New year, new you! As you set your New Year Resolutions, improving your Chinese level is an excellent goal. Learning a new language is proven to offer many mental and personal benefits, and learning Chinese opens many doors to new friendships and careers.
Chinese can seem difficult and too ambitious to study, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If you set clear goals and focus on steady progress, by the summer you will already see massive improvements. Here are China Admissions’ four tips to help you succeed in keeping your Chinese language New Year Resolution!
1- Set a Realistic New Year’s Resolution
You might want to improve quickly by studying Chinese for eight hours a week. But if you have a busy social or work life, such an ambitious goal might not last through the year. Take time to be honest with yourself. Even if you only have twenty minutes a week to practice Chinese, such efforts will add up over time. If you are realistic about your goal to study Chinese, long-term consistency will be easier.
Read more: How Long Does It Take To Learn Chinese?
2- Examine your Motives
Do you want to study Chinese to succeed in your career? To communicate with native speakers? Or to travel around China? Identify what your language learning goal is and focus your learning on achieving that goal. If your goal is Chinese for the workplace, you can focus your efforts on business Chinese. If your main focus is chatting with Chinese friends, you will want to focus more heavily on speaking and listening skills.
Matching your language learning habits to your real-life goals will give you more motivation to keep your Chinese language New Year Resolution.
3- Prepare Study Resources
There are thousands of tools, both free and paid, to study Chinese in the new year. You should take the time now to assemble the study resources you need so that you can create a schedule with them and not waste time bouncing between one textbook and another.
If you don’t know where to start, check out our guide Best FREE Ways to Self-Study Chinese Online in 2022. From podcasts to apps, we have plenty of recommendations.
Take the time to find a study guide or app that is suitable to your learning style and level. Studying a level too easy might bore you, but studying something too advanced could cause you to become discouraged. When learning a language, building a strong foundation is essential.
Read more: 7 Apps To Learn Chinese Online For FREE in 2022
4- Take a Chinese Class
Whether you want to study Chinese with a large group, or just once a week in a one-on-one class, every student benefits from the guidance of a teacher. Beginner students can learn proper pronunciation and tones, and advanced students will enhance their abilities through regular conversation at a native level and pace. Having a regularly scheduled class time will help you stay consistent throughout the year. Check out all the classes that you could take and see which one works for you right here!
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