Introducing MSL Master - Mandarin as a Second Language

MSL Master stands for Mandarin as a Second Language Master. This name reflects who our students are and what our approach is to teaching and learning Mandarin Chinese. 

Our students are non-Chinese speakers who have grasped their first language.  

Our approach is to develop Chinese learning materials and learning methodologies for non-Chinese speakers to learn Chinese effectively and efficiently, regardless of whether they are taking lessons or doing self-study using our learning materials.

We encourage everyone to learn Chinese, to understand and to appreciate the cultural differences. And we love to work with as many students as we can. 

However, we may not be the best choice for everyone. 

All of our learning materials are written based on the understanding of Chinese language and how to use existing tools to introduce Chinese language in a sequence which best fits Chinese language’s characteristics, and which can be grasped by students. 

Our objective is to help students build up their Chinese skills, to be able to use Chinese in active and meaningful communications, in both verbal and written forms. 

As a result, elements which do not align with this objective are not included in our learning materials, such as Chinese radicals or the connections between pictures and Chinese characters. When the characters are the medium of learning Chinese, pinyin is removed completely. Also, there is no translations alongside the texts. 

For these reasons, we are not the best choice for:

• Students who need to improve their Chinese test scores immediately.
• Students who are only interested in learning Chinese etymology.
• Students who prefer to see pinyin while they are learning Chinese characters.
• Students who prefer to see English translations next to the Chinese texts.

At the same time, we also acknowledge that, while many students have succeeded in learning Chinese, more have failed. 

Instead of having a great time and making great progress at their Chinese studies, many students are frustrated that they never seem to go anywhere with their Chinese. Nobody understands their Chinese outside of the classrooms, neither do they understand other people’s Chinese.  

The number one reason for failing to learn Chinese is to start learning Chinese for the wrong reasons. Therefore, we list the top three most fraudulent beliefs about learning Chinese, and stress that these are NOT good reasons to learn Chinese. 

• For those who want to learn Chinese because they have heard that Chinese is easy to learn for the following reasons, that Chinese has no tenses, no verb conjugations, no plural forms, they should not learn Chinese. There are good reasons for Chinese to be recognised as one of the hardest languages on Earth. 
• For those who want to learn Chinese because they have to write academic papers on a foreign language, culture or politics, they should not learn Chinese. Choosing a different language will be more economical with both time and effort. Given that nobody is going to read those academic papers anyway, there are even more reasons not to learn Chinese. 
• For those who are lured by the beautiful Chinese calligraphy, they don’t need the knowledge of Chinese language to appreciate the art. There are plenty of English texts available for people to understand and appreciate Chinese art. So there is no need to learn Chinese. 

Learning Chinese provides a good opportunity for people to know more about themselves and to be more open minded to unfamiliar people, strange food, and perplexing culture practices. 

We love to work with students who are dedicated and hardworking, and who bring in their willingness to their Chinese study. 

What we have is our passion and a whole body of learning materials. 

Combining all these factors together, students are able to gain outstanding Chinese language proficiency and cultural literacy. 

The following are our strengths which benefit our students the most.

• Sufficient, targeted, and level appropriate listening exercises are provided from the very beginning.
• Well structured learning path takes students from being complete beginners to fluent Mandarin speakers with substantial cultural knowledge. 
• Chinese video lessons and Mandarin audio lessons enable students to study Chinese at anywhere and at anytime.
• An electronic device, Chinese Learning Pen, helps beginner students to connect Chinese reading and writing with listening and speaking.
• A rich resource center is at finger tips for students to understand more about Chinese language and how to use the most effective ways to learn Chinese.
• A dedicated learning journal is designed for busy students to plan, and to implement, their study plans amid all the distractions.
• A variety of lesson formats are available for students to choose from, group classes, private lessons, workshops, or online tutoring.

We are here to help, to improve, and to make a difference.

At MSL Master, the reading and writing based teaching and learning is out. The stimulating and communication based teaching and learning is in. 

Over the years, MSL Master students have achieved tremendous success in their Chinese studies.

Have any questions? Contact us.