Learn to Appreciate Chinese Culture by Learning Mandarin Online

Chinese culture is one of the oldest and richest in the world, and learning how to speak the language online is an essential step in coming to understand and appreciate it. Dating back thousands of years, China has a wide variety of customs and traditions spread among 56 distinct and recognized ethnic groups as well as a geographical area that is one of the largest in Asia. The pre-eminent ethnic group, however, is the Han Chinese and much of what we think of today as "Chinese culture" derives from their customs. Mandarin is the dialect spoken by the Han; at present, Mandarin has over a billion speakers in China alone.

There are two philosophical systems from which most of Chinese social values are derived - Confucianism and Taoism. Confucianism is derived from the teachings of the revered Chinese philosopher Confucius and teaches that human nature can be perfected through constant striving and self-cultivation. Taoism, on the other hand, is a religious tradition that stresses the relationship between man and the cosmos and emphasizes the basic virtues of humility, compassion and moderation. In addition, the concept of guanxi is also very important in Chinese culture. Guanxi is a word that means either "relationships" or "connections" and stresses the primacy of a personal relationship in which one party can prevail upon the other one for a favor.

Learning Chinese online will also enable you to enjoy the many pleasures afforded by Chinese music, literature and movies. For example, knowing how to read Chinese will enable you to read the works of writer and human rights activist Liu Xiaobo, who won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for his struggle for human rights in China, in the original Mandarin. Or if that seems too heavy for you, you can use your proficiency in the language to enjoy popular Chinese music and movies. C-pop or Chinese Popular Music is an increasingly popular genre not only within China and Taiwan but also abroad due to the growing number of Chinese communities overseas. Chinese movies have also seen both critical acclaim and box-office success worldwide, spurred by the work of directors such as Zhang Yimou (Hero), Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and John Woo (Hard Boiled) as well as actors including Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Zhang Ziyi and Chow Yun-Fat.

Being fluent in Chinese will also give you more insight into the culture of your Chinese friends as well as helping improve your relationships with them.? Even if they know how to speak English, they would surely appreciate your efforts to reach out to them by learning how to converse in their language. Being able to talk in Mandarin will also help you to appreciate nuances that otherwise would go unnoticed if you were conversing in English.

While learning to speak Chinese online may initially seem to be insurmountably difficult, with the wide variety of learning modalities available from the various websites offering online Chinese language lessons, you'll surely find one that you'll feel comfortable with and you'll be speaking Mandarin fluently in no time.

One of the objectives of Chinese Online is to ensure your learning experience is not only relaxing but fun as well. The teachers are graduates from renounced China universities and the courses are designed by universities' professors who specialize in the Chinese language. They understand your needs when learning the Chinese language online. Go to http://www.chineseonline.sg/ today!

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Around the World in 100 Words - Five Language Apps for the Business Traveler

If you're a business traveler and a frequent flyer to international destinations, you understand that English can take you many places, but it can't always get the job done. Learning a few phrases in the languages of your foreign business associates can make your experience in their country more pleasant and score you extra credit points.

Too busy to read a foreign-language phrase book or attend a language class before your next trip? Language-learning apps are your solution. Compact and mobile par excellence, these highly engaging applications can accompany you in your travels and help you bolster your language skills at your leisure.

Let's take a look at five free mobile apps that you can combine to acquire foreign language skills on the road and on the fly:

1. Byki

Quick, essential phrases in Danish, Dutch, French, German, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Taglog are at your fingertips with this app. Rather than delving into extensive vocabulary, Byki is strong in teaching everyday greetings across several languages, with the multiple-destination traveler in mind. In three easy steps, you can master everyday cordialities that will take you across Europe and Asia.

The first step involves reviewing the flash cards, which come with images and native speaker audio. In the second step, you see the target language and come up with the English translation. When you've got the gist of the vocabulary, the third step is to translate from English into the foreign language.

Byki has also compiled a database of vocabulary around key themes such as beverages. Want to know how to order a beer in every country you visit? This is the app for you.

2. Busuu

Where Byki offers breadth, Busuu provides depth. Available in Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Italian, French and German, Busuu has a similar interface to Rosetta Stone in terms of exercises and format. Native speaker sound, illustrations, colorful flashcards, dialogues and audiovisual quizzes make for an engaging and active learning experience. Students are rewarded with Busuu berries at the end of each level.

Another great feature is that Busuu allows you to review your mistakes. You can acquire vocabulary pertaining to a variety of themes, including work, sports, days of the week, body parts, telling time, dates and seasons, family members, numbers, colors, meals, directions, pets, geography, clothes, fruits, vegetables and more.

3. Vocabology

This vocabulary-boosting app is designed for the daily language apprentice. It allows you to get a word-of-the-day in Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French and English from a variety of sources. Because repetition is often the secret to retention, Vocabology uses the word of the day in multiple contexts, including an addictive quiz.

4. Flashcards Deluxe

One of the best ways to commit all of this vocabulary to memory is to review it throughout the day. This app allows you to create your own deck of flashcards with words you come across in your studies and to import decks from the shared library. You can personalize the backgrounds of the cards, add photos and sounds from your smartphone or from the app's website, modify font size and colors, set up a slideshow and flag cards for more intensive review.

As you go through your cards, you signal your responses as either correct, incorrect or "strong correct" (meaning no need for further review). The program then schedules the cards in spaced repetition as a function of these responses so that you don't under-study certain words and over-study the ones you have mastered. Using the Leitner card order option, you can also focus solely on the cards you've gotten wrong recently. Spend ten minutes with this app every morning when you wake up and/or at night when you go to bed for optimum retention.

5. Radio/Newspaper apps

As your familiarity with the language increases, you can begin to immerse yourself in the culture of your travel destination by listening to the national radio stations and reading local press articles. If you are traveling to Spain, for example, download the RNE app, Radio Nacional de Espana to listen to any of the six national radio stations, andEl Paisto enrich your vocabulary while reading up on trending topics, current affairs and popular culture. Unlike mobile sites, these radio-streaming and content apps are perfectly adapted to your particular smartphone platform and therefore supply an optimized interface. You don't have to sort through several web pages to get where you want - in one click, you can stream the radio station of your choice, as effortlessly as if you were flipping channels on the highway in Spain. And in one click, you can read news articles in a format carefully tailored to your smartphone screen.

The rapidity of speech may be intimidating at first but if you undertake this exercise regularly, you'll soon be amazed to find yourself deciphering fragments of conversations and recognizing the vocabulary words you have acquired.

There are hundreds of other interesting language apps out there but with these five alone, you can build a comprehensive and personalized program for foreign language acquisition. So how much time do you need to devote to this in order to see any tangible results?

Remember that we are not talking about fluency here (though multilingualism is a fantastic goal), but rather elementary communication in the context of international business. One school of thought makes the argument that you can get by in a foreign country with a lexicon of 100 words. With 100 words at your disposal, you are able to comprehend some of what is said around you, express your essential needs and ask basic questions. A pocketbook vocabulary of 100 words will allow you to order wine for your table at a company lunch, ask when your clothes will be dry-cleaned, inquire as to the best cup of coffee near your hotel and get directions to a local pharmacy.

And if you're armed with 100 words, you're less likely to be taken advantage of by that taxi driver who mistakes you for a novice and opts for the extra-long route to the hotel. Your ability to communicate in the local language, albeit on a rudimentary level, will place you in a different category of tourists or business travelers, one that is treated with more respect. You will also derive more satisfaction from mundane tasks like checking out of your hotel, since everyday interactions such as these become opportunities to practice your newfound vocabulary in context.

So next time you're on the road-lugging around your suitcase, smoothing the wrinkles out of your suit, and struggling to get some shuteye - explore these apps for hours of distraction (even relaxation!) and acquire new language skills in the process. We're sure that doing so will broaden your horizons and deepen your appreciation of the cultures with which you do business.

Acclaro is a global translation and localization firm that helps the world's leading brands succeed across cultures. Acclaro offers a full range of services for creating and maintaining multilingual marketing campaigns, websites, documents, software and much more. From Asia to Europe and the Americas, Acclaro gives clients a local voice in global markets.

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Situations When You Wish You Knew Spanish!

Spanish is one of the fastest growing languages in the world. It has a rich history, embroidered in royalty. Spanish is a Latin language and shares its origins with English and French. This is why, it is considered to be the ideal second language for a person who is an English speaker.

However, learning a language isn't a walk in the park. This is why many people are apprehensive about taking on the challenge. Truth is there are several times in life when you wish you would know Spanish. It is better to learn it rather than regret it later on. Here are some examples from real life regarding the situations I am talking about. Maybe some of these will sound familiar to you.

Marriage

Yes, marriage has compelled several people to take Spanish lessons. The reason is that they are getting married to a latino/latina. Their spouses can speak English alright, but their families can't. So when things get intimate, you cannot avoid talking to their familia. This is why people learn up Spanish so that they can talk to their in-laws.

Business

You have a business and it is thriving. All your staff is native English speakers who don't know any other languages. One day, you get an order from a Mexican client. The only catch is that he doesn't understand a word of English. You and all your staff don't know Spanish. So, learning Spanish can help you expand your client base. In fact, people have studied Spanish because all their clients were Spanish!

Moving to Mexico

People do move to Mexico for some reasons or the other. There, finding a person who speaks English is a tough job. All the natives are glued to Spanish and they don't like talking in any other language apart from their own. In case you have any plans to move to Mexico or any other Latin American Spanish speaking country, make sure that you learn Spanish beforehand.

Interacting with Hispanics

There are over 40 million Hispanics in the US. You just cannot avoid running into them. Some people have a lot of Hispanic friends so they decide to learn Spanish so that they can interact with them in their own language. This gives them a chance to explore their culture as well. Some people just like Latinos/Latinas and want to approach them so they learn Spanish in a bid to impress them.

The best resource for you to learn Spanish is the Spanish Learning Factory. They provide private lessons, software and books which would have you speaking Spanish like your ancestors came from Chihuahua.

SpanishLearningFactory Provides affordable Spanish books and cd's from beginner, to intermediate, to advanced to learn Spanish, sitting at home. Visit website SpanishLearningFactory.com to listen and watch testimonials about online Spanish classes and programs.

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Spanish Audio Lessons

With all the options available to new learners it can sometimes be difficult knowing what method is best. Spanish audio lessons tick all the boxes as they introduce the language through key words and phrases, slowly breaking in the different Spanish sounds and structures, without confusing the learner with technical words or rules.

These audio lessons have become a very popular way for students to incorporate learning Spanish into a busy timetable; the lessons can be done while traveling, doing housework or during most leisure activities. The quality of the lessons and what it gives to the learner also helps to make them so popular. In addition the lessons are usually quite cheap and can be downloaded instantly from many different providers.

The majority of the audio courses have similar structures and methods. There is usually a native Spanish speaker who breaks down Spanish words in the the different sounds. The listener has to repeat the Spanish sounds, attempting to copy the Spanish speaker as closely as possible. Then some phrases are strung together with their meaning in English also explained. The learner has to repeat the phrases a number of times before moving on. At the end of each lesson a review is given and this is usually where the learner has to translate some English phrases into Spanish. The learner then has the option to repeat the lesson or move onto the next lesson.

The material that is covered during the lessons is not only repeated in future lessons but it adapted to include other words and is used in different tenses and situations. This helps the learner gain a skill of creating lots of different sentences from just a few learned phrases and vocabulary.

Listening to Spanish audio lessons and following the instructions carefully is highly recommended for beginners, and there have also been some courses put together for intermediate and advanced speakers. Going through the lessons and making sure that your pronunciation is correct will help you greatly when you go on to learn more about the Spanish language. Knowing the basic structures from an early stage means that you can build on what you have learned through taking a Spanish course, going to a foreign country or practicing Spanish grammar with online resources or books.

Many courses offer a free download so that you can try the methods before purchasing. Spanish audio lessons are a great way to start your Spanish learning.

Jorge has reviewed different Spanish audio lessons and also writes about how to start learning Spanish.

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How Learning Mandarin Can Enhance Chinese Business Communication

The most important thing to understand about Chinese business communication is that so much of it relies on what is unsaid, rather than on what is spoken aloud. Thus, while it is very important to gain proficiency in Chinese through online lessons if you are planning to do business in the country, it is just as essential for you to gain a basic understanding of Chinese cultural norms so as not to inadvertently give offense and damage the association before it has even started. Learning how to speak Mandarin also helps you to build a personal relationship with a potential business partner, in the spirit of the Chinese concept of guanxi ("connections"), before a professional association can occur.

When you are fluent in Mandarin, you can open an initial meeting by sharing small talk and pleasantries since it is Chinese custom not to come to the point immediately, unlike in the West where a business transaction can be completed in minutes with neither of the participants knowing anything more about each other than their names. This importance of building relationships is also the reason why you should not bring your lawyer to any preliminary meetings since it may cause offense, as the other party may believe you don't trust him or are trying to get the better of him.

At the same time, you should also not be too informal or too personal. You can talk about topics like your family, your marital status and your job but avoid talking about your feelings. Make sure you answer any question put to you; don't appear that you are avoiding answering since this makes you look untrustworthy. And unless you can speak Mandarin very, very well you should avoid humor, since jokes are always lost in translation and you may end up inadvertently causing offense.

One of the most important concepts to understand in Chinese business communication is the concept of face. The word 'face' in Chinese is roughly translated to respect or good reputation and to lose face is to be deeply humiliated in front of others. This is why the American businessman who wants to do business in China should get away from the mindset of arguing with or correcting somebody if you think they're wrong; never contradict someone in China or say no since this will cause them to lose face. Again, this is where the importance of being fluent in Mandarin comes in since you will be able to communicate your corrections in such a way as to allow the other party to still keep face. It is a delicate balancing act and possible only if you can converse clearly.

Ultimately, the value of learning Mandarin for Chinese business communication is that it frees you from struggling to communicate verbally so that you can also focus on non-verbal communication, such as observing the other party's body language. Proficiency in another language is the best way to bridge the gap between two parties so that connections can start to be made, which hopefully will grow into a mutually profitable relationship.

Consider carefully the choice of courses you want to enroll to learn Chinese/Mandarin online especially for Chinese business communication. Look at the courses provided by Business Chinese Online before making any final decision because doing business in China is a serious business!

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Another Language Learning Method?

In a recent article published in a French daily newspaper, an argument was made that some foreign languages can be learnt by association. For instance languages of Romance, Slavic or Scandinavian origin are so close, at least in their written form, that their similarities make them easy to understand for the speaker of one of them. The example given in the article draws a comparison between Romanian and French.

This phenomenon is known as 'intercomprehension' in French, which could be translated as Inter-linguistic Understanding.

The article follows on by putting forward some unusual ideas (well, unusual to me): for such language combinations and their learning, pronunciation is not essential, at least not at the beginning, and knowledge of grammar is not necessarily a prerequisite for learning a language. This new way of understanding the language would rely on intuition and natural responses. As you can imagine, it is not highly regarded in academic and conservative circles.

A few years ago I tried to learn Welsh for 9 months on an Adult Community Education evening course, and I'm afraid I failed. Our teacher's methods relied, in the first six months at least, on endless repetitions and chanting of sentences, or monotonous association games, and this did not work for me at all. Only in the last couple of months did we actually look at the mechanics of the language, but I had lost all motivation by then. I need to understand the grammar of a language, i.e. what role each word has in the sentence. I see grammar as essential, not for 'grammar's sake' but as a tool to give me the confidence to build my own sentences and to expand my understanding of what I read or hear. As for pronunciation, starting with approximate sounds is, in my opinion, a mistake. The longer bad habits are entertained, the longer it takes to shift them. Therefore, spending time reproducing foreign sounds at the beginning goes a long way. It also helps with recognising words which are close across two languages. Take the words 'qualite' in French and 'quality' in English - very easy to understand on paper, not so when they are pronounced out loud. And yet, once it has been understood that the French 'qua' is pronounced 'ka', it becomes a lot easier, doesn't it? The only thing I really like about this method is the intuition aspect. Although it can and does lead to mistakes (with the so called 'false friends'), it also helps develop a more natural affinity with the language studied, taking away some apprehensions and inhibitions, and making the whole process less daunting.

Having said this, we all have different learning styles and a good teacher should always endeavour to find out how a student learns best.

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A Quick Guide to Learning Spanish

The internet has made it possible to access a wealth of Spanish learning resources online. There are websites, podcasts, games, revision tools, vocabulary collections and much more, all with the purpose of helping you to learn Spanish quickly and easily. I have written this article as a basic guide to help you bring all these excellent resources together into an organised structure for your Spanish learning.

Building your Spanish Vocabulary

There are a great many different ways to learn and expand Spanish vocab on the internet. If you search for Spanish vocabulary on Google for example you will come up with millions of search results. It is however important to use these as efficiently as possible and starting with the very basics (e.g. numbers, colours etc.) is a good place to start. When you come across long lists of the vocab you want to learn remember that it is simply not enough to read through them once and move on - the new words will just leave your brain as quickly as they came in and you will not learn.

I would highly recommend finding a site with Spanish flashcard collections which you can use to practice and come back to. There are also sites allowing you to input vocab into your own flashcards - this is useful to help master the vocab you collect while reading and also those long lists you come across on many Spanish vocab sites online.

Furthermore there are other useful tools available such as interactive mini quizzes and games - Real Spanish and Spanish Dict are excellent sites for these sorts of tools. The problem with these is that often you don't have control over the words you are actually practicing but Rocket Spanish offers its MegaVocab software which solves this issue.

Once you have a basic knowledge of Spanish vocabulary it is important to build on this by reading, reading, reading. There is so much interesting content to read such as newspapers, magazines (online and paper), blogs, short stories, novels, non-fiction etc. - in my opinion it is best to read anything you enjoy, this will keep you interested and give you the vocab around the topics you are most likely to talk about. I'd also recommend building up slowly because there is nothing more disconcerting than reading Spanish material which you find very difficult to understand at all.

Don't Ignore the Grammar

Learning Spanish grammar is also extremely important and you can't avoid learning all these new rules or anomalies that come with any new language. As with practicing Spanish vocab, Spanish grammar requires a lot of practice and will improve more quickly if you are using a variety of media. Don't jump in at the deep end but build your knowledge from the bottom starting with the most simple sentence structures - just as a young child would learn English. Again sites like Study Spanish offer good mini quizzes but it also helps to be writing and taking note of different tenses in the reading you should be doing.

I believe by writing using different tenses and Spanish sentence structures you gain a far better working understanding of Spanish grammar than by simply conjugating into a known tense - if your aim is to reach written fluency it is absolutely essential to be writing on a consistent basis. In the same way by speaking more your grammar will improve very quickly and in time your speaking will also improve as a result.

It is also useful to keep refreshing your knowledge of all the different rules you have learnt until they become second nature. I kept all my worksheets (which were available online) which helped me to keep my learning organised and ensured I didn't neglect any certain areas. Don't avoid the difficult stuff (like the subjunctive for instance) but stick at it and eventually you'll get there- there are also good grammar guides which provide a good learning structure and practice exercises.

Developing your Listening Skills

Listening to Spanish is another important part of the learning process. At the beginning it is good to learn by watching Spanish lessons online - these are widely available and will start you listening to how Spanish actually sounds. My favourite way to do this was by using the Notes in Spanish podcasts - these provide conversations between a couple about different aspects of life in Spain. These are the best way, in my opinion, for a Spanish beginner to have some fun while listening to conversational Spanish. The other advantage these Spanish podcasts offer is that they build up in difficulty, all the way to advanced level, so you can monitor your progression in listening ability.

When you become more confident you can start to listen to, and watch, the Spanish news and television programmes and hear how Spanish sounds more naturally. These materials are a lot more difficult so don't rush - commit to listening to as much as possible and you will improve very quickly. One good resource for Spanish listening is the Spanish national television website RTVE - there is a really excellent supply of Spanish TV and radio, from trashy soap operas to daily news broadcasts. I find it easiest to start with the news and interesting documentaries where the conversation is far clearer and also slower.

Spanish Speaking

Speaking is always the hardest part of your Spanish to practice and improve online. At the beginning especially this is why I'd recommend learning in the classroom or at least with a friend. If you can do this, and then talk to yourself out loud or in your head as often as possible, your speaking will advance very quickly. For advanced speakers a website like Live Mocha allows you to speak with natives online although you are expected to speak with a partner in your native language too. I actually find this really interesting and you can meet new and interesting people with similar personalities.

I always found that what improved by speaking to a level close to fluency was when I actually visited Spain. Living in Madrid for a year with other students for example meant I was totally immersed and constantly communicating in Spanish. I also saw it as a great reward for my hard efforts learning Spanish at home so I'd recommend at least planning a holiday to a Spanish speaking country - this is the only way to really recognise the fruits of your labour and I found gave me renewed encouragement.

And finallyI'd like to say good luck and I hope this article has been of some use. Don't ever get disheartened, stick with it and you will find learning Spanish to be a richly rewarding hobby.

For more guides and advice on how to bet go about learning Spanish for all levels check out http://www.topspanishtips.weebly.com/. There is a huge number of links and resources designed specifically to make learning Spanish as enjoyable and easy as possible.

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