Tiếng Việt
中文 (中国)
中文 (台灣)The land of Myanmar is no longer unfamiliar to tourists or investors worldwide. The region captivates with its majestic natural beauty, rich historical and cultural heritage, and ancient charm, along with economic development potential. This has sparked the interest of foreign businesses, including those from Vietnam.
However, language remains a significant barrier for businesses looking to invest here. The majority of the population primarily communicates and uses relevant documents in Burmese. Moreover, Burmese is one of the rarest languages in the world. Therefore, hiring a translator or interpreter for the long term can incur significant costs. Additionally, there are situations where translation services or interpretation cannot be utilized in daily communication, sharing opinions in meetings, private chats, casual conversations, reading news, entertainment, etc
Photo. The country of Myanmar
In addition, according to the statistics from the Myanmar Ministry of Education, only 11% of the population knows English, and proficiency within this group is even scarcer. These individuals tend to concentrate in major cities such as Yangon, Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, and others. This highlights the shortage of professional Burmese-speaking human resources. It becomes apparent that finding Vietnamese individuals fluent in Burmese is extremely challenging. Even if they have experience in translation, they may not necessarily use industry-specific terms correctly. Although translation software has expanded to provide assistance, many native speakers find the content confusing and note translation errors. That is why proficient Burmese-speaking Vietnamese teachers or translators are described as being ‘counted on the fingers’. This underscores the difficulty and rarity of this language, posing a challenge that businesses need to address when considering investments. Therefore, learning Burmese is part of the prepared plan if businesses want to explore new territories.
Photo. Famous regions in Myanmar
Furthermore, it’s advisable to research which industries investors are actively developing in this region and understand why fewer people choose to learn Burmese. Additionally, how to efficiently reduce learning time, especially in enhancing language skills related to professional work.
1. Why is Myanmar attracting investors and what are the exploited sectors?
Recently, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Myanmar, foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country is distributed as follows: China (30%), Singapore (15%), Japan (10%), South Korea (5%), Vietnam (4%), and other countries (36%). These investments are primarily focused on the manufacturing sector, agriculture, real estate, and services. Specifically, companies related to energy, logistics transportation, manufacturing processing industry, textile and leather production, tourism hotels, financial banking, information technology, and telecommunications are actively pursued by investors. This is because these industries were previously not given much attention and only developed on a small scale. Meanwhile, Myanmar has many advantages in terms of resources, such as abundant reserves of oil and natural gas to meet domestic and export demands. Additionally, with vast agricultural land, various crops can be cultivated. The extensive coastline also facilitates the development of transportation and logistics.
Photo. Busy traffic routes
On the other hand, the increasing demand for real estate is due to the growing need for housing and infrastructure development to support economic growth. Additionally, the abundant young workforce with low labor costs is suitable for the development of manufacturing industries. As evidence, Myanmar’s GDP per capita in 2023 is $1,200, averaging $100 per month. Moreover, the human factor also attracts investor interest because the majority of the Myanmar population is honest and straightforward. This helps businesses reduce risks, losses, and build a long-term and stable working environment.
Photo. Workers at the factory
2. Why is Burmese less commonly chosen to study in Vietnam?
In Vietnamese, most of the alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet and characters are similar to international phonetics. On the other hand, Burmese (Myanmar) is an abugida script, not using punctuation marks, with 32 letters in a complex grammatical system that follows various structural rules. Although both languages share a left-to-right writing direction, the Burmese script is more complex due to the use of a logographic writing system. This complexity can pose challenges for language learning, especially for older Vietnamese individuals who are not familiar with this writing system.
Photo. Burmese Script
In addition, the training centers for learning Burmese face limitations due to a shortage of teachers with specialized qualifications, making it challenging to achieve desired results. Moreover, work opportunities in Vietnam are not widely available, mainly focusing on tour guides, interpreters, and teaching. These roles require a high proficiency in Burmese and practical experience. However, the number of Burmese people living in Vietnam is limited, making communication with native speakers more challenging. On the other hand, mastering a rare language involves a significant cost, and with a small number of students attending these tutoring centers, the fees can be substantial. Therefore, office workers, and students usually carefully weigh their options before deciding. Consequently, Burmese language learning in Vietnam primarily serves business owners, investors, and managerial levels. Most of them prefer private tutoring to ensure privacy.
3. How can one effectively shorten the time needed to learn Burmese?
According to a study conducted by the U.S. National Language Center, it is suggested that, on average, it takes approximately 2,200 hours for an individual to achieve proficiency in a foreign language. This means that if someone dedicates 2 hours per day to studying, it would take over 3 years to reach proficiency. In cases where individuals study 3 times a week or dedicate fewer hours per week, it could take 6-9 years or even longer. Another study conducted by Oxford University surveyed over 1,000 children aged 3-12. The results revealed that, on average, it takes children about 5-7 years to become proficient in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in their native language.
Illustration image
So, it shows that learning a foreign language is a long journey, requiring patience and effort. However, in some cases, there may not be enough time to sustain, for personal reasons such as work, family, or children. Therefore, the question is how to shorten the time to learn Burmese effectively, as well as who can play this role well?
4. Why should you choose private Burmese tutoring at PLG?
PLG is a reputable Translation agency established from 2009 to present, specializing in organizing Multilingual Tutoring and Training activities. Here, interpreters play a crucial role in the professional teaching work. Most of them graduate with regular degrees and live in various countries around the world. In particular, PLG selects lecturers with deep knowledge of languages, a thorough understanding of culture, and expertise in various fields to advise and meet all the expectations of students. However, for the rare language of Myanmar in Vietnam, only a few Myanmar individuals have English teaching qualifications, and there is only one Vietnamese lecturer with the capability to help students shorten their learning time effectively within a few months.
Mr. Vu, a Vietnamese investor in Myanmar and a student at PLG, stated: “Before I started planning to invest, I researched the Burmese language. Indeed, this language is extremely difficult and rare, and it took me some time to find the right person. The course instructor is excellent and suitable for Vietnamese learners. I didn’t think that after only 3 months, I could confidently communicate with native speakers. For this, I have to thank Teacher Son for his enthusiasm and patience with students.”
Photo. Mr. Truong Van Son, Vietnamese instructor teaching Burmese at PLG
A Ph.D. in East Asian Linguistics in Belgium emphasized: “Mr Son is perhaps the only person in Vietnam who meets all my requirements. He teaches in a way that is easy to understand and scientific. Although not following the traditional curriculum, he always tailors his teaching to the level of the students and knows how to summarize the important points in this language. That’s why it helped me learn faster. After a few months, thanks to his guidance, I can now read complex specialized documents.”
If you are interested in the Burmese Tutoring service at PLG, please click here and fill in the required information or send an email to daotaongonngu@plg.com.vn to receive a quote promptly.