The UBC Department of Asian Studies collaborated with the Chinese Language Program to host their second webinar in the “Asian Language Talk” series on Thursday, October 8th. The event introduced UBC’s offering of Mandarin language courses, introduced overseas work and education opportunities in major Chinese cities, and discussed how Mandarin is utilized, not just in the workforce, but in our daily lives.
Moderating the panel was Aydin Quach, a 3rd-year undergraduate student double majoring in Honours History with International Relations and Chinese Language and Culture. The attending panelists were Li-jung Lee (UBC Visiting Lecturer, Chinese Language), Jennifer Packet (BIE’19, Senior Analyst at KPMG Canada) and Liam LaForce (Political Science/International Relations student minoring in Chinese Language and Culture), who gracefully shared their knowledge and expertise on Chinese language learning.
Li-jung introduced the structure of UBC’s Mandarin language courses, which are offered to both heritage and non-heritage students, and discussed the importance of learning Mandarin. As one of the oldest, most widely spoken languages not only in Vancouver but throughout the world, being able to speak and understand it can help students form connections to a wider community of language users. The Chinese Language Program goes beyond language to teach students about culture, social life, and history, introducing students to a new set of cultural values, or connecting them to their old ones.
As a student who participated in the 2019 Global Seminar: Learning Chinese in a living classroom in Taiwan, Liam offered his insights on what it was like to study in Taipei for six weeks over the summer, absorbing not only the language, but culture, food, and architecture firsthand. To him, the best learning experiences happened outside the classroom, such as running into a retired Chinese teacher at the grocery store and getting an impromptu quiz on his Mandarin tones. (As a note, UBC’s Go Global program is discontinued for the 2020/2021 school year due to coronavirus).
“I didn’t really want to learn Chinese at first [growing up], because I wanted to fit into the community I was in, but now I am so thankful my mom pushed me to learn Chinese…I’ve done a one-eighty where I really want to learn Chinese, and I take every opportunity that I can.”
Jennifer is a graduate from UBC who previously participated in the Mandarin Bridge Competition, with three internships in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Shanghai under her belt. Taking Chinese courses opened many doors for her professionally, allowing her to pursue her career in Chinese-speaking areas. She shared how important the language setting was for her, as she was able to feel her own improvement just by conversing with her colleagues. Her experience traveling to Beijing for the Mandarin Bridge Competition allowed her to meet other equally dedicated language learners, and formed lasting friendships that she still keeps up with to this day.
Attendees were able to submit questions throughout the webinar, as well as participate in the Q&A section. Students asked thought-provoking questions, engaging the panelists in spirited discussion during the second half of the webinar.
One student asked for suggested resources for learning Mandarin online (Jennifer suggested Chairman‘s Bao, an app that ranks Chinese news articles by HSK level); another student wanted to know how learning Chinese could change your worldview (Li-jung explained that learning a new language doesn’t just involve learning grammar, but also how to use it culturally and socially; students can learn how native speakers see the world).
Other questions ranged from wondering whether Liam faced difficulties using traditional characters in Taiwan (Liam: it wasn’t too difficult, as most characters are easy enough to guess), to asking about overseas co-op positions (Aydin: contact your faculty’s co-op program!), to technical questions about the Chinese Language Program’s course structure.
The full webinar recording:
Overall, students were able to gain insight not only about what it means to learn Mandarin, but about how they can take their language journey a step further, going from a classroom at UBC to an exchange program in Taipei or an internship in Shanghai.
We hope the Chinese Language Talk was able to introduce what UBC has to offer for Mandarin language learners, and we thank everyone who attended!
You can view the full webinar recording here, and read UBC Asian Studies’ live tweets during the event here.