Chinese for Corporate employees

Chinese people are almost everywhere, involved in all kinds of businesses with almost all the countries in the world. It is a very fast-growing market generating lakhs of opportunities every year. If you are looking forward to working in the Chinese cities in the corporate sector, knowing the local language is a must. Mandarin is the official language of China, so the most common form of Chinese in use is Mandarin Chinese. If you would like to do business or maintain corporate relations with Chinese people, it is likely that you will have to learn Mandarin Chinese. It is a simple fact that understanding the language is the key to understanding its culture. And understanding a culture is the key to understanding its market. Learning the language of the place you will be doing business with is a worthy investment of your time. One must learn beyond the usual hello and goodbye and try actually conversing in the language. This will also help create a bond with the native employees of the place. This was the answer to the “why” part of the question. Like why it is important to study.

Now let’s move forward to the more complex question that is, where and how should you learn it. To begin with, Mandarin Chinese is one of the toughest languages in the world. We are not unfamiliar with the fact that its characters and pronunciations are what make this language very complex. There are numerous ways that you can use to learn Chinese, but I would say that you use them when you are at the medium or advanced level to practice and introduce yourself to heavier topics and words. 

To get started with learning Mandarin, go with the basics. The basic alphabet and characters, their individual pronunciation and sounds, grammar and syntax. These are the basic elements of any language and one must be thorough with them in order to master the language. Later on, you can move with reading aloud and listening to music, watching movies, and try conversing with your Chinese peers or business partners. But all of this would be beneficial for the medium and advanced level learners, who have a bit of idea about the language. 

The most important thing and probably the best way to learn Chinese is through a tutor or a language teaching institute. As said already Chinese is a complex language and any non- Chinese learner would need assistance at the initial stages of learning. Someone who could introduce them to you. Once you are familiar with the basics you can then move on to reading business magazines and listening to podcasts. The best way to go about this would be to maintain a journal or diary right from the beginning. Make a list of the formal words and write their meanings in your first language. That will be helpful in remembering the new words that you come across. There are various apps that provide these already curated lists. You can also take their help.

The next step is to learn grammar that is suitable for corporate purposes. Remember that you will have to focus on the formal part of the language than the informal one. The grammar, syntax, and vocabulary changes according to the formal and informal uses. Even the tone and gestures also change. Make sure you practice this thoroughly. Watch movies of business genres, see and listen to interviews and speeches given by Chinese businessmen and corporates. Incorporate their body language and way of speech in practice.