Learning Mandarin can benefit a person's business career in many ways. The main reason is that Mandarin is the most widely spoken language in the world, and understanding it can significantly increase someone's business opportunities in China and other Mandarin-speaking countries. The ability to speak Mandarin allows people to improve communication with their Chinese clients and partners, enabling them to build better relationships with these stakeholders. Finally, knowing Mandarin gives someone an advantage over competitors who don't speak the language, helping them stand out in an increasingly competitive global market.
Learn to Speak Mandarin
Everyone learns differently. Luckily, there are several ways to learn to speak Mandarin, so people with various learning styles can utilize the best methods for them!
- Immerse yourself in a Mandarin-speaking environment by watching TV shows and movies or listening to music.
- Try to find a language partner or attend a language exchange event. There are also apps that setup conversations between students and native speakers.
- There are numerous online resources for learning Mandarin, such as websites, apps, and online courses.
- Regularly study the grammar and vocabulary of Mandarin.
- Practice speaking and listening to Mandarin every day.
- A tutor can give you personalized feedback and guidance. Enrolling in a class can provide structure and a community of learners.
Learn to Read and Write Mandarin
Reading and writing Mandarin can feel even more intimidating to learn to speak it. Mandarin is written in a series of characters. However, consistency and immersion are the keys to learning to write and read the language, just like learning to speak Mandarin.
- Learn the Mandarin alphabet (pinyin) and characters.
- Seek out Mandarin news articles and stories to practice reading comprehension.
- Apps, online courses, and textbooks are just as helpful when learning to read and write in Mandarin as when learning to speak it.
- Set aside dedicated time each day or each week for practicing and studying Mandarin, and stick to a routine.
Additional Resources
- Learn Chinese: Short videos and quick lessons make this free resource work for people looking to learn Mandarin in their very limited downtime.
- Learn Chinese Through Stories: Each story has two parts so that listeners can first hear the story and then get a full breakdown of the story and the vocabulary used.
- ChinesePod - Beginner: Learning Mandarin is easy and fun for those who subscribe to this podcast.
- Everyday Easy Chinese: Learning an entire language sounds intimidating, but what about learning just one word daily?
- Coffee Break Chinese: This lesson series begins by teaching the listener how to ask "how are you?" in Mandarin.
- Du Chinese: Reading Mandarin is broken down into manageable steps thanks to this app, available on Apple and Android devices.
- italki: Ready to work on pronunciation? This app offers free and paid ways to perfect an accent.
- Pleco: Every language student needs a dictionary, and Pleco is the best app-based Chinese dictionary available!
- Clozemaster: Ready to level up your Mandarin vocabulary? Clozemaster is designed to help users improve their vocabulary in the language they are studying.
- Anki: Almost everyone learns best through repetition, and Anki's powerful flashcard system allows users to make their own study guides to help them learn Mandarin.
- The Chairman's Bao: The Chairman's Bao lets listeners practice their Mandarin listening skills while keeping current events up to date.
- Wordswing: Everyone learns differently, and this app provides a personalized approach for each student.
- M Mandarin: Love comics? This app uses comics to teach Mandarin.
- Skritter: Learning to write Mandarin seems intimidating, but this app walks users through a series of easily understandable steps.
- TOFU Learn: TOFU focuses on helping users memorize helpful vocabulary.
- HiNative: Conversing with native speakers is the best way to learn a language!
- MandarinHQ: YouTube has plenty of free resources to learn Mandarin, but this channel is one of the best.
- LangCorrect: Business people learning Mandarin often are just as concerned with their writing skills as they are with their language ability.
- Forvo: This free resource focuses on helping people improve their pronunciation.
- All Set Learning: Grammar is the focus of this free website.
- Tandem: Users can work on their Mandarin by chatting with native speakers.
- NinChinese: This website allows you to learn Mandarin by playing a game.
- WordReference: Stuck on the meaning of a single word? Translate it using this site.
- Hanzi Grids: People looking to practice handwriting Mandarin characters can make their practice sheets using this website.
- Zizzle: Zizzle focuses on teaching users Mandarin characters.
