Teachers open the door; you enter by yourself.
~ Chinese proverb ~
Approximately 1.3 billion people speak Chinese; that's 16% of the world's population, making Chinese the most commonly spoken language in the world. There are at least 10 varieties of Chinese; some, like Mandarin and Cantonese, you have probably heard of, others, like Pu-Xian, you may not know.
Mandarin is the variation you will find most people speaking, with over 80% of people in China being speakers of Mandarin and nearly 1.2 million people worldwide. The remaining 20% of the Chinese population speak a mix of dialects, so different that one group may not necessarily understand another.
As with other countries that have developed a range of dialects, there is a standardised form — Modern Standard Mandarin. Based on the Beijing dialect, Modern Standard Mandarin is likely to be the version you will be exposed to when you learn Chinese.
Travellers should be aware that China is not the only country where Chinese is spoken. If you travel to Hong Kong, it could be useful to have a few Cantonese skills up your sleeve. If you go to Shanghai, Canton or the Hu dialect may come in handy. However, locals in these countries will also understand Mandarin and, even if you travel to more remote regions in China, a knowledge of Mandarin is likely to see you through.
After the United States, the economy of China is the largest in the world and certainly the fastest growing. If you're looking at a professional career in the global business sector, learning Mandarin and possessing a good level of skills in speaking, reading and listening are a must.
For students who are interested in culture and history, Chinese is an attractive language to learn. Language and culture are best learned hand-in-hand, and knowledge of Chinese, particularly Mandarin, will help students understand the country's rich history and culture, especially through viewing, reading and listening to Chinese films, literature and music.
The Chinese language has a reputation for being one of the most difficult languages to learn. However, with determination and regular practice of vocabulary, grammar rules and pronunciation, students can eventually master the tones and written form. Breadth of study and taking every opportunity for speaking and reading practice is key.
One of the best places to start learning Chinese is at a Confucius Institute. In Australia, there are around 13 Confucius Institutes — a partnership between an Australian university and Chinese higher education institutions — including the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney and the University of Western Australia.
If you don't want to learn Chinese at university level or aren't ready to take that step yet, you might be wondering what your other options are for learning Chinese in Australia.
Let's look at a few now, starting with engaging a Chinese tutor.
Learning Mandarin with a Chinese Tutor
Students who engage a tutor are not only those who are looking for help with academic lessons. These days, there are tutors available for just about anything a student of any age wants to learn, academic to recreational.
Are you interested in learning Chinese calligraphy?
Do you want to learn about Chinese festivals and lion dancing?
Perhaps you have decided to start studying Mandarin and want private lessons rather than group lessons at a language school?
Lessons with a private Chinese tutor, either in-person or online, could be perfect for you.
Where do these lessons take place?
Lesson location is determined by you and your tutor. Many tutors offer tuition in the online environment — particularly useful if students and tutors live in different parts of Australia. Students and tutors can also work together at:
- your home
- the home of your tutor
- a library
- a coffee shop
- any community space
- a language school.
If you have the opportunity, you may even go on an excursion with your tutor — maybe a Chinese movie or festival or out to a restaurant where you can get in some speaking practice in a real-life situation.
Your local university is a good place to look for a Chinese tutor. Tutors also often advertise their tutoring services on platforms like Gumtree, or you can take online or face-to-face Mandarin lessons with a Superprof tutor.
Discover more about private Chinese tutors and tuition.
Chinese Language and Culture Groups
A dedicated language school can be the perfect environment for a student who is keen to formally learn Chinese, however, some students may find the teaching methods and content a little boring as the focus tends to be on grammar rules, vocabulary lists and learning characters after character after character. (Note that there are over 50,000 Chinese characters and, although you only need about 3,000 characters to be able to read a newspaper, that's still a lot of writing practice.)
If this doesn't sound like you, you might want to consider giving the language school a miss in favour of a more relaxed language and culture association, club or group.
There are numerous Chinese associations and community language groups throughout Australia. These groups usually have the aim of promoting friendship, understanding and relationships between China and Australia. As such, they often run a range of activities, including:
- culture lessons and workshops (such as art, calligraphy, cooking or history)
- festival events
- movie nights
- conversation classes
- regional language lessons, such as Pinyin, Cantonese and other dialects
- Mandarin lessons at every level
- focus sessions, such as writing, essential phrases for travel to China and grammar skills.
These associations are also great places to get extra information for study purposes, find a private tutor or get help and advice if you are planning a trip to China. You should also investigate the opportunity to host a Chinese student at your home, or visit China on a language stay and live with a Chinese host family.
Speak Chinese in a Student Society Group
If you are learning Mandarin, whether with a tutor, in a language school, at the secondary school level or at university, student groups are one of the best ways to support the development of your skills.
Student groups or societies for students of Chinese often offer a number of benefits, including:
- support in the way of tuition and study groups for reading and writing
- opportunities for speaking and listening practice in real-life situations
- learning more about Chinese culture
- preparations for studying in China or a Chinese-speaking country on language exchange.
In addition to academic support and learning opportunities, a language association or society is also a great way to meet new people with similar interests to yours.
Mandarin Chinese for Business Professionals
For people who need to learn Chinese, or improve their speaking and other communication skills for career purposes, there are groups and associations that cater directly to business professionals. Often, the focus is on gaining the skills required to obtain a HSK Certificate of Chinese language proficiency. However, sometimes lessons may be focused more on specific business communications.
As mentioned previously, China is rapidly growing as an economic power and if you want to stay competitive, language skills are often the way to go.
If your company is sourcing Chinese lessons — fabulous. If not, you may be left to find your own. This is fine, just do your research first.
- Determine your goals.
- Find a tutor, school or course that explicitly meets your goals.
- Communicate your needs to your teacher.
- Regularly assess whether or not you are meeting your goals.
You can explore options for learning business Chinese at a language school or check out the Superprof platform where you'll be sure to find a private tutor who can meet your learning needs.
Chinese Associations and Private Language Schools — What's the Difference?
The biggest difference between a Chinese language and culture association and a language school, as outlined above, is in the course content and activities offered. Associations tend to be more informal and offer a wider variety of experiences; a language school tends to run on a curriculum with formal lessons and a standard structure.
In terms of payment, this can vary greatly — not only between an association and a language school but also between different institutions in each environment.
In general, there is a membership fee attached to most associations. This goes towards administrative costs and partial or full payment for events and workshops offered.
A private language school will of course have class or tuition fees, often in semesters or blocks of 6 to 8 weeks. In addition, there is often also an initial sign-up fee. Rates can also differ according to your level, or to the practicality of the course.
As with all languages, learning to speak Chinese, and to read and write all those characters, can be extremely rewarding — both personally and in your career. The joy of being able to communicate in a foreign language cannot really be described.
Are you ready to give it a go?
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