| Language In Taiwan
Taiwan’s national language is Mandarin Chinese and most people can use or understand it. After Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese is the second most used language with about 80% of all population being able to speak it. Other languages exist, such as Hakka (about 10% of the population) and also several native aboriginal languages. Some of the older generations also speak Japanese, dating back to the years of Japanese occupation. English is becoming a more popular language as it is being taught in all government schools and in most private language schools.
Contrary to popular belief, spoken Mandarin is actually a fairly straightforward language to learn. It takes time and practice and while your teaching job must come first, it is definitely an achievable goal if you are in Taiwan for a year or longer. Perhaps the most difficult aspect is mastering the tones, but this comes with practice. The written form of Mandarin requires memorization of characters and can be time consuming. There are over 50,000 characters listed in dictionaries, but only approximately 5,000 are required for advanced literary study, and just 3,000 are needed for basic literacy.
On arriving in Taiwan, many teachers start a language exchange program with a local Chinese person as it is a great way to meet people and learn a new language for free. Alternatively, there are a number of schools where you can pay for Chinese lessons by the hour. If you are not interested in learning Chinese there is no big problem, but you should certainly try to learn a few key words and phrases as it will make your day to day life much easier and enjoyable.
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