BW Explains: Why Army Officers To Learn China’s Mandarin?

Indian Army officers will soon register for a Chinese language or Mandarin course at Tezpur University in Assam to improve their communication skills and cultural understanding with their Chinese counterparts.

According to a defence official, the university inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Army on Wednesday to offer a 16-week Mandarin course for army personnel.

Why army personnel to learn the Chinese language?

India and China share the 3,400 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) — the present-day border. Indian and Chinese forces frequently cross paths with each other and when it comes to monitoring and keeping tabs on Chinese unit communication, the Indian side is frequently found on a disadvantageous side. 

According to Lt Col Mahendra Rawat, knowledge of the Chinese language would prepare army personnel to interact with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in a variety of settings, including border discussions, flag meetings, joint exercises and border personnel meetings.

Lt Col Rawat also said that the course would help army troops better communicate their thoughts and comprehend the PLA's point of view.

Why Tezpur University selected for the course?

Tezpur University is a renowned university in the northeast for foreign language instruction, mainly Chinese. A parliamentary act established the institution as a core university in 1994. University is also located in a region which is near China. 

Recently, China has renamed 11 locations in Arunachal Pradesh that it claims are in South Tibet and these names are derived from the Chinese language, called Mandarin. Beijing claims Zangnan (the southern part of China’s Tibet) as part of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) of China.

Use of AI in Teaching Mandarin

The Indian Army also used Artificial Intelligence-based technologies to translate various scripts or books from Mandarin earlier.

“With improved Mandarin skills, Indian Army personnel will be better able to communicate their points in a much more cogent manner,” an army official said.

According to reports, the Indian Army now possesses a sizable pool of Mandarin-qualified troops at all levels, including officers and junior commissioned officers (JCOs).

“With the recalibration of the Indian Army's strategic outlook towards Northern borders, the Indian Army has upscaled its Chinese language training and has synergistically enmeshed appropriate scaling of Chinese linguists within its overall strategy,” according to a source.

Similar efforts made in the past

In 2022, a series of similar initiatives have been implemented to increase in-house Mandarin knowledge, with the goal of empowering junior and senior commanders to engage with Chinese military personnel as needed, according to a media report. 

According to the source, numerous Mandarin language courses are offered in Northern, Eastern and Central Command language schools.