Did you know that, among the 10 hopeful contenders for this year’s Oscar for Best Picture, four are non-American productions? In the last few years, the Academy seems to have opened up to international productions, and we couldn’t be happier to have so many foreign Oscar nominees in the main categories. Whether due to the(…)

Just when you think you’ve mastered the Chinese alphabet, they throw something else at you. You guessed it: Chinese tones! Mandarin Chinese has four distinct tones that can completely change the meaning of a word. To be able to read the “pinyin” (拼音), which is the system of phonetic transcription of Chinese characters, it is(…)

English might be the most popular second language for people around the world to learn, but it certainly isn’t the only one. And this makes sense, right? We live in a society where people are constantly moving, and that often means relocation for jobs, remote working, communication with overseas clients, etc. There is definitely more(…)

Nearly a decade ago, I came to Taiwan with one suitcase, a laptop, a generic Mandarin Chinese phrasebook and precisely two words of spoken Mandarin: “Nǐ hǎo” (Traditional Chinese: 你好; English: Hello), which I more or less gleaned from the Rush Hour movie franchise starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. Call it foolish, call it(…)

What do you consider when you are choosing a language to study? Is it the relative ease to pick it up, future job prospects, for deepening the enjoyment of the place you’re going to travel to? Or maybe simply because it’s the popular language to study right now. But then… what is it that makes(…)

English might be perceived as the lingua franca of this world, and we’ve touched on many reasons why that’s not the case, but what happens when the United Kingdom leaves the EU, leaving behind it 27 other nations who, by majority, do not have English as an official language? Will English still be listed as(…)

We have long known that listing more than one language on your CV is a career asset. Aside from the obvious benefits of being bilingual, or even multilingual, there are numerous transferable skills associated with dedicating yourself to learning and maintaining a second language such as: commitment, organisation and time management to list but a few.(…)

Learning a new language, especially one with a totally unfamiliar writing and phonetic system, is always challenging when it comes to vocabulary and fluency. Luckily Chinese is already a lyrical language, so using music to help propel learning can make it truly fun and memorable. A couple of things to keep in mind before adding(…)

Are you thinking about choosing an expat life in China and want to embrace the local customs? China is country full of history and rich culture with plenty for you to learn, but it isn’t necessarily the easiest to assimilate into. Many expats talk of the difficulties of integrating into life in China – not only is the(…)