With globalization, outsourcing and free trade, the world is fast changing economically, politcally and sociologically. Over the years China has grown to become a major economy for the West to work in partnership with. Globally the number of students learning Chinese is the fastest growing among all foreign languages.
Study Chinese Language
There are more than 1.3 billion Chinese-speaking people around. Native Chinese speakers not only live in Mainland China, but also in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and overseas Chinese communities all over the world. Learning Chinese has become an opportunity for one to understand the fascinating culture of Chinese, creating opportunities to get in contact with people and make friends.
In all major cities, demand for Chinese classes far exceeds the number of Chinese teachers available. Chinese learners range from students who wish to communicate with fellow students in China to businessmen and women who need to interact and do business with Chinese enterprises.
Chinese Language Proficiency
Unlike most languages, Chinese has a unique ideographic writing system, which provides visual comprehensibility. The grammatical structure of Chinese is not only logical, but also pragmatic, related to the particular way of Chinese thinking. There is a certification test to measure Chinese proficiency for foreign students. It is known as Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) which is the test on Chinese Proficiency. HSK test is an important reference to certify the Chinese skills of foreign students for college admission in China.
The are several online community on study Chinese abroad for individuals to share their experiences on studying Chinese in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and even Malaysia and Singapore. For students who study Chinese abroad. China is the most popular destination for international students because of its long history and exciting culture.
Study Chinese In China
Study Chinese in China is a remarkable experience for students to learn Chinese language. Undoubtedly, studying in China is also the best way for one to explore opportunities in China. Most Chinese national universities provide Chinese language programs for foreign students, both short-term and semester program are available.
Short-term courses are conducted over short duration of few weeks thus offer very limited Chinese skills to most foreign students. To develop competency on daily Chinese communication and build strong foundation for future studies, foreign students should take the semester program to spend at least one semester in China.
Business Chinese Study Courses
Many business Chinese study courses are designed to provide students with insight into China’s business environment. The readings, classroom discussions and professional talks focus on China’s latest developments on economic, political and cultural fronts. Business Chinese study courses promote a deeper understanding of China’s business climate so as to help students to overcome linguistic, geographical and cultural barriers in order to achieve higher communicative competence in business contexts. Some Business Chinese study courses even admit students with no background in Chinese.