Engaging With Your Chinese-speaking Customers & Visitors

Course Summary

Engaging With Your Chinese-speaking Customers & Visitors is an introductory session designed for people who work in the hospitality and tourism industries that welcome an increasing number of Chinese customers each year during the Edinburgh festivals and Christmas period. The content of the course is specially tailored for frontline and customer-facing staff who want a short, focused introduction to Chinese language and culture learning.

This course requires learners who have no or little prior knowledge of the Chinese language.  The course is offered on a small group basis only and requires 2.5 hours of teaching per week over 5 weeks. Learning materials are provided to support learners’ self-revision and further study.

Learning Content and outcomes

The course will teach useful words and phrases that will help interaction with Chinese customers rather than restricting engagement to smiles and gestures.

The emphasis of this course is placed on simple pleasantries and useful expressions that enable the learner to achieve a degree of independence within defined communicative situations. Key contents of the course include a range of surviving expressions in phatic communication settings (e.g. polite daily expressions, greetings and welcoming guests, expressing gratitude, pricing, product description and promotion, expression of date and time, exchanging farewells, Introducing local food, drinks and local customs etc.)

Learners who memorise and regularly practice the communication phrases will find it enjoyable and rewarding to communicate with Chinese customers and tourists. In turn, this will give a good impression and leave an unforgettable memory for the customers from China.

Apart from learning basic Chinese language for phatic communication, this course will also cover important cultural and social awareness factors for interacting with customers from China. Communicative practice on speaking will be the key focus of this course. Situational role playing, interactive listening and real-life scenario practices are also included in the course.

Please visit our summer course programme HERE to book.