from a 2009 peak of nearly 1.7 million students hitting their college books to fewer than 1.2 million by 2021, the most recent year surveyed. Between 2016 and 2021, only Korean, biblical Hebrew and American sign language, of the 15 major languages studied by Americans, saw increases, even as Mandarin – down 14.3 per cent – joined a long list of those losing steam.
Behind the drop-off are several uniquely American factors. The vast majority of US states have no high school language requirement. There’s a shortage of language teachers. And there are limited opportunities to practice .
China as a destination has also lost its buzz among some young Americans as tensions have grown, shifting the narrative from a place to make money to a geopolitical rival.
But the benefits are clear. While Google Translate and ChatGPT may help in basic translation, they are no substitutes for making lifelong friends, as well as living and understanding the culture of another country.
As Beijing’s clout increases and it sends armies of envoys around the globe, surpassing the US to create the world’s biggest diplomatic network, learning Mandarin is increasingly a strategic necessity inside and outside China too. While English is currently the most spoken language on Earth, Mandarin is projected to take the top spot by 2050.
Understanding China’s language and culture is also important in finessing the military and intelligence rivalry, whether to bolster cooperation, navigate tensions or acquire intelligence. Tapping Sun Tzu again, there has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefited. Language is an important foot soldier in avoiding such a conflict.
Mark Magnier is the Post’s North America deputy bureau chief
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