Chinese language proficiency is critical for business people looking to make new inroads into Asia. Apart from China, the language is also widely used in places such as Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. A 2010 survey by the Modern Language Association of America revealed that Chinese is the seventh most studied language in US college campuses. Although it is considered tough to master, the introduction of Hanyu Pinyin or the Romanisation of Chinese characters has made it easier for non-natives to learn it.
The SGP International Management Academy (SIMA) conducts Business Chinese on Tuesday and Friday evenings. Apart from business people, the class also draws housewives and non-Chinese who feel that they should know basic Chinese for everyday interactions such as ordering a meal in a food court. In my class alone, there were eight nationalities and this cultural diversity created a fun learning atmosphere.
The Business Chinese course aims to equip students with language fluency for common situations. Highly-qualified in-house lecturers use role-play and group practices to help students experiment with the language in various contexts. They also shared vocabulary in Hanyu Pinyin, English and written Chinese text. There was never a dull moment as we went through situation after situation in Chinese, pushing the lecturers to teach us new words. They motivated us to learn, to be bold and speak the language as well as open our minds to a whole new world.
While I may not have mastered the language in this short time, I have acquired the basic conversational skills to confidently engage in social discourse with a Chinese-speaking person. This is an achievement in itself.
+ SGP International Management Academy (SIMA), Block 106A Henderson Crescent, Singapore 151106
+ Tel: +65 6773 8792
+ Fax: +65 6773 8796
Suchana swangsrisuthikul
Founder of Success Power International and Jai Thai Group of Restaurants
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