The Vancouver Chinese Language Club

Do you want to advance your Mandarin language speaking skills? Whether you're a Mandarin language learner or a native speaker of Mandarin, join our club to improve your speaking and language skills!

Our meetings are conducted entirely in Mandarin Chinese with members whose Mandarin language abilities range from intermediate to advanced. If you've been struggling to get past the intermediate level of Chinese, this is the club for you! Take an active part in your language learning by writing and delivering speeches, improving your listening comprehension, answering impromptu questions, and receiving feedback.

Please RSVP to receive a link to our Zoom meeting. The meeting will begin promptly at 6pm, but please sign in 10 minutes before it starts to test your webcam and microphone. We ask all guests joining our meetings to please respect the following meeting etiquette:

• Join the meeting on time. Please sign in 10 minutes before the meeting starts.
• Turn camera on and face the camera. Make sure you are in a well-lit environment.
• Avoid multitasking or walking around during the meeting as this can be distracting to other guests
• Participate in the breakout room you're assigned to

If the etiquette is not respected, the Sergeant-at-arms will remove the offender.

Have you always wanted to feel more comfortable speaking in group settings? Are you looking for a way to improve your Mandarin language skills? Or, do you want to meet Mandarin learners from a wide variety of backgrounds, languages, and cultures, who share a common interest and enthusiasm for learning and personal development?

Join us for a casual and friendly Toastmasters session where you can share your ideas about various topics and learn from other Mandarin speakers. If you are a native Mandarin speaker, this is a unique opportunity to gain experience in public speaking without worrying about language. If you are a Mandarin learner, don't let the words "Public Speaking" intimidate you - if you are a beginner learner, all the more reason to join!

Native Mandarin Speakers: Gain experience speaking and presenting in your native language, so you can focus solely on improving your public speaking skills. Toastmasters is highly recognized in most companies and is an excellent professional organization to join to expand your experience. You can also meet a large number of native English speakers who share an interest in your language and culture.

Mandarin Learners: gain experience using the Mandarin language to express your ideas and learn from more advanced speakers. Our club consists of members from Beginner level to native speaking. With the wide range of language proficiency levels, you have a unique opportunity to practice public speaking in Mandarin in a comfortable and pressure-free setting. We also offer a language buddy program if you want to be paired with a native Mandarin speaker.

• What we'll do

Every fourth Saturday 1-3pm each month, come to talk, listen, discuss, and learn at this online meeting.

Remember, the key to learning a language is to befriend people from that background.

As the host, I have prepared a handout including comparisons between Chinese and English idioms and Chinese " Chengyu 成语 " stories. The link for that handout can be found in " Comments " below.

I am hosting the meeting virtually on Zoom. Please familiarize yourself with Zoom software beforehand (http://zoom.us).

RULES FOR ONLINE MEETING

• Treat others with respect, as attendees are from all over the world with different backgrounds.
• Do not engage in sensitive topics unless if your break out room's participants are all comfortable with it. Keep it a casual social conversation.
• If possible, turn on your camera and actively engage in conversations.
• Attend the meeting in a quiet environment.
• Screen sharing allowed only on request.
• Recording is disabled and not allowed.
• Taking photos of participants and posting them online without permission is not allowed.
• RSVP if you are going to attend, but cancel RSVP if you cannot! Please respect others on the waiting list.

Join us in-person on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wednesday of the month 6-9pm for Casual Mandarin Conversations at Metrotown Food Court! Find us at the large round tables near the window side of the food court, at the corner beside Burger King. Other Wednesdays of the month will be virtual meetings on Zoom at the same time.

The casual conversation session is a language and cultural exchange through engaging in conversations in an informal, open floor, no structure, friendly environment. During each session, members are encouraged to participate by using as much Chinese as possible in their discussions. Native Chinese speakers are encouraged to help others with pronunciation, sentence structure, and using proper choice of words. Remember, the best way to learn a language is to have friends that also speak the language!

However, if you are a complete beginner of Chinese, you may find it too overwhelming as most conversations are in Chinese. You should have a basic level of listening before you join.

RULES FOR MEETING

• Treat others with respect, as attendees are from all over the world with different backgrounds.
• Do not engage in sensitive topics unless if others are all comfortable with it. Keep it a casual social conversation.
• RSVP if you are going to attend, but cancel RSVP if you cannot! Please respect others on the waiting list.
• If you get lost or you're unable to find us, please be patient! Walk around and try to locate us, or leave a message in the comments section. Sometimes we have late comers so the group may seem smaller at first. We gather at the large round tables near the window side of the food court.