Education/training
Success in another languageAs it gets easier to sell your products and services anywhere in the world, people will seek out experts who can help them to do business in foreign countries. “We can help Canadian entrepreneurs do business in China by teaching them the language,” says new small business owner Carla Kearns. ROGER PIERCE -- www.bizlaunch.ca |
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 [ 2006-07-12 ] |
Torontonian Carla Kearns (left) teaches business people how to speak Mandarin so they can conduct business in China.
Kearns owns TLI — The Mandarin School (www.themandarinschool.com), which teaches practical Chinese abilities to businesspeople, students and travellers in downtown Toronto. Her language classes are taught by native Mandarin speakers — and she also runs seminars on doing business in China.
As one of the world’s hottest business markets, many Canadian entrepreneurs want to do business in China, but frequently stumble over language and cultural barriers.
“Being proficient in Chinese has created so many unique opportunities for me,” Kearns says. “I just knew I had to share my passion for languages with other people.”
Kearns uses a teaching method that gives students the skills to be comfortable both speaking and listening. “Our students get functional skills that they can use in real life,” she says. “I’ve studied in other schools and have been astounded when their students could not respond to simple questions.”
While many people are intimidated by the language, Kearns insists Chinese is not as difficult to learn as folks may think. “For instance, by learning just 12 numbers you can count to 999,” she explains.
Her learning material was originally developed for a corporation in Japan that was sending a group of executives to China. Kearns has since refined her teaching materials to accommodate Western learning styles. Her unique teaching program helps students acquire accurate Chinese proficiency in a relatively short period of time.
“Learning Chinese carries huge benefits,” Kearns says. “It gives you confidence in any travel situation and, in a business environment, your efforts will be enormously appreciated and rewarded.”
Kearns plans to expand her school across the continent. “Americans are increasingly interested in learning Mandarin, so I see huge potential south of the border for my services.”
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