Gary Sciscent from U.S.A (the gentleman on the right)

Survival Cantonese (4/2 – 6/2, 2013)

1, Why did you choose Hong Kong Language School?

— I took a crash course in Cantonese (Survival Cantonese) but I was already familiar with HKLS because my daughters had taken a Mandarin class at the school one summer. In both cases, the school was able to offer customized language classes with a professional language teacher on very short notice.

2, How’s the school environment?

— The school is in a full-service business district easily accessible by the subway.

3, How’s the class atmosphere?

— The classroom and office space are clean and brightly lit. My classes began promptly and there were periodic short rest breaks.

4, How’s your teacher? Was your class effective? Did you learn what you had expected?

— My teacher was superb and was sensitive to my ability to absorb the material and paced the class accordingly. I was interested in learning some introductory Cantonese, and this course was perfect for me. My class focused on everyday dialogue and useful expressions and we used the school’s in-house developed handbook and cd that I still refer to when I self-study at home.

Of course learning, especially language learning, requires a good measure of individual effort and study time outside of the classroom. I needed a teacher to provide leadership and to help me navigate the course but in fact a fair amount of progress in my case depended on doing my homework and preparing for class every day.

5, Will you come back & take more lessons? Why?

— Yes, I will take more classes in Cantonese – it’s hard to stop once you start.

6, Will you recommend Hong Kong Language School to your friends? Why?

— I would advise anyone learning a language to look for a school that is easily accessible and has well-qualified instructors who understand your goals and can help you design a realistic language program. In both cases, HKLS met those criteria and I had a successful learning experience.

Dr. Barbara Meisterernst from Germany (the first lady from the left)

Mandarin Advance Full Day Class (11/5 – 6/6, 2011)

Linguist, Sinologist, Researcher, Lecturer
Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany

1, Why did you choose Hong Kong Language School?

I found Hong Kong Language School in the internet when looking for a language course fitting my very tight time schedule. The information was clearly provided and the price for a four weeks course appeared to me quite reasonable in comparison with other offers. Additionally my enquiries about enrolment and payment conditions were answered promptly and in a very friendly manner.

2, How’s the school environment?

There is nothing to complain about. It is easily accessible and nicely located.

3, How’s the class atmosphere?

The atmosphere in class was perfect. With only one classmate the courses were very intensive. Additionally, I was very happy with the choice of my classmate; we had a lot of fun together in class and found a lot of things to talk about and to discuss. I also had the impression that our two teachers were very well chosen for our interests and our personalities.

4, How’s your teacher? Was your class effective? Did you learn what you had expected?

The two teachers we had were perfect, each in her particular way. It was very good to have two different teachers who are both native speakers of Mandarin but come from different areas and have different accents, which forced us to adapt to both of them instead of getting used to just one. Additionally, their respective idiolects and their focus in class were slightly different, partly due to age, partly due to differences in interest. I did not expect to learn so much about different aspects of modern Chinese culture, different ways of life in Hong Kong and Mainland China from two so well informed, nice and open-minded people. We had very lively discussions about many topics of the day, but also about general questions of life in China and in Europe. And we also had a lot of fun together. Carol always prepared some funny games for us, which forced me to talk, and this was exactly what I expected from the course. Additionally she opened conversations about a lot of important practical topics, such as computers, software, mobile phones, etc. and in this way provided us with a lot of relevant vocabulary for everyday purposes. With Lily we had a lot of interesting and well informed discussions about both Ancient and Modern Chinese history which I enjoyed very much. It was always great with both of them. I was never bored even for a minute and I would have liked to continue for another month or two. Already during, and particularly after the course I felt much more confident with my Chinese colleagues, I understand them a lot better now and I am less reluctant to join in a Chinese conversation than I was before.

Thanks a lot again to both of you, Lily and Carol. I really miss our discussions.

5, Will you come back & take more lessons? Why?

If I ever have the occasion I will definitely come back for another course like the one I had. I learned Modern Chinese mostly on my own, and although I went to some evening classes before, this course was the first that really suited me and my particular interests. It was very good for me to have the opportunity to speak Chinese in an environment that provided normal conversational situations and discussions on everyday topics and did not just follow the (mostly not very interesting) topics in an exercise book. Both teachers always reacted to every question and topic we raised and provided the relevant vocabulary, etc.

6, Will you recommend Hong Kong Language School to your friends? Why?

Certainly for all the above reasons. If all teachers are like Lily and Carol, nothing can go wrong.

Sanjay Garla from U.S.A (the gentleman on the right)

Cantonese Beginner 3 & 4 Full Day class (3/10- 16/10, 2012)
Cantonese Upper Intermediate Full Day class (17/10- 28/11, 2012)
Cantonese Upper Intermediate – Advanced (15/4 – 16/7, 2013)

From: Sanjay Garla

Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2013 1:04 AM
To: Branda Kwong; KAM C CAT
Subject: hi!

Hi folks! I just wanted to let you all know that I started volunteering this week with a union here in San Francisco. I’m helping them outreach to Chinese workers. The Union lost their Cantonese speaking staff person almost a year ago and they haven’t been able to find a replacement. So I have been talking with the workers and yesterday i helped translate at a meeting. The meeting was conducted in Spanish English and Cantonese.

It was all really difficult for me, but the workers were really happy to have someone who could speak some Cantonese and they understood most of what I was saying. I also understood most of what they were saying.

I was so excited to finally see my hard work starting to pay off. I still have a lot to learn, but I think if am working on a daily basis with Chinese workers I’ll learn quickly.

I’m also glad now that I chose Cantonese instead of Mandarin. Some of the workers that I spoke with told me they can understand Mandarin but can’t speak it. But everyone spoke and understood Cantonese.

Thanks for all your support and training. I am definitely putting it to good use!

Sanjay

1, Why did you choose Hong Kong Language School?

— I chose HKLS because I wanted to have an immersion experience that was fun but also challenging at the same time. The method of teaching seemed both rigorous and engaging. Furthermore, HKLS is one of the few language schools that also sets up a homestay with a Hong Kong family. I thought this would allow me to get the most out of my short time studying Cantonese in Hong Kong.

2, How’s the school environment?

— Free coffee, tea, and biscuits along with cozy, air conditioned classrooms – what more can one want?

3, How’s the class atmosphere?

— The class atmosphere is pretty casual. I sometimes didn’t even realize that I was learning because we would become engrossed in trying to communicate about a variety of topics. Only after class would end would I realize how much I learned.

4, How’s your teacher? Was your class effective? Did you learn what you had expected?

— I had two different teachers, both of whom were extremely talented and effective. I’ve had several Cantonese teachers in the past and I can confidently say that the instructors at HKLS are by far the best I’ve ever worked with. They have the experience to explain grammar and concepts in ways that non-native speakers can understand. The teachers also teach a great deal about Chinese culture and thinking. All this is done in a conversational and fun way.

I enjoyed how rigorous the class was. Of course the instructor adjusts to the level of the class, but at the same time is always pushing students forward. I definitely got the experience that I wanted and felt that with the HKLS instructors I was able to learn very quickly.

5, Will you come back & take more lessons? Why?

— Yes! I plan to come back and take more lessons. I am so excited to be able to have conversation in Cantonese, but I know that if I want to perfect my Cantonese I need to come back and learn.

6, Will you recommend Hong Kong Language School to your friends? Why?

— Yes. I talk to a number of my friends about how great HKLS is. The teachers make HKLS the best. Attending classes at HKLS really made me realize how important it is to have experienced teachers.

Ms. Leslie Chan from USA

Cantonese Private Tuition (13/5- 9/5, 2010 & 3/6, 2011 – Present )

Financial Analyst, Assistant Vice President — Credit Suisse
External Reporting and Financial Publications
Zurich, Switzerland

1, Why did you choose Hong Kong Language School?

— I found the school by chance (or rather luck) in the HK weekly (free) newspaper

— I think this is a newspaper geared towards expats.  The school was the 1st one that I rang, but I immediately liked how friendly and accommodating the staff was.  I think it was good that they advised me to meet them first before deciding and letting them assess my needs.  They were never pushy (as we know Chinese can be!).  Price was fair, but not the main determinant of my decision making process.

2, How’s the school environment?

— Rooms and communal space were very comfortable and relaxed.  Loved the free drinks and snacks — which helped keep the energy levels up during 3 – 4 hour private lessons!  Air conditioning was a bit troublesome at times in terms of noise level and finding a comfortable level…my teacher had to keep adjusting it!  Convenient location near MTR.

3, How’s the class atmosphere?

— Structured, but fun and relaxed. Good environment for learning. Learned a lot in each lesson and laughed a lot while doing so.

4, How’s your teacher? Was your class effective? Did you learn what you had expected?

— Loved my teacher. She was professional and fun.  Flexible enough to gauge lessons around personal interests, yet also stayed structured.  I appreciated her discipline with my pronunciation and thorough explanations of proper vs colloquial Cantonese –  and made sure I learned the correct way 1st! I had private lessons so I was better able to personalize the lessons around my needs. My teacher was very good at taking interest in what I liked and tried to develop my vocabulary and speaking / comprehension needs to cater to those type of situations.  I liked her practical approach to what a person should learn.

I think we could have worked more on comprehension since this is a weak area for me.  I seemed to be able to speak, but often misunderstood what was being said to me when being asked or s/he responded.

5, Will you come back & take more lessons? Why?

— Yes, because I felt my teacher knows me well enough to understand my needs and will continue to push me, while still encouraging me and keeping things fun and practical.  I appreciated how flexible / accommodating the staff were to ensure that I could fit in my lessons everyday.  Staff are motivated to teach and considerate to their students.

6, Will you recommend Hong Kong Language School to your friends? Why?

— I think it is difficult to say that each person will have as positive experience as I did since I had the luxury of having private lessons and also a very good relationship with my teacher.  I would definitely recommend my teacher, but as she is a representative of the school, I would feel more than comfortable to recommend the school itself to my colleagues.