Our institute offers free Chinese language taster workshops to UoE staff throughout the academic year. This two-hour workshop is a brief introduction for learners with no prior knowledge of Chinese. The workshop is designed for colleagues who regularly work with Chinese students. It guides learners through basic expressions used in everyday conversations. This session will focus on pronunciation and communicative practice, including how to pronounce Chinese names and when to use first and last names. By the end of the workshop, colleagues will have started to tune in to the sounds and tones of Chinese and learn some basic phrases for social interaction.

We are delighted to announce that the workshop is back for Term 1 2026/2027. Book the upcoming November sessions below. Spaces are limited!

3rd November: 1.06 Project Room, 50 George Square – Book HERE

12th November: 3.63 | Hybrid teaching space, Edinburgh Futures Institute – Book HERE

24th November: 1.06 Project Room, 50 George Square – Book HERE

 

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We have delivered the workshop across the University at different schools, such as Biomedical Science, Informatics, Business School, Geosciences, and more… What colleagues have been saying about our workshop?

“I had used a greeting I had learned in the workshop in class and that all the Chinese students clapped!”

“I am a programme administrator, so I regularly work with Chinese students and staff. This workshop was particularly helpful for when I need to present student cases and very quickly have to figure out how to pronounce their names correctly.”

“The interactive encouragement was wonderful! Cindy in particular was really enthusiastic and encouraging to everyone, which made for a great learning environment. I didn’t feel scared about giving it a go at any point.”

“It has made me want to learn more and be more confident pronouncing Chinese names”

“The teachers were so engaging, supportive and encouraging. They’re an absolute asset and have inspired me to want to continue learning Chinese. The practice elements were enjoyable and the feedback was constructive. My only very one small criticism is that the workshop didn’t last longer and we didn’t quite have time for everything.”

“I really liked how the teachers dived straight into how Chinese works. They then managed to lead us through some basics in just two hours, and left me feeling like yes I can do this! Chinese is a really daunting language to think about learning but the teachers took the fear away and made it all seem very achievable. They were very friendly and encouraging.”

 

For any further information about the workshop, please contact: xin.zhang@ed.ac.uk