Language lessons across Australia & New Zealand
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Melbourne has a big community of foreign-born residents that account for 40% of the total population. Among these, the second-largest group comes from China, with an estimated 155,998 Chinese people who have chosen to live in the city. With such a big Chinese presence in Melbourne, it’s hardly surprising to find all sorts of stores, restaurants, bars and cultural activities that celebrate the Chinese culture. There’s even a Chinese museum, a local Chinatown and many temples where you get the chance to learn about their traditions and get in contact with members of their community.
If you are interested in exploring this fascinating culture, the best thing you could do is learn their language. According to the 2016 census, Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken language in Melbourne after English, with 184,977 estimated speakers. What’s more, Cantonese is also among the most popular, with 76,283 speakers. As you can imagine, learning either of these would be great for your social and professional life in the city, as you’ll get access to unique opportunities that are exclusive to Chinese speakers, so what are you waiting for?
In a competitive job market like the one in Melbourne, being able to speak more than one language is essential to stand out. Fortunately, if you choose to learn Chinese, you’ll be eligible for positions that require you to be bilingual like Mandarin Speaking Regional Payroll Analyst for Adecco, Mandarin Speaking Mortgage Broker for Ironfish Melbourne and Chinese Speaking Relationship Manager for Ethos BeathChapman. Because the local Chinese community is so big, you’ll find that speaking Chinese will impress most employers in the city, as you’ll be able to help them attract a bigger number of clients among foreign-born groups. What’s more, if you have your own business in Melbourne, speaking Mandarin or Cantonese can help you build valuable business relationships that can help your business grow and even reach international Asian markets, which might be the thing that makes the difference in order to become a successful business person in the city.
Anyone who wants to learn more about the local Chinese community should visit the Museum of Chinese Australian History, located at 22 Cohen Place, at the heart of Melbourne’s Chinatown. The main aim of this institution is to preserve and showcase Chinese culture and Australian history, while also recognizing and celebrating the identity of Chinese Australians. Here you’ll be able to learn all about the Chinese migration to Australia, as well as explore important periods in Chinese history like the Han Dynasty. The museum also has an impressive collection of art and material that will help you understand the cultural and historic interactions between the Chinese and the Australian people from the Gold Rush times to the present and many educational programmes to expand what you know about this ancient culture.
While in Chinatown, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to taste traditional Chinese food and visit some of the wonderful restaurants you can find there. China Red, located at 206 Bourke Street, stands out in the local dining scene because of the mouth-watering dishes it offers that are a perfect mix of traditional and modern Chinese cuisine. You’ll be able to enjoy dumplings, Chinese noodles and delicious duck dishes in a pleasant atmosphere decorated by beautiful red lanterns, dark-wood tables and ornate latticework. Whether you’re looking to get a quick bite in the area or you want to immerse yourself in Chinese culture, this place is just for you!
If you want to work on your Chinese skills while also socialising, the Melbourne Chinese Language & Culture Meetup Group is exactly what you’re looking for. This language group organises weekly meetings in casual settings where you can meet other Chinese language enthusiasts and native speakers who will teach you Mandarin in exchange for you helping them with their English. These events are relaxed and involve movie nights, BBQs, picnics and fun language exchanges in local bars. Whether you’re a complete beginner or you’re an advanced learner, this group offers a perfect chance to chat with people from all over the world and take your speaking skills to the next level.
Any Melburnian that wants to find free resources and language materials in Chinese should visit the State Library Victoria, located at 328 Swanston Street. Here, in addition to finding useful books like Mandarin: phrasebook and dictionary by Tim Lu, there are interesting reads that will help you understand different facets of the Chinese culture. A great example is Classical Chinese Medicine by Liu Lihong, which will help you understand the way Chinese medicine evolved throughout the years and how it is used nowadays. On the other hand, if you’re interested in Chinese literature but don’t know where to start, a great book you should check out is A Guide to Chinese Literature by Wilt Idema and Lloyd Haft, which offers a great introduction to the most well-known authors in Chinese Literature. However, these resources alone won’t help you become fluent. If you truly want to be able to communicate seamlessly in a language as challenging as Chinese, you should book a language course at Listen & Learn. Our lessons are completely flexible and based on our student’s interests and goals, so no matter the reason you have to study Chinese, if you contact us today, we’ll make sure you find a course that fits every single one of your requirements. All you have to do to start learning is send us a quick enquiry now and one of our team members will contact you within the next 24 hours!
This set of Mandarin Chinese tutorials are less specific and more targeted for those who want to get a range of different things from learning Mandarin Chinese. Even though all novice students will cover survival Mandarin Chinese: as well as Mandarin Chinese to visit somewhere abroad to make solid contacts with the locals, what do you do from there? It depends on your needs. Those who have benefited from these lessons have been those moving or investing overseas, spouses of overseas nationals, people who love to travel all over the world, those interested in Mandarin Chinese culture and those who just want to pass a specific examination in Mandarin Chinese. Enquire now about our Mandarin Chinese Courses or Take A Free Mandarin Chinese Level Test
These Mandarin Chinese lessons are driven towards people who have a requirement to learn Mandarin Chinese to bolster their work output. For novices, you will find it useful to learn basic greetings and business etiquette. Once you have become more proficient, then reading and writing will come to the fore. Typical students include those concerned with imports and exports, those seeking work in multinational companies, international negotiations and anyone working with international colleagues or administration. Even in our most rudimentary lesson for beginnners, students can expect to finish with decent telephone and e-mail Mandarin Chinese, as well as a good enough grip on the language for a short trip to the country where the language is spoken. Enquire now about our Mandarin Chinese Courses or Take A Free Mandarin Chinese Level Test
Two or more people can benefit from studying Mandarin Chinese together as these Mandarin Chinese lessons are also offered to groups (Two-to-One Mandarin Chinese Lessons or Small Group In-Company Mandarin Chinese Lessons). Every student must have the same degree of knowledge of the language, the same business or language needs and the ability to study at the same time and place as everybody else. The booking has to be made for all students at the same time. Listen & Learn does not advocate group sessions of more than 6-8 people, though Taster Mandarin Chinese Lessons can be experienced by up to 12 people. Enquire now about our Mandarin Chinese Courses or Take A Free Mandarin Chinese Level Test
You and your colleagues can be trained by our native-speaking fully-qualified Mandarin Chinese tutors at a time and location to suit you. Classes can take place any day, even weekends, and can happen in the morning, afternoon or evening. If the case may be that your home or office is not convenient, there is always the option to take your classes at the office of your teacher. Study books for the lesson are provided. Enquire now about our Mandarin Chinese Courses or Take A Free Mandarin Chinese Level Test
Those wishing to learn Mandarin Chinese in groups of two or more together (Two-to-One Mandarin Chinese Lessons or Small Group In-Company Mandarin Chinese Lessons) can sign up for our group classes. All students must be at nearly the same level of Mandarin Chinese proficiency, have the same needs from the language and be able to study at the same time and place as the others. Bookings must be made for all students simultaneously. Listen & Learn does not propose group sizes of more than 6-8 people, but In-Company Taster Mandarin Chinese Lessons can occur with up to 12 people. Enquire now about our Mandarin Chinese Courses or Take A Free Mandarin Chinese Level Test
Teresa Teng was a very popular artist in the 1970s and her music is still played today throughout China, especially in karaoke bars. This is a very catchy, romantic song where the poetic persona describes the moon and its qualities, while comparing it to her loving heart. Listening to this song will help you understand cultural aspects of the language (such as the importance of Chinese New Year), which is essential to become truly fluent in Mandarin. Why not try to sing out loud and practise your pronunciation while having fun?
Listen and susbcribe here!If you are a fan of rap and are studying Mandarin Chinese at the moment, you can combine your passions to learn new vocabulary and grammar! For example, “Hide the Band” is a song about the music world and how bands struggle to become successful, so it is a great track to get acquainted with vocabulary about music, such as singer (Gēshou), agent (Dàili rén) and microphone (Màikèfeng). The song is fast-paced and includes a lot of slang and colloquial pronunciations, so it might be best for advanced students who are already used to Chinese intonation.
Listen and susbcribe here!Are you looking for a song to increase your Mandarin ability while learning more about Chinese beliefs and traditions? Then, you should not miss “The Drunken Beauty” by Li Yu Gang. This piece tells the story of a man and a woman who meet at a party and instantly fall in love with each other. You will find plenty of descriptive adjectives, as each poetic persona describes what they like in the other person. It does not include any complicated grammar structures or extravagant vocabulary, so you will be able to understand the song, even if you are just a beginner!
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Chinese Skill tries to cover every aspect of language learning in just one app. The activities it proposes are engaging and fun, so you can learn vocabulary, pronunciation, and other aspects of Mandarin in a meaningful way. Instead of being categorised by vocabulary items, the app’s mini-lessons are organised by level. So, if you are a beginner, you will start with the Chinese characters, an introduction to grammar rules and basic, everyday vocabulary. It also includes lessons for intermediate and advanced students, so you can take advantage of this app regardless of your proficiency.
Discover the app and practise!Podcasts are great materials with which you can develop your listening skills in a foreign language, such as Mandarin Chinese. With Chinese Pod, you will find more than a hundred podcasts organised by level or theme, so you will surely find something interesting and relevant to you and your interests. The best part is that most podcasts include a transcript in both Chinese and English, so they are suitable for everyone, even absolute beginners.
Discover the app and practise!Have you ever needed an offline Mandarin Chinese dictionary and couldn’t find one? Pleco is what you are after. This is a great app that will provide you with definitions of the words you look up, while its premium version includes a handwriting recognizer which uses the phone’s camera to quickly translate written or printed words. And you can even use it to test your own writing accuracy. Plus, each term stored in the app is accompanied by an audio recording, so you learn how to pronounce them correctly, as well.
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