CHN 205: Intermediate Chinese for Business Professionals
Goals & Objectives
This is a comprehensive language-for-specific-purposes (LSP) course, which will admit students who have a minimum oral proficiency of Novice High or Intermediate Low (ACTFL) and will bring them to Intermediate Mid by the end of the course, characterized by the emerging ability to narrate, describe, and compare and to handle survival situations. Workplace-specific interactions will comprise the focus of the latter portion of the course. Reading and writing will be focused on simple business-associated functions. Specifically, students will have the opportunity to achieve the following:
Listening
Will be able to understand basic conversational exchanges pertaining to a wide range of topics relating to daily life and generic business, such as making phone calls, banking, business introductions, office business, making appointments, using postal services, social interactions, negotiations, arranging travel, consultation, etc.
Speaking
Will be able to handle successfully a wide range of task-oriented and social functions pertaining to such topic areas as those mentioned above, participating fully to initiate, maintain, and end conversations. Beginning to be able to narrate, describe, compare/contrast, and persuade with some linguistic breakdown.
Reading
Will be able to identify key facts and some details in descriptive material on daily life and news events, and carefully written personal communications. Will also be able to discern linkages among sentences in simple connected text. Will be able to understand a range of authentic texts dealing with basic personal and social needs, such as signs, public announcements, and short, straightforward instructions dealing with public life and pertaining to generic business.
Writing
Will be able to take notes in some detail, and write notes and simple letters, brief synopses, summaries of biographical data and of work and life experience.
Teaching Approaches
Introduction is focused on developing communicative competence. Focus on language forms (grammar) is placed in a supporting role. To the extent possible, classroom time is structured around communicative tasks designed to increase the learner’s ability to function independently in the target language environment.
Sample instructional schedule:
| Hour 1: | function/theme vocabulary brain-storming conversational flow in native language |
| Hour 2: | Dialogue 1; conversation flow/strategies array of strategic expressions |
| Hour 3: | Practice Dialogue 2; conversation flow/strategies |
| Hour 4: | Array of strategic expressions Practice Input phase for following unit |
| Hour 5: | Presentation OR quiz (odd Lesson vs. even unit) varieties of scenarios Cultural points |
Topics and Functions Covered
- introduction
- between partners
- of company
- of products
- of services
- taking taxi, errands in company car
- asking for directions
- on the street
- inside a building / department store, etc.
- dining
- ordering in restaurant
- with colleague
- paying food bills
- banking services
- opening an account
- deposit / withdraw
- exchanging currency
- renting (residence)
- office supply / facility maintenance / various bills and payments
- office routines
- sick leave
- taking vacation
- asking for transfer
- promotion
- resigning
- arriving late for work
- documents
- office talk
- traffic
- hair, dress
- coffee break
- asking for/giving a ride
- working extra shifts
- bonus
- workaholic
- colleague-get-together
- communication
- phone (inquiry: asking for business contact info.; talking to person-in-charge)
- postal/express service
- fax
- business-email
- calling a meeting
- small group
- emergency
- plenary/whole company
- direct call vs. pass the message
- company meeting procedures(assigning work, work report)
- business trip
- making itinerary
- booking ticket
- visa application, renewal
- making appointments (through secretary: Up-low; low-up)
- business reciprocals
- social
- party
- gift-exchanging
- appreciation gift