Home PageEuropean Centre of Chinese Studies (ECCS)
(School of Chinese Languages in London)
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
General:
Is Chinese really that difficult to learn?
Should I be
learning Cantonese or Mandarin?
Is Cantonese
that different to Mandarin?
Our Classes:
Do your classes
cater for children?
What happens
if I miss a class?
I understand
your term has started, is it too late to join up?
I have learnt
Chinese before, which class should I join up for?
Are your classes
accredited or do I get some form of achievement certificate?
Can I get a refund
on term fees?
Others :
Gosh, I am going to China next week (or next month), can you teach me some quick Mandarin?
Is Chinese really that difficult to learn?
Chinese is often perceived as
a 'difficult' language to learn. This is probably due to the
tonal nature of spoken Chinese and that the Chinese written script
is based on pictographs or characters. However, learning Chinese
is actually easier in some respects than learning English - with
Chinese, there are no conjugations, no declensions, no different
suffixes or prefixes according to singular or plural numbers,
gender, tenses as in past, present or future etc. Therefore,
grammar is a lot easier with Chinese.
Chinese is different from other languages, but not necessarily
more difficult. What is easy for one person may be quite challenging
for another. With the Accelerated Learning techniques, we have
tried to make learning Chinese easier and more fun.
Do your classes cater for children?
We usually only accept students
who are over the ages of 10 years old since our Chinese classes
are for adults. We doubt that children under the age of 7 would
be able to get full value from these adult classes which are
each of 2 hours duration.
What happens if I miss a class?
Some of our levels (especially
Levels 1, 2 , 3 & 4) have concurrent classes running each
week at different times and at different locations. If you think
you are going to miss a class or you have already missed a class
then you are advised to go to another class of the same level
running that week somewhere else and at some other time. You
may even attend the same level class more than once a week, if
you like, at no extra charge. Alternatively, you may arrange
a private catch-up session with us at a mutually convenient time
- obviuosly a charge for this private class will be applicable.
I understand your term has started, is it too
late to join up?
It is never too late to join
up. If you are a complete beginner, you can still join up but
depending on how late you are, it might be advisable to take
some private lessons with us to catch up. If you are not a beginner,
then it makes sense to join up with us at a mutually agreed level
and go on from there. You may not have to pay for the full term
fee. If the level you have joined up is too challenging, then
it is always possible to drop a level or two to get to the right
level or if the level you have joined up is too easy, then, you
may advance a level or two to be at the right level. Note that
you may have to pay for the books & cassettes, if you change
levels. In any case, call us or email us to discuss your specific
requirements.
I
have learnt Chinese before, which class should I join up for?
We be happy to discuss the most
appropriate level for you to join up at since we do not have
assessment tests - contact us by phone or email, we be delighted
to discuss your specific requirements. In any case, once enrolled
with us, we are pretty flexible in terms of which class you end
up going to. You can always change to a lower or higher level
if a class is not suitable after the first lesson. There is no
additional fee charged as long as you don't write in the book
we give you at the first or subsequent lesson. Otherwise, the
cost of a new set of materials when you swap level is chargeable.
In the event that you still could not find a class that is suitable
for you, we will then refund your term fees less a 10% service
charge.
Gosh, I am going to China next week (or next
month), can you teach me some quick Mandarin?
Boy, you have left it to the
last minute haven't you? But lucky for you, we do run a 1-day
workshop called 'Chinese for Travellers' which will teach you
approximately 100 words of spoken Mandarin very effectively using
our Accelerated Learning techniques. The words we teach you will
actually be part of your survival kit in China.
Do you offer private tuition?
Yes, we do offer private tuition or private classes. It is an
expensive way to learn Chinese. But, you may have compelling
reasons to do so. Our private classes are based on a minimum
of 2 hour lessons. It is usually better to learn a language in
a group environment so that students may practice speaking and
listening to each other.
Our company is one which seems to deal with a
lot of Chinese tourist and clients, what do you suggest we do
to provide better customer service?
With the way things are, it won't
be long before a lot more Chinese tourists will be heading downunder.
We currently provide a one-day workshop called 'Chinese Hospitality
and Introductory Mandarin Program (CHIMP)' for our clients who
are in the hospitality industry. This workshop teaches some key
words in Chinese which are common in hospitality/entertainment
situations and some culture tips and courtesies to enhance your
clients' experience with you.
Are your classes accredited or do I get some
form of achievement certificate?
Our classes are not accredited
as this would require us going through a long winded accreditation
process. However, we are able to provide our students with 'Achievement
Certificates' upon request. The Achievement Certificates states
the level of achievement you have attained with us and the date
of that achievement. This is usually sufficient for most employers
who will test your level of comprehension anyway during the recruitment
process.
Can I get a refund on term fees?
Term fees are not refundable
after the first week of lessons within that term. You can get
a refund of your term fees less 10% service charge before you
have attended the second lesson of the term.
Should I be learning Cantonese or Mandarin?
Mandarin is a language as opposed
to Cantonese which is a dialect. They share a similar written
script. In general, we recommend you learn Mandarin unless you
have a very specific reason to learn Cantonese. Reasons for learning
Cantonese are usually related to social circumstances such as
- my spouse or spouse's relatives only speak Cantonese
- my girlfriend or boyfriend speaks Cantonese
- some of my friends are Cantonese speakers
- I like to be able to understand Cantonese movies
Is Cantonese that different to Mandarin?
Definitely, yes! It is more difficult
to learn Cantonese which has nine tones compared to Mandarin
which has only 4 tones. At our Centre, we only teach situational
spoken Cantonese and only for up to 3 levels - Beginners, Intermediate
and Advance. But this gives the learners a fairly good kickstart
to use their new found Cantonese fairly quickly.
Should I learn Chinese using self-study materials
such as audio based or video based or computer based systems?
Sometimes, you may not have a
choice because there isn't a language school near you. But, it
is always better to join up in a class. Why? Because the classroom
environment will give you better learning dynamics to learn a
language where you can practice with other students. It will
also build your confidence in using the new language. Our classes
do anyway.
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