CSC student Rich surveys the Government District from the Hefei Municipal Foreign Affairs building, Hefei, Ahnhui Province.

CSC is excited to announce our Term 3 Adult Beginner 1 class will meet Mondays, 7:30-8:30pm, August 5 – October 7, 2019.

The Columbus School of Chinese (CSC) is pleased to announce dates for our Summer 2019 Flushing Chinese Immersion Weekend program: August 2-4, 2019. This three-day program is an immersive Chinese language and culture experience for students ages 10+ who have completed Beginner I and above. (Students under age 18 will require a chaperon.)

The Flushing neighborhood in Queens, New York, boasts one of the largest Chinese communities outside of China. Flushing provides learners with authentic opportunities to apply language skills and cultural knowledge outside of the classroom and to become more comfortable with life in a Chinese environment.

Over the course of this program, CSC China experts will guide students through real-life scenarios and cultural experiences that will increase learners’ confidence in their language ability and deepen their practical understanding of Chinese culture and society.

Participants will interact with native Chinese speakers and a Chinese environment in a variety of settings:
Hotel check-in;
Interact with cab drivers;
Purchase items through bartering;
Ask for directions;
Order food, interact with restaurant staff;
Experience a Chinese banquet;
Participate in authentic Chinese recreational activities, and more.

Dates: August 2-4, 2019

Cost: Approximately $1,000 per student, depending on student number and other factors. Program cost includes airfare, lodging, ground transportation and instructional fees. Past programs have run between $800-1,200.

Past Student Testimonials:
“I enjoyed our immersion trip to Flushing, NY. I was forced to use Chinese in order to communicate. This trip has strengthened my excitement for learning Chinese.”—Raju, Flushing Trip Participant

“Take it from someone who’s been there. You don’t want to miss out on this unique opportunity to improve your Chinese!” —Brian, Flushing Trip Participant

CSC is excited to announce our new Summer Term Adult Beginner 1 class will meet Tuesdays 6:30-7:30pm, June 4 – July 30, 2019.

CSC’s 2019 Chinese Summer Camp will be held June 10-14, from 9:30-11:30am each day.

Children ages 4+ are welcome to join us for a week of developing confidence, skill and cultural knowledge through fun activities with CSC Chinese language and culture experts. Students will be grouped according to age and proficiency level.

Contact us today to register or for more information!

We‘re excited to announce our new digital language learning subscription service! Each month, Columbus School of Chinese experts will deliver a bundle of Chinese reading, writing, and grammar exercises directly to your email inbox!

Each bundle includes a detailed explanation of a common grammatical structure, a reading passage, Chinese character writing sheets, and audio files, all for just $5 a month — less than liǎng bēi kāfēi! ☕️☕️

Click here to enter your email address to our list!

Here is a comprehensive list of (mostly free) resources that we shared via our monthly newsletter over the course of 2018.

To receive more resources like these and stay up-to-date with new classes and events here at CSC, sign-up for our free monthly newsletter at the bottom of this page!

1. Little Fox Chinese on YouTube: Little Fox Chinese is a YouTube channel with hundreds of videos labeled by level that are geared toward younger Chinese language learners. Check out their channel for stories, songs, games, and more!
2. Youdao Dictionary:  Are you an advanced Chinese learner looking for a helpful new challenge? Yǒudào (有道) is a bilingual dictionary designed for Chinese learners of English and other foreigner languages. Its functions include an interactive dictionary and a translation tool that can translate text, audio, even text from picture.
3. Slow & Clear Chinese: Great video series about the daily life of a Chinese university student told in slow and clear Mandarin Chinese with subtitles.
4. Mingbai: Mingbai is a free service dedicated to sharing concise, poignant information about Chinese culture and society. Each day, Mingbai updates its website and Facebook page with a short article highlighting something that “everyone in China knows and you still don’t.”
5. Pengpeng Hu on YouTube: Pengpeng Hu’s educational animated videos for kids cover a wide range of vocabulary and topics.
6. Mandarin Bean: Mandarin Bean provides free reading and audio lessons that are organized by difficulty level. Quizzes, term-by-term translations and additional downloadable material are available for each lesson.
7. DigMandarin Pronunciation Guide: Ever have trouble remembering how the pīnyīn romanization system differs from English phonics? Check out this handy guide from DigMandarin.
8. Melnyks Chinese: Mandarin Chinese Lessons with Serge Melnyk was founded in January 2006 to help people interested in learning spoken Chinese for free. In addition to dozens of free lessons, there are also over 200 lessons and additional study materials, like worksheets and transcripts, available through a subscription.
9. Mandarin Corner: Mandarin Corner’s library of free Chinese-learning videos are delivered in a casual, conversational format with little to no English–perfect for intermediate learners looking to gain more exposure to native speech. Their website organizes the videos by topic and level. Audio files, PDFs, flashcards and more are also available for free.
10. Litao Chinese Pronunciation: Check out the full video Chinese Pronunciation Course here from Litao Chinese.
11. The Journey To the West Series: The Journey to the West series by Imagin8 Press is a six-book series of graduated readers for intermediate-level students. The books are a retelling of sections of one of China’s most well-known epic literary works, Journey to the West, written by Wu Cheng’en in the 16th century.

CSC President Chris Stellato delivered the keynote address at the 2018 Asian American Summit held at St. Ignatius High School on October 19, 2018. The address, titled “Learner Identity in the Chinese Classroom,” explored the role identity plays in affecting student motivation, learning outcomes, and how learners interact with native interlocutors.

The 2018 Asian American Summit was attended by Chinese language and culture educators from across Ohio. Over the course of the conference, educators shared strategies to more effectively integrate culture into language teaching, create authentic cultural environments in the classroom, encourage participation in cultural activities by Asian American students, and counteract ethnic stereotypes on and off campus.

Student Spotlight, June 2018

Name: Mia
Age: 10
Chinese Zodiac: Pig
School: Walnut Creek
Grade: 5
Hobbies: Swimming, reading, basketball

Age: 9
Chinese Zodiac: Rat
School: Walnut Creek
Grade: 4
Hobbies: Soccer and drawing

When they started studying at CSC: 2015

Why they are studying Chinese: Interested in Chinese language and culture, will provide good opportunities in the future

Chinese study goals: To speak fluently and be able to translate for friends and family

Student Spotlight, May 2018

Name: Connor McNary

Chinese Zodiac: Rabbit

School:
Upper Arlington High School 18′
Indiana University (Bloomington) 22′

Grade: 12

Hobbies: Running, Reading, Listening To Music, Studying Chinese

When you started studying at CSC: On and off since 2010

Why you are studying Chinese:
Stumbling across Mandarin at just 12 years of age ingrained a seed of curiosity deep into my psyche. I was enticed by the idea of being able to communicate in, and navigate through, a culture so dissimilar to my own. My passion for learning the language was sparked during a five-day class trip to Flushing, NY. Flushing is heavily populated with native Mandarin speakers. I built up my confidence and began conversing with native Mandarin speakers. I felt like a toddler in a toy store. Navigating through hustle and bustle in a place so unfamiliar was invigorating. The dazzling neon signs, hectic streets, and exotic smells created the optimum amount of stimulation for my overzealous brain. It was during this trip I decided I would pursue Chinese through college.

Chinese study goals:
During the next four years of my life I am planning a dual major in International Business and Mandarin Chinese at Indiana University. I plan on participating in a study abroad, as well as joining a few Mandarin oriented clubs. After college, I hope to find a job that allows for me to exercise my Chinese skills, as well as entertain my passion for business.

Chinese speaking script:
大家好！我叫康康，我今年十八岁。我住在俄亥俄州，哥伦布。我学了六年中文。我学中文因为我觉得中国文化很有意思。我没去过中国，但是我很想去。课外的时间，我喜欢看书和听音乐，我也喜欢跟家人在一起。天气好的时候，我喜欢骑车和跑步。今年夏天我打算在lachat工作。明年我要在印第安纳大学学中文和商务。我很想去中国留学。谢谢！

Student Spotlight, April 2018

Name: Thomas Deever
Chinese Zodiac: Goat
School: Metro Early College High School
Grade: 9
Hobbies: Doing math, studying Chinese, playing chess, and playing tennis
When you started studying at CSC: 2014
Why you are studying Chinese: I am studying Chinese because I found it and its culture intriguing.
Chinese study goals: I plan to earn three high school credits for an honors diploma and continue studying Chinese in college.