the Price of Chinese Lessons

In anticipation of my firm winning a bid for the Beijing Olympic Games, several key staff members who would be working on the project were sent for lessons in Chinese language and culture in order to show respect and fellowship with our potential business contacts, hoping that it would help us get the contract. The lessons consisted of five consecutive eight hour sessions, where we not only learned the basics of conversational and business Chinese, but also immersed in the Chinese culture available in New York City's Chinatown. The materials we received included a Chinese to English dictionary, and a book of common Chinese phrases.

As this course was specifically targeted for business people that were hoping to start or expand their business's role in China, it did a very good job of preparing us for what we needed to know. I especially enjoyed the meetings with Chinese business executives in New York City, and the lecture that we received from a member of the Chinese consulate. The instructor did a good job on imparting what he could of a very difficult language to learn.

Learning Chinese is very different from learning any of the European languages, because there are far fewer shared words and meanings, be sure to put the time in to make the most of the course.