Learn Chinese Fast With These Great Tools

Learn Chinese Fast With These Great Tools The Best Tools to Learn Mandarin Chinese ChaptersSupplement Your Chinese Classes With Lessons Through AppsUsing Websites Specialised in Chinese Language ExercisesTake Part in a Chinese Language ExchangeLearn About Chinese HistoryWatch Chinese Movies in the Original Language“The Great Wall of China is a beautiful monument, but there are too many walls between men already.”This phrase was pronounced by Michael Gorbatchev - Head of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991 - during an official visit in China in 1989 just before the fall of the Berlin Wall.With language apps, there are no walls between native speakers and students of Chinese.Learning a foreign language such as Chinese can also be a difficult wall to climb.When you are a native speaker of an Indo-European language - such as French, Spanish, German or English - learning the Chinese language seems inaccessible.Even if you concentrate on Mandarin Chinese, everything is different - the pronunciation, sounds (it’s a tonal language), the Chinese writing system (necessi tating calligraphy lessons), grammar etc.That’s why it’s often not enough to simply take private Chinese lessons.Here is a series of tools you can use to supplement your Chinese lessons and learn Chinese fast: apps, websites, films, history lessons…Also discover the best way to learn Chinese...Join Facebook groups of travellers or Chinese expatriotsLook through student forums: there are a lot of Chinese seeking to learn English.Go shopping in Chinatown to practise your Chinese and find Mandarin language exchange partners. Photo by Ken Lund on Visual huntLearn About Chinese HistoryLearning a language without learning anything about its culture is like tasting a dish without knowing its ingredients.Taking Chinese language lessons is a good opportunity for finding out more about China’s history and that of its various dynasties.Learning about Chinese civilisation opens your eyes to an incredibly rich culture: literature, painting, calligraphy, music and all the arts.Chinese cha racters are a very ancient writing system. Learning their history can help you understand them. Photo credit: Fæ via VisualHuntLearning about the history of China also lets you discover the biographies of the legendary emperors who shaped Chinese culture and whose heritage is still very much present today.It also helps you review Pinyin: you can learn to recognise Chinese characters by getting to know the great figures of Chinese history.China was first inhabited more than a million years ago by Homo Erectus in the lower Palaeolithic. But Chinese history truly starts with the reign of the Yellow Emperor Huándì of the ancient ethnicity of Huaxia, who ruled in the 27th century BC.Among the 56 ethnic groups inhabiting China today, the most important is the Han, making up 95 % of the current Chinese population. They reigned over the north-east of what is now modern China for more than 400 years (206 BC to 220 AD).To learn Chinese writing in private lessons is to learn the Han writing system.Now you understand why learning Chinese is considered so difficult - even though the Chinese language is now unified, its original form - traditional Chinese - is over 2000 years old.Watch Chinese Movies in the Original LanguageOne last tip to help booster your knowledge of the Chinese language: watch Chinese films in the original language with English subtitles.You can learn Chinese through entertainment: by watching films “made in China”.But why do this to yourself?It’s excellent cognitive training. It helps the brain get used to the tones, accents and intonations in dialogue, hear phrases and expressions spoken by native-speaking Chinese actors.Watching Chinese movies is a wonderful strategy to stimulate your auditive memory and perfect your Chinese pronunciation.Apart from its non-negligible added value to your Chinese classes, Chinese movies are also helpful for cultural and linguistic immersion.A true intensive course without doing any actual work!Take Chinese cl asses London with a private tutor.

Introvert Entrepreneurs, How to Prevail past Likely Limitations - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / Introvert Entrepreneurs, How to Prevail past Likely Limitations - Introvert Whisperer Introvert Entrepreneurs, How to Prevail past Likely Limitations It is obvious that introverts, by nature, are hesitant when it comes to human interaction. They are more shy and tend to get anxious when it comes to being the center of attention. These qualities are perceived as limiting when it comes to entrepreneurs, however, there are many qualities of more introverted people that important for climbing the corporate ladder. While there are likely limitations to being an introverted entrepreneur, here are some ways you can overcome the challenges. Talking to Vendors An entrepreneur has an idea for a company, product, etc. and this idea is one that they need to sell to others. Unless one comes into a large amount of money, those looking to start a business will need to have investors fund their company. This means talking to multiple lenders to sell your thoughts and ideas, as well as to ask for their financial support. This is can ultimately seem like a hurdle for those looking to be a “behind the scene” style leader. However, there are ways to work around this. Most introverted entrepreneurs find other ways to market themselves. With the business world being so digitally based, most entrepreneurs use the internet and social media to get in contact with vendors. Sometimes all you need is a good promotional campaign. Another option would be to hire a marketing consultant to help talk to vendors on your behalf. Finding someone who is just as passionate about your ideas as you are is a great idea. That way that can expressively communicate your company as you would naturally. Misjudgement from Others Most introverts can unfairly be labeled as weird, snobbish, insecure, or antisocial. This is something that introverted entrepreneurs have struggled with in the past and it makes it hard to relate to others. This can be a problem when trying to relate to vendors but it can be a roadblock when trying to collect a workforce of employees. In startup businesses, many candidates going for a position at the company like to be able to relate to the owner/creator. This is understandable because they want to make sure the organization is a good fit for them and their professional personality. This is a struggle for introverts because they are misjudged and can be portrayed as standoffish. One way to overcome this is to be open and honest that you naturally a quieter person. Let them know this is your way of communicating or have another person working for you fill the interviewee in. That way they are fully prepared and can adapt for how to interact with you and they will be aware that you ar e just a quieter person. Public Speaking Public Speaking classes or a presentation in school was very difficult for introverts. Entrepreneurial introverts might have to present their ideas to others who work for them or to vendors in order to present their good ideas or wins for the company. This is something that so many successful introverts have struggled with but find different ways to overcome. Many prominent company owners are trained to speak publicly in the proper way and this is something that is necessary when speaking on behalf of a company professionally. While an introvert may be extremely nervous to talk in front of a crowd, with the proper training, the introvert can know the right tricks to make it seem as if he or she is an eloquent speaker. If this does not make them comfortable, they can choose to have a partner or another trusting colleague be the face of the company and give these talks. If you want to be an entrepreneur but you have a shyer personality there is hope for you. Working on trying to improve your interactive skills and being more personal is one option, but there are many other options one has, including using social media and other technology to market one’s company. Take into account that there are other successful introvert leaders of the world, such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. If introverts try to find creative ways of interacting and follow other famous introvert examples, they are sure to be successful. Bio: Amanda  Peterson is a contributor to the site  Enlightened Digital  and a software engineer from New York City. Her aim is to explore how changes in technology affect personal business growth and professional development, especially for women.   Go to top Do you know what your next career step is?  Many people don’t. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook on how to construct your Career SMART Goals â€" that will help you put together your actions and keep you accountable. Get your copy now and start your action plan today! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer