Hi Blind users, I have to get good at speaking Mandarin in the next 1-1.5 years, for personal reasons. Target skill level in 1-1.5 years: go to trade fair and speak about / represent a company, do fluent business conversations. Reading, writing are secondary but if I can do it in a year, then great. Right now, I can speak basic sentences, likely at the level of HSK2 or 3. I can do weekdays after 630pm anywhere between SouthSF and SanJose. Weekends anytime anywhere in the Bay area. Can you recommend any institutes that admit adults?most schools I see typically teach kids. Alternatively, do any of you Chinese users' relatives teach at home for cash? I'd prefer to learn from someone who's taught to English-speakers in the past. PS: People seem to recommend Chinese girlfriend. Married, so that's not an option. Thank you for your time.
I'd love to know the answer to this question too. I don't need to be trade proficient but would really like to be literate enough to read tech headlines.
i took it at a local chinese church in my area.
yea find a CN girlfriend is your best bet. She’ll teach you everything, from this to that.
There are some good programs in De Anza community college, check out their website. I took the 1st level and it’s helpful. The class is full of young Chinese who are born here, if you are bit old (like 30s), you might feel bit awkward, at least I felt it:-) but worth it.
I see, thanks for the comment, I'll check it out now.
Why not just find someone to translate Chinese for you?
I foresee myself doing business in China for years. I have seen that the best way to make a connect with a Chinese person is do a small conversation in Mandarin. I can't rely on someone else to build that connect or network for me.
Getting to fluent business Chinese in 1 year from basic sentences seems unrealistic. Be prepared to really work your butt off (weekends/evenings not enough)
Yes this is my top priority outside work. Do you know any places /people?
It’s unrealistic in one year. Unless you already speak a similar Asian language at a native level. Mark Zuckerberg spent a year learning mandarin, he has all the resources he wants and his level is nowhere near business level.
Good point.
Hey guys it would be helpful if you could share some classes you've heard to be good / know someone who can teach. I understand it's hard, I've made a fair amount of progress in the last six months, so I'm going to give it a shot.
Move to China for a year guarantee you’ll come back ready and with experience to small talk about
I’d also love to know!
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I guess You might be dating a Chinese girl. Ai qing gong yu is a show girls like. But the thing is, the best way to learn a language is to date someone in that language. So that is the dilemma. Good luck. Sorry I cannot help too much here.
Nope. I'm not dating a Chinese girl, I figured that was the most watched tv series, so I'll give that as an example. Someone asked me to watch to pick up slang. It's for personal business reasons. Good point tho, I'll change it.