A virtual reality dog is helping young Britons get to grips with some basic Mandarin Chinese – the most spoken language in the world.
Launched for the start of the ‘Year of the Dog’, this includes telling the playful pup to ‘eat’, ‘walk’ and – of course like any good dog owner - to ‘sit’. Developed by the British Council for Chinese New Year, ‘Dumpling’ the pug encourages young learners to try out basic words in Mandarin by responding to voice commands via an interactive website.
The new virtual teaching assistant forms part of a wider schools pack designed to introduce primary school children to the language and culture of China. With recent research highlighting Mandarin Chinese as the most important non-European language for the UK post-Brexit, it is a great way for the youngest of learners to try out some tones from the language.
In addition, UK parents view Mandarin as being beneficial for their children’s futures. Over half (51 per cent) of those surveyed for the Mandarin Excellence Programme last year said they thought that learning the language would boost their children’s career prospects while 56 per cent saw it as a skill that would open their children’s minds to an ‘exciting and dynamic’ culture.
Vicky Gough Schools Adviser at the British Council, said: “Mandarin Chinese is a fascinating and valuable language than can open our children’s eyes up to the world. More than that, it truly matters to the UK’s future prosperity post-Brexit.
“We hope that the idea of being helped in their learning by a playful pug will see many more young people giving Mandarin a go this Chinese New Year!”
Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world, and is seen as important for young people in the UK to master in order for the country to remain globally competitive in the future.
The ‘Year of the Dog’ primary schools pack is available to download for free on the British Council’s Schools Online site here: https://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/classroom-resources/list/year-dog-primary-teaching-resource