Can I get rich quick if I know Chinese or Japanese?
December 1, 2012 12:51 PM Subscribe
Is it still possible to make loadsamoney if you know Japanese or Chinese?
Hi,
I have some basic Chinese knowledge; I'll be studying Chinese in more depth next year. I also have some knowledge of Japanese (I haven't studied for a while, so I'm probably at a JLPT level 3 standard).
If necessary, I can support myself for two years to develop a higher level knowledge of either language. What I would like to know is if this is worthwhile?
During the '80s, it seemed like knowledge of Japanese was a ticket to the Big Money. Japan's economy isn't doing so well now, so I was wondering if it was still possible to get rich more easily if you know Japanese?
I'd also like to ask the same question for China, which seems to be still fairly early on in its boom.
Thanks for any info.
Hi,
I have some basic Chinese knowledge; I'll be studying Chinese in more depth next year. I also have some knowledge of Japanese (I haven't studied for a while, so I'm probably at a JLPT level 3 standard).
If necessary, I can support myself for two years to develop a higher level knowledge of either language. What I would like to know is if this is worthwhile?
During the '80s, it seemed like knowledge of Japanese was a ticket to the Big Money. Japan's economy isn't doing so well now, so I was wondering if it was still possible to get rich more easily if you know Japanese?
I'd also like to ask the same question for China, which seems to be still fairly early on in its boom.
Thanks for any info.
In short: if this were true, then every single Chinese- and Japanese-American with a college degree would be rich.
Of the people I know who have made a lot of money, their knowledge of Chinese or Japanese has not been the deciding factor when it came to increasing their earning potential. At least, if your profession typically pays "X", it's not like Japanese or Chinese skills will allow you to command a salary of "2X" or "3X".
This sounds facile, but if you want to make lots of money, choose a profession in which high salaries are the norm. If you want to have such a high paying job that puts you into regular contact with Chinese and Japanese speakers, then by all means keep up with your skills, but if money is your primary goal, focus your time on preparing to get a high paying job. It's not clear that a shipping broker who's fluent in Chinese makes more than a spine surgeon who only speaks English.
What language skills do give you is more flexibility in terms of available jobs. I got an interview with a research lab that posted an ad for a position that required Chinese language skills-- I wouldn't have even gotten the interview if I didn't know any Chinese. Also, for another research position, I was a more competitive candidate because I could speak Chinese because I would be doing a lot of fieldwork in a Chinese speaking country. In *neither* case, however, were the monetary rewards any higher than the domestic English-only-speaking job I have now.
Learning a language is like learning most things: do it because you like it and because it opens up the opportunities that you want to have, not because you think it will result in making lots of money.
posted by deanc at 2:21 PM on December 1, 2012 [3 favorites]
Of the people I know who have made a lot of money, their knowledge of Chinese or Japanese has not been the deciding factor when it came to increasing their earning potential. At least, if your profession typically pays "X", it's not like Japanese or Chinese skills will allow you to command a salary of "2X" or "3X".
This sounds facile, but if you want to make lots of money, choose a profession in which high salaries are the norm. If you want to have such a high paying job that puts you into regular contact with Chinese and Japanese speakers, then by all means keep up with your skills, but if money is your primary goal, focus your time on preparing to get a high paying job. It's not clear that a shipping broker who's fluent in Chinese makes more than a spine surgeon who only speaks English.
What language skills do give you is more flexibility in terms of available jobs. I got an interview with a research lab that posted an ad for a position that required Chinese language skills-- I wouldn't have even gotten the interview if I didn't know any Chinese. Also, for another research position, I was a more competitive candidate because I could speak Chinese because I would be doing a lot of fieldwork in a Chinese speaking country. In *neither* case, however, were the monetary rewards any higher than the domestic English-only-speaking job I have now.
Learning a language is like learning most things: do it because you like it and because it opens up the opportunities that you want to have, not because you think it will result in making lots of money.
posted by deanc at 2:21 PM on December 1, 2012 [3 favorites]
During the '80s, it seemed like knowledge of Japanese was a ticket to the Big Money
Yeah, but this was a false perception even then. I went to college with strong computer networking and programming skills and took this theory and got a Japanese degree, graduating just after the Japan bubble imploded completely. I knew lots of business degree types who had a similar theory who would (in reality) have done moderately better, but it was no ticket to anything.
On Chinese, my opinion is that learning Chinese actually makes you somewhat less desirable. If you're important, they will assign an English speaker to you, and if you're not, you're not making money anyway.
posted by rr at 2:22 PM on December 1, 2012 [3 favorites]
Yeah, but this was a false perception even then. I went to college with strong computer networking and programming skills and took this theory and got a Japanese degree, graduating just after the Japan bubble imploded completely. I knew lots of business degree types who had a similar theory who would (in reality) have done moderately better, but it was no ticket to anything.
On Chinese, my opinion is that learning Chinese actually makes you somewhat less desirable. If you're important, they will assign an English speaker to you, and if you're not, you're not making money anyway.
posted by rr at 2:22 PM on December 1, 2012 [3 favorites]
I have a friend who did freelance Japanese->English translation for technical manuals.
Perhaps not the most interesting work, and I'm not sure if I'd say he was "rich". But he seemed to work when he wanted and controlled his own hours.
Seemed pretty cool to me!
Of course, you have to know technical Japanese for the particular area (medical, semiconductor, software, ...) you're doing translation for.
posted by sarah_pdx at 2:56 PM on December 1, 2012
Perhaps not the most interesting work, and I'm not sure if I'd say he was "rich". But he seemed to work when he wanted and controlled his own hours.
Seemed pretty cool to me!
Of course, you have to know technical Japanese for the particular area (medical, semiconductor, software, ...) you're doing translation for.
posted by sarah_pdx at 2:56 PM on December 1, 2012
Nope, I actually don't know why people say things like "Oh learn Chinese, that's going to be super important in the future, and it will probably help you get a job." Not true. At least not in my experience. I work in the finance industry. None of the jobs I have gotten or interviewed for have had anything to do with my language speaking abilities (which, apart from Mandarin, also include Russian and German), and I have never once used any language other than English in any of my jobs, other than the one time I tried to read a Brazillian company's page about dividend payouts before I noticed the "ENGLISH" link in the corner. Fortunately I didn't pursue learning them for business reasons.
Even among people who run businesses doing import/export, or outsource production to China, a lot of them don't speak a lick of Chinese. My impression is speaking any Chinese among US businesspeople in China is the exception rather than the rule.
Practically speaking, Chinese has been useful to the extent that because I am of Asian descent, shopkeepers and restaurant staff in NYC Chinatown often assume that I speak Chinese. But they all speak some English too, so it's not like it's really necessary, just makes communication a tiny bit easier. And really not by much, considering that I don't speak Cantonese/Toishanese so half the time I don't understand what they're saying or they don't understand what I say.
posted by pravit at 3:05 PM on December 1, 2012
Even among people who run businesses doing import/export, or outsource production to China, a lot of them don't speak a lick of Chinese. My impression is speaking any Chinese among US businesspeople in China is the exception rather than the rule.
Practically speaking, Chinese has been useful to the extent that because I am of Asian descent, shopkeepers and restaurant staff in NYC Chinatown often assume that I speak Chinese. But they all speak some English too, so it's not like it's really necessary, just makes communication a tiny bit easier. And really not by much, considering that I don't speak Cantonese/Toishanese so half the time I don't understand what they're saying or they don't understand what I say.
posted by pravit at 3:05 PM on December 1, 2012
Also, the jump from "basic Chinese" to "fluent in speaking and reading/writing Chinese" is *enormous.* (This is why I kind of laugh at these "immersion kindergartens" and two-year college programs that are supposedly going to turn Americans into bilinguals. Just like a couple of years of English classes during public school in the Chinese countryside, it's just not going to work.)
I did get some interest from the FBI at a job fair when they heard I was studying Chinese, but a) that's not tons of money and b) hard work and a lot of other skills would be involved.
It's a great thing to add onto other skills, such as engineering or whatever, if you're truly serious about fluency. (Most people plateau at ordering food and so on, and never really get to even being able to read a newspaper. The learning curve if you don't speak a sort of related language fluently already is enormous.) It's helped me get jobs, but I'm sure not rich.
P. S. Translation is tough work, not good money, and not steady employment.
posted by wintersweet at 3:42 PM on December 1, 2012 [1 favorite]
I did get some interest from the FBI at a job fair when they heard I was studying Chinese, but a) that's not tons of money and b) hard work and a lot of other skills would be involved.
It's a great thing to add onto other skills, such as engineering or whatever, if you're truly serious about fluency. (Most people plateau at ordering food and so on, and never really get to even being able to read a newspaper. The learning curve if you don't speak a sort of related language fluently already is enormous.) It's helped me get jobs, but I'm sure not rich.
P. S. Translation is tough work, not good money, and not steady employment.
posted by wintersweet at 3:42 PM on December 1, 2012 [1 favorite]
I commented on this topic recently here.
JLPT 3 Japanese is frankly not worth talking about, and as ripley noted, JLPT N1 isn't that great, either. I've known more than my fair share of JLPT1 people who simply have nearly zero spoken proficiency in Japanese. If you pick one of these languages and studied full time for the two years, you could get decent proficiency, but for reasons set forth below, it's not worthwhile if your motivation is financial.
I speak Japanese to the point where I've been mistaken for a native on the phone. I'm a commercial litigator and it is occasionally helpful in dealing with my Japanese manufacturer clients, but it really hasn't done anything for me career-wise except as a minor secondary skill. I make "loadsamoney" because I am a fancy-pants lawyer in a prominent firm and because of my investments, not because I speak Japanese.
So no, as in my previous comment on a similar topic, I do not think your plan is worthwhile if you are just doing it in hopes of getting a high-paying job. That job frankly does not exist. The only jobs where the language is going to be the driving primary skill is translation. I've done some freelance and have a few friends who are freelance translators. They seem to do well for themselves, but are nowhere near "loadsamoney". I agree with wintersweet's postscript on the job, but it seems to suit certain personality types.
By all means, continue to study foreign language for its own sake if you are so inclined. It is my love and I love those unexpected opportunities to use them (a few Japanese tourists in Target yesterday, and today my meager Russian came in handy with an appliance repairman who had very little English), but I think you will find your time wasted if you are studying with career advancement in mind.
posted by Tanizaki at 4:57 PM on December 1, 2012 [1 favorite]
JLPT 3 Japanese is frankly not worth talking about, and as ripley noted, JLPT N1 isn't that great, either. I've known more than my fair share of JLPT1 people who simply have nearly zero spoken proficiency in Japanese. If you pick one of these languages and studied full time for the two years, you could get decent proficiency, but for reasons set forth below, it's not worthwhile if your motivation is financial.
I speak Japanese to the point where I've been mistaken for a native on the phone. I'm a commercial litigator and it is occasionally helpful in dealing with my Japanese manufacturer clients, but it really hasn't done anything for me career-wise except as a minor secondary skill. I make "loadsamoney" because I am a fancy-pants lawyer in a prominent firm and because of my investments, not because I speak Japanese.
So no, as in my previous comment on a similar topic, I do not think your plan is worthwhile if you are just doing it in hopes of getting a high-paying job. That job frankly does not exist. The only jobs where the language is going to be the driving primary skill is translation. I've done some freelance and have a few friends who are freelance translators. They seem to do well for themselves, but are nowhere near "loadsamoney". I agree with wintersweet's postscript on the job, but it seems to suit certain personality types.
By all means, continue to study foreign language for its own sake if you are so inclined. It is my love and I love those unexpected opportunities to use them (a few Japanese tourists in Target yesterday, and today my meager Russian came in handy with an appliance repairman who had very little English), but I think you will find your time wasted if you are studying with career advancement in mind.
posted by Tanizaki at 4:57 PM on December 1, 2012 [1 favorite]
Others here are being rather contrarian. I know more than a few people who were likely hired or promoted because they know Mandarin. One does marketing for a firm with China offices. Another does business development in China. Yet another is teaching English in China and considering a joint venture in the language education sector. Yet others are academics studying Chinese culture and business.
Their other professional skills are much more important, obviously, but Mandarin is still more or less a prerequisite to do their jobs. I'm in Australia, though, which has very close trade ties to China.
posted by dontjumplarry at 4:59 PM on December 1, 2012
Their other professional skills are much more important, obviously, but Mandarin is still more or less a prerequisite to do their jobs. I'm in Australia, though, which has very close trade ties to China.
posted by dontjumplarry at 4:59 PM on December 1, 2012
To be fair, though, none of the above got rich quick or are particularly wealthy.
posted by dontjumplarry at 5:02 PM on December 1, 2012
posted by dontjumplarry at 5:02 PM on December 1, 2012
English is the language to wealth and upward mobility. But the catch is, you have to not know it in the first place. You don't realize.. you are inside, looking out.
posted by Kruger5 at 5:50 PM on December 1, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Kruger5 at 5:50 PM on December 1, 2012 [1 favorite]
Native Chinese speaker and native English speaker here. I have translated and interpreted (mostly Chinese to English) for fun and for very small pay. I don't know of anyway of getting rich quick, even though I actually have family connections in China and am well educated in the US. But I wish...
No, getting a Computer Science degree has put me much closer on the path of getting rich quick.
Also, sorry to burst your bubble but Chinese is extremely difficult to learn for native English speakers (though not one of THE most difficult). Most people study it for 3 or 4 years full time before they become actually proficient in it to be a translator or an interpreter.
posted by ethidda at 6:26 PM on December 1, 2012
No, getting a Computer Science degree has put me much closer on the path of getting rich quick.
Also, sorry to burst your bubble but Chinese is extremely difficult to learn for native English speakers (though not one of THE most difficult). Most people study it for 3 or 4 years full time before they become actually proficient in it to be a translator or an interpreter.
posted by ethidda at 6:26 PM on December 1, 2012
Is it still possible to make loadsamoney if you know Japanese or Chinese?
Short answer: Yes, but neither is a sufficient condition for that. You need some other valuable skill plus a language skill for that to even become a possibility.
posted by valkyryn at 6:32 PM on December 1, 2012
Short answer: Yes, but neither is a sufficient condition for that. You need some other valuable skill plus a language skill for that to even become a possibility.
posted by valkyryn at 6:32 PM on December 1, 2012
Nthing the concept of skills. I have some friends that are outright fluent in Japanese here, and they are struggling to make ends meet through shitty teaching jobs because they have no other skills.
I've got N3, and I considered taking the test to be a motivational too towards getting better at the language. I might be able to pass N2, but I don't have the time to really sit down and do the studying that would make the experience more than just a level check.
Where, perhaps, the misconception that language ability=paycheck comes in is that there are, from time to time, job postings that require N1 or N2. The thing is, that's not all you need, you still need to have the skills to do the job. Having the language ability isn't going to hurt you, but it's no longer enough to get you a job (if it ever was).
Either way, between the two, if you really wanted to study a language towards future use in any kind of endeavor, I'd say go with Chinese. I'm not saying that China is always going to be growing, but Japan is pretty much done in terms of economic growth. Population predictions (which are almost always off) are pointing to a massive decline, the economy is in the shitter, and there is no leadership in either the public or private sector. Nothing is really on the horizon in terms of being able to turn it around, either.
posted by Ghidorah at 6:50 PM on December 1, 2012
I've got N3, and I considered taking the test to be a motivational too towards getting better at the language. I might be able to pass N2, but I don't have the time to really sit down and do the studying that would make the experience more than just a level check.
Where, perhaps, the misconception that language ability=paycheck comes in is that there are, from time to time, job postings that require N1 or N2. The thing is, that's not all you need, you still need to have the skills to do the job. Having the language ability isn't going to hurt you, but it's no longer enough to get you a job (if it ever was).
Either way, between the two, if you really wanted to study a language towards future use in any kind of endeavor, I'd say go with Chinese. I'm not saying that China is always going to be growing, but Japan is pretty much done in terms of economic growth. Population predictions (which are almost always off) are pointing to a massive decline, the economy is in the shitter, and there is no leadership in either the public or private sector. Nothing is really on the horizon in terms of being able to turn it around, either.
posted by Ghidorah at 6:50 PM on December 1, 2012
As an American who speaks Mandarin more or less fluently, and read and writes as well, I'd say no, it's not a "get-rich-quick" skill, but it definitely has opened me to more opportunities, especially in China.
It's not really super duper difficult to become fluent in Mandarin if you put in the work. It's a myth that Chinese is impossible to learn- in fact, some aspects of it,esp. grammar, are not hard at all. I previously worked for a program for college students whose goal was just that. The students I worked with, through a few years of intensive study including study in China, did indeed become fluent and some developed near-native like skills. Their job opportunities definitely improved and there are indeed jobs in business and consulting that can be lucrative. I'd also have to disagree that one can't make money from translation or that translation is too difficult. It's possible to make a living off of it (though not getting rich) and it's not always super difficult.
As far as Chinese Americans, many of them only speak Chinese at home and don't have a professional vocabulary. Moreover, many of them cannot read Chinese. Many also only speak dialects that are not mandarin or Cantonese. Therefore, just because one speaks Chinese or a dialect of Chinese growing up, does not make them professionally fluent or literate.
posted by bearette at 7:43 PM on December 1, 2012
It's not really super duper difficult to become fluent in Mandarin if you put in the work. It's a myth that Chinese is impossible to learn- in fact, some aspects of it,esp. grammar, are not hard at all. I previously worked for a program for college students whose goal was just that. The students I worked with, through a few years of intensive study including study in China, did indeed become fluent and some developed near-native like skills. Their job opportunities definitely improved and there are indeed jobs in business and consulting that can be lucrative. I'd also have to disagree that one can't make money from translation or that translation is too difficult. It's possible to make a living off of it (though not getting rich) and it's not always super difficult.
As far as Chinese Americans, many of them only speak Chinese at home and don't have a professional vocabulary. Moreover, many of them cannot read Chinese. Many also only speak dialects that are not mandarin or Cantonese. Therefore, just because one speaks Chinese or a dialect of Chinese growing up, does not make them professionally fluent or literate.
posted by bearette at 7:43 PM on December 1, 2012
If you can do Simultaneous Interpretation you can make quite decent money translating for governments, broadcast news, and conferences. I doubt if this really qualifies for your "get rich quick" criteria though because a) Even being completely fluent in both languages it takes something like two years of study to be able to do simultaneous translation, b) There aren't a lot of openings, and c) "Good money" is a far cry from "rich".
But if all you want to do is support yourself while learning the languages better, teaching ESL in China/Japan is the most straightforward.
posted by Ookseer at 9:50 PM on December 1, 2012
But if all you want to do is support yourself while learning the languages better, teaching ESL in China/Japan is the most straightforward.
posted by Ookseer at 9:50 PM on December 1, 2012
This is not my area of expertise at all but from what I understand, learning another language qualifies you for a few things: 1) teaching ESL to people who know that language or 2) work in a country where that language is spoken.Teaching ESL is rarely a path to wealth but you can do well if you can teach businessmen how to speak English. And if you're going to go the other route, you aren't likely to make money these days in Japan, where I think hiring is low right now, or China, which as a developing country, does not pay most workers well.
posted by kat518 at 6:46 AM on December 2, 2012
posted by kat518 at 6:46 AM on December 2, 2012
I think it depends on what your definition of "loads of money" is, and what your location is.
If you live in NYC / Boston / DC, you'll have more options than in a more rural environment.
Also: what valkyryn said.
posted by NYC-BB at 11:36 PM on December 2, 2012
If you live in NYC / Boston / DC, you'll have more options than in a more rural environment.
Also: what valkyryn said.
posted by NYC-BB at 11:36 PM on December 2, 2012
I just wanted to point out one more thing. If you go on Indeed or Simplyhired and search for "Chinese" or "Mandarin" in New York, NY for example, you'll see that most of the results are something like: social worker, bilingual admin assistant, freelance translator, Chinese tutor, which aren't that lucrative from a financial perspective. The few jobs that could potentially make $$$ only list Chinese as a plus, along with several other needed skills. Obviously looking at online listings doesn't show you the full picture but it gives you an idea of the kind of demand for language skills.
posted by pravit at 12:33 PM on December 3, 2012
posted by pravit at 12:33 PM on December 3, 2012
China, which as a developing country, does not pay most workers well.
This is true if you are Chinese, but not so much for foreigners. Also, many foreigners get hired at international schools or foreign companies where their wages are the same as they would be in the West. This wages go a lot further in China, however. Also, there are business and consulting opportunities available in China which pay quite well (Mandarin not always necessary but definitely helps you find more jobs).
posted by bearette at 9:35 PM on December 6, 2012
This is true if you are Chinese, but not so much for foreigners. Also, many foreigners get hired at international schools or foreign companies where their wages are the same as they would be in the West. This wages go a lot further in China, however. Also, there are business and consulting opportunities available in China which pay quite well (Mandarin not always necessary but definitely helps you find more jobs).
posted by bearette at 9:35 PM on December 6, 2012
Response by poster: I know it may seem a bit mercenary to focus on a career only for the money, but it's something my parents pressure me to do. If it were only up to me, I'd be willing to take a 25% pay cut if I could do work that I enjoyed and thought was socially useful.
Another point to remember is that the money you earn, the more you can give to charity. I'm more interested in living in comfort than luxury.
posted by Musashi Daryl at 8:06 AM on December 15, 2012
Another point to remember is that the money you earn, the more you can give to charity. I'm more interested in living in comfort than luxury.
posted by Musashi Daryl at 8:06 AM on December 15, 2012
I know it may seem a bit mercenary to focus on a career only for the money, but it's something my parents pressure me to do
In that case, a much better question for AskMe would be asking what jobs pay lots of money. You're approaching the problem from the wrong direction.
posted by deanc at 7:56 AM on December 31, 2012
In that case, a much better question for AskMe would be asking what jobs pay lots of money. You're approaching the problem from the wrong direction.
posted by deanc at 7:56 AM on December 31, 2012
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It's also worth noting that the JLPT is... not a great benchmark, unfortunately. I've easily passed JLPT level 1, and I'm still not good enough to function day-in-day-out in a Japanese office environment or as a translator.
I have friends who are good enough (5 years on a Monbukagakusho scholarship will do that!) and this has not been a path to filthy lucre for them. Some of them are working long hours for Japanese companies for mediocre pay, and the rest seem to be moving on to (non-language-related) graduate programs because they aren't willing to settle for that.
posted by ripley_ at 1:02 PM on December 1, 2012