Franklin County Commissioner Paula Brooks recognizes CSC students led by CSC President Chris Stellato and Donald Newman at the Franklin County Government Building, downtown Columbus, Ohio on July 15, 2014.

July 15, 2014 — Columbus School of Chinese students and instructors were honored to be recognized by Franklin County Commissioner Ms. Paula Brooks as part of the Commissioner’s welcoming for a group of students from Columbus’ Sister City, Hefei, China. CSC President Chris Stellato was pleased to introduce some outstanding CSC students, who got a chance to interact in both Chinese and English with some of their peers from Hefei.

The strong ties that Columbus has developed with our Sister City, Hefei provide great benefit to both cities culturally, educationally, and economically. We are excited to see this wonderful relationship continue to strengthen and provide even more great opportunities for our students, citizens, and local businesses.

As our world continues to grow smaller and our opportunities to meet new friends from across the globe increase, it is all the more important that our young people have the tools necessary to engage in successful interactions with people from across the globe. This is why we at the Columbus School of Chinese are so honored to contribute to the ongoing effort to prepare our students to grow together with our Sister City Hefei, and all our friends throughout China.

Thank you again to Commissioner Brooks and our friends from Hefei for this tremendous honor!

As many parents and educators know, a growing amount of research shows that learning a second language offers many benefits to brain development. But with so many languages to choose from, why study Chinese? Here are five of our favorite reasons:

1) Chinese is the world’s number one native language (English is number three, after Spanish). In addition to China’s home population of nearly 1.4 billion people, Chinese is spoken by diaspora throughout Asia and the world. In fact, about one fifth of the planet speaks Chinese.

2) Chinese is great for your career. China is the world’s second-largest economy, and will soon be number one. As China is also one of the U.S. biggest trading partners, Chinese language ability frequently gives job applicants an extra and important edge. Not in business? No problem. China’s rising profile on the international stage is creating a growing need for Chinese proficient professionals in law, politics, engineering, education and virtually every other professional sector.

3) Chinese is a living link to the ancient world. To study Chinese, ultimately, is to study the culture and people of China. Chinese culture boasts an over five-thousand-year-old continuous history, and its rich cultural traditions permeate the modern-day Chinese language. In effect, the study of Chinese offers us an extraordinary link back to the distant past—one that is not excavated from under the ground, but is still living and thriving today.

4) Chinese is not as hard as you may think. While it’s true the writing system and tones make Mandarin look and sound much different than languages like Spanish and German, Chinese grammar itself is relatively straightforward. Whereas Spanish requires the speaker to take into account how tense, number and gender can change word usage, Chinese has none of these things (yes, that means no verb conjugations!). For example, in English we have to learn when to use “eat/ate/eaten,” but in Chinese we only need to know “chi.”

5) Finally, studying Chinese is fun! Whether you’re living in China or taking classes here at Columbus School of Chinese, studying Chinese allows you to reinvent yourself—with a new name, new ways to behave and new ways to think. You’ll establish great camaraderie with your classmates, who are all in the same boat. You’ll find yourself doing things you never thought you would (try that spicy fish dish at your favorite Chinese restaurant—or take a semester teaching English abroad!). You’ll interact with interesting people who you would have never otherwise met (your teacher who used to be a famous TV host, or the lady who runs the noodle restaurant on the corner who was the youngest of 14 children). And no matter what, you’ll gain invaluable perspective on both the great culture of China and, more importantly, yourself.

We know it will be challenging, but we’re here to help. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step–let’s take that step together!

CSC’s President Chris Stellato and Instructor Donald Newman pose with Principal Spring Zhang, Wang Jianmei along with teachers and students at The Ohio Chinese School on July 1, 2014.

On July 1, 2014, Principal Spring Zhang and Wang Jianmei of the Ohio Chinese School welcomed CSC’s Chris Stellato and Donald Newman to meet and have lunch with students and answer questions about their experiences learning Chinese. The students will soon publish a report of their interview in the Chinese-language newspaper China Press Weekly.

The Ohio Chinese School is a great asset to Columbus’ Chinese cultural landscape, and CSC looks forward to collaborating even more with the Ohio Chinese School on future projects!

Columbus School of Chinese is pleased to announce our Summer/Fall 2014 Class Schedule! The schedule features three new classes, including Introduction to Business Chinese on Wednesday mornings. For more information, contact us at 614-397-2020.

Adult Classes:

Children’s and Youth Classes:

CSC students, led by Chris Stellato, practice their shopping and bartering skills at a local Chinese art gallery and grocery store.

Columbus School of Chinese intermediate students put their language skills to use on Wednesday as they toured stores and restaurants throughout the Columbus, OH Chinese community. The group, led by CSC president Chris Stellato, visited a Chinese grocery store, art vendor, bakery and restaurant, impressing all with their Mandarin abilities and enthusiasm for the language and culture of China.

Columbus’ robust Chinese community offers vast opportunities for students to apply their language skills in practical, real-life situations — without ever leaving the metropolitan area. With the guidance of our expert instructors, CSC Immersion Trips are fun, educational ways to provide students with language practice and exposure to the rich cultural heritage of the people of China.

Contact our office to schedule an Immersion Trip for you or your student today!

CSC President Performing at CNY 2014:

Chris Stellato performing traditional Chinese Storytelling to ring in the Year of the Horse.

Summer Camps 2014!  The Columbus School of Chinese is excited to announce our summer 2014, Mandarin language immersion camps. Beginner, intermediate and advanced learners are all welcome! Games and activities are designed to improve campers’ language abilities while having fun!

JULY 7-11 & 14-18
9:30am – 11:30am
Ages 6-13,  $160 per week

Executive Crash Course:

This package is designed for the executive who has a limited amount of time for instruction or needs to travel to China within a very short time. The program will provide executives with a business-focused overview of the Chinese language and culture.

This package includes:

– Four hours of one-on-one Chinese language and culture training with SABC instructor
– Two hours of consulting, addressing specific questions and/or needs of the executive
– One hour of travel consultation with a travel industry expert.

Included with the language and culture training is:

– Networking basics
– Customized self-introduction
– Basic business vocabulary
– Guest/host dynamics
– The first meeting
– Business etiquette
– Banquet etiquette
– Gift giving
– Survival phrases
– Personalized handouts and reference materials
– Customized audio recordings following each class

Travel consultation includes:

–  Visa Consultation: China has recently changed the document requirements.
–  Personalized itinerary of things to do, see and taste during your trip in China
–  Safety tips and your rights as a traveler
–  Currency.  We can secure Chinese currency before departure for an additional fee

The one-on-one training can be provided in our offices, on-site or via distance learning (Skype, FaceTime or GoToMeeting).

For additional information on this package, please contact our office at 614-397-0800.