http://www.sinoglot.com/bjs/2008/10/mandarin-study-programs/?&owa_medium=feed&owa_sid= Home of the Beijing Sounds Studios: productions mostly of language through foreign ears Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:08:32 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 http://www.sinoglot.com/bjs/2008/10/mandarin-study-programs/comment-page-1/#comment-55947 chris Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:03:47 +0000 http://www.bjshengr.com/bjs/?p=229#comment-55947 First there is a problem with what does "marginally fluent" actually mean? Does it mean she wants to be able to buy her groceries and talk about the weather? Next she mentions business reasons to move to Beijing, so she wants her Chinese to be at a rather fluent level so she can converse about business? These are vastly different schemes and require a different approach for they involve different vocabulary. With every job I have ever done in China I have had to acquire new vocabulary and the weather or buying groceries seldom came into play. If you want to get to the business level: First focus on learning as much as you can in the US also focus on the characters so later on you will find it easier to combine meanings and the often overlooked hidden meanings of things in chinese. Then find a business programme that will give you a six month internship in a related business with mostly chinese, preferably you being the only one there non-chinese. It is going to be a tough 6 months and you will be exhausted, but your progress will be phenomenal. First there is a problem with what does “marginally fluent” actually mean? Does it mean she wants to be able to buy her groceries and talk about the weather? Next she mentions business reasons to move to Beijing, so she wants her Chinese to be at a rather fluent level so she can converse about business? These are vastly different schemes and require a different approach for they involve different vocabulary. With every job I have ever done in China I have had to acquire new vocabulary and the weather or buying groceries seldom came into play.
If you want to get to the business level:
First focus on learning as much as you can in the US also focus on the characters so later on you will find it easier to combine meanings and the often overlooked hidden meanings of things in chinese.
Then find a business programme that will give you a six month internship in a related business with mostly chinese, preferably you being the only one there non-chinese. It is going to be a tough 6 months and you will be exhausted, but your progress will be phenomenal.

]]> http://www.sinoglot.com/bjs/2008/10/mandarin-study-programs/comment-page-1/#comment-54085 intaipei Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:18:59 +0000 http://www.bjshengr.com/bjs/?p=229#comment-54085 Having a non-local accent can work in your favor. For example, in the southern U.S., having a northern (or "flat") accent is a benefit, particularly if southerners can tell by looking at you that you don't have a European or African background. I wonder if the same can be said about a Beijing accent for foreigners in Taipei who look European. Having a non-local accent can work in your favor. For example, in the southern U.S., having a northern (or “flat”) accent is a benefit, particularly if southerners can tell by looking at you that you don’t have a European or African background. I wonder if the same can be said about a Beijing accent for foreigners in Taipei who look European.

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