Mandarin Super Immersion

Concept

The common wisdom of, “The best way to learn a language is to go to that country,” is only a half-truth. Say if we go to Japan but we don’t engage Japanese people in Japanese as much as we can, being in Japan alone can’t really help us improve our Japanese. However, how can we easily acquire an environment in which everyone talks to us in Japanese in a meaningful and interesting way? Based on my research and experiences I have created a unique immersion program for language learners to improve their speaking ability within the shortest delay and engage in real social interaction with local people in a meaningful way. This “total immersion program” so far has been very successful with the students learning Japanese and English. 日本語で読む

Read our founder’s story in English <The China Post>

Mandarin Chinese Total Immersion Program in Taiwan

August 11^th to August 18^th,2019

Introduction

This is not a run-of-the-mill Chinese language program in a language school. This is a fun and interactive program tailored to your needs to improve your spoken Chinese most efficiently. Under the tutelage of renowned Taiwanese polyglot Terry Hsieh and his fellow Chinese language experts, you will embark on a 24/7 Chinese immersion trip to Taiwan with like-minded people from all over the world. You will use Chinese to explore every corner of Taiwanese society and leave Taiwan with friends from all walks of life.

Our Idea

When we talk about going abroad to learn languages, the first thing that comes to mind for most of us is language school. However, based on my research and experiences from learning more than 20 languages in 60 countries, including some in language schools, I have come to the conclusion that language school is not the best setting for learning languages abroad. More than 2000 years before I was born, the disciple of Confucius, Mencius, had already known the secret I discovered. The following is an excerpt from the parable of “一傅眾咻”

Mencius said to Dai Bu Sheng,“Suppose that there is a great officer of Chu here, who wishes his son to learn the speech of Qi. Will he in that case employ a man of Qi as his tutor, or a man of Chu?’

‘He will employ a man of Qi to teach him,’ said Bu Sheng.

Mencius went on, ‘If but one man of Qi be teaching him, and there be a multitude of men of Chu continually shouting out about him, although his father beat him every day, wishing him to learn the speech of Qi, it will be impossible for him to do so.’

This is exactly what happens in a language school – only your teacher speaks authentic Chinese. Your classmates probably speak a little or even none and you likely communicate in English with each other. This is not a good environment for learning Chinese.

The common wisdom of, “The best way to learn a language is to go to that country,” is only a half-truth. Say if we go to Taiwan but we don’t engage Taiwanese people in Mandarin as much as we can, being in Taiwan alone can’t really help us improve our Mandarin. However, how can we easily acquire an environment in which everyone talks to us in Mandarin in a meaningful and interesting way? Based on my research and experiences I have created a unique immersion program for language learners to improve their speaking ability within the shortest delay and engage in real social interaction with local people in a meaningful way. This “total immersion program” has been very successful with the Taiwanese students learning Japanese and English. Now, for the first time, I am offering this design of life to all the Chinese learners of the world.

Our Objective

1) Use Chinese intensively to gain the habit of speaking Chinese, establish your confidence in spoken Chinese.

2) Make contacts with Taiwanese and like-minded internationals from all walks of life, get insights into different Taiwanese societies and cultures.

3) Everyday One-on-one tutoring session tailored to your needs by Polyglot Terry Hsieh and professional Chinese Instructor.

4) Use Chinese to make Taiwanese friends that you would otherwise never have the opportunity to meet.

Who can Enroll & Program Overview

We welcome people who would like to improve their spoken Chinese in a short time regardless their current proficiency. Even total beginners are welcome.

Date：August 11th, 2019 to August 18th, 2019 (Program starts on August 12th in the morning and ends around noon on the August 18th , equivalent of 60 hours of authentic immersion)

Time：Everyday from 09:00 to 21:00

Venue: Kaohsiung Dwell Hostel

Website：http://www.dwell-hostel.com/en-us

Address：3F, No.211, Sanduo 3rd Rd., Qienzhen District, Kaohsiung 806,Taiwan

TEL:+88673359006

Schedule Overview

9:00-12:00 Tutoring sessions、today’s mission briefing、daily lecture

12:00-13:00 lunch with our lecturer

13:30-17:00 Chinese Immersion Mission 1

18:00-19:00 Dinner & Break

19:00-21:00 Chinese Immersion Mission 2

21:00- Chinese Immersion Mission 3 (optional)

(This is only a general outline. The Schedule is subject to change to accommodate the needs of activities or our lecturers)

Program Fee

The Fee is 30000 NTD, including accommodation in a 4-bed dormitory at Kaohsiung Dwell Hostel from August 11th (check in) to August 18th (check out), tuition, and activities. Food and Transportation are not included.

Estimated cost of living and transportation：

Dinner & Lunch: A meal of local food costs less than 100 NTD (3 USD) meal Transportation：Single ride of bus or metro costs 20 NTD (0.7 USD)

How to apply

A. Download the application form

B. Fill out the form and send it to jpfreehomestay@gmail.com

C. Once we receive your documents we will schedule an online voice interview with you

D. Pay 10000 NTD non-refundable deposit to enroll officially, pay the rest at the beginning of the program

E. Prepare your trip to Kaohsiung; if you are not in Taiwan, buy flight tickets and insurance and prepare your trip to Kaohsiung

Q&A

1. Who is Terry Hsieh? Who are our instructors?

Program Leader Terry Hsieh

M.A. in linguistics, University of Kansas

B.A. in Horticulture, B.S. in biology and minor in foreign literature and languages, National Taiwan University

Versed in Mandarin, English, Japanese and French…etc

Founder of polyglot.tw (多國語言習得活動網)

Author of autobiography “This Taiwanese guy speaks 25 languages 這位台灣郎會說25種語言”

TEDxTKU Speaker

Founder of polyglot cafe

Mandarin Chinese Instructor Benita Hsia

National Sun Yat-sen University CSL Instructor certification

Chinese Instructor, Colegio St.John’s , La Paz, Mexico

HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test) qualified invigilator

Grew up in a childhood which was surrounding by Taiwanese-Mandarin-Japanese trilingual family. B.A. in Spanish language and literature and sub-major in tourism. Studying languages by travelling and living in the target languages speaking countries. Ever lived in the UK, Canada and Mexico.

2. Why Kaohsiung, Taiwan?

The weather in November in Kaohsiung is just right, not too hot or cold, suitable for any outdoor activities. Most importantly, Kaohsiung has a better Chinese immersion environment for Chinese learners. Compared to Taipei, fewer people speak English and there are fewer foreigners, both visitors and expats.

3. I am a total beginner/my Chinese is poor can I join? Will there be communication problems?

Anyone, even those have never been exposed to Chinese, is welcome to join us. We will teach you how to communicate with little Chinese or no Chinese. As long as you are willing to communicate, you will improve fast.

In our sister program “Japanese total immersion”, we always have 1-2 total beginners or people without any previous knowledge of Japanese. They all managed to communicate with Japanese monolinguals and had a lot of fun in Japan. Besides, Terry, our Mandarin instructors and assistants are all versed in English and/or Japanese. We will intervene if necessary. Last but not least, Taiwanese people are reputed for their friendliness and hospitality. You probably do not need to use words to win many friends in Taiwan!

4. Can I look for other accommodation options near Dwell Hostel? Do I have to stay in Dwell Hostel?

We strongly recommend you stay with us at Dwell Hostel. Dwell Hostel is not just a hostel. It is also a culture center and language exchange venue. Polyglot.tw has been working with Dwell Hostel for many years and we both know how to create a friendly environment to facilitate learners to pick up a new language fast. During our Chinese immersion program, Dwell will provide extra support and other perks to facilitate your stay and learning. For example. we will have each participant stay in a different room to maximize their chances to interact with Chinese speaking travelers. It would be a great loss for you if you decide to stay somewhere else. If you need a single room, Dwell Hostel has a few single rooms. Since single rooms are usually sold far in advance, if you intend to stay in a single room, please sign up early. Dwell will charge additional fees for single rooms.

Appendix 1 Testimonials and Reviews

Andy and Jaime from San Francisco

Tentative Schedule

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

the

Morning

9:00~

Linguistic

Warm up

10:00~

Orientation

10:30~

One on One

12:00

Welcome

Party

9:00 ~

Linguistic

Warm up

10:00~

One on

one

11:00~

Guest Speaker

12:30

Lunch with our Guest

9:00 ~

Linguistic

Warm up

10:00~

One on

one

11:00~

Guest Speaker

12:30~

Lunch

with our

Guest

9:00 ~

Linguistic

Warm up

10:00~

One on

one

11:00~

Guest Speaker

12:30~ Lunch with our Guest

9:00 ~

Linguistic

Warm up

10:00~

One on

one

11:00~

Guest Speaker

12:30~

Lunch with our Guest

Taiwanese

Homestay

9:00 ~

Linguitsic Warm Up

10:00~

One on

one

11:00~

Guest Speaker

the

Afternoon

14:00~

Immersion Mission

14:00~

Immersion Mission

14:00~

Immersion Mission

14:00~

Immersion Mission

14:00~

Immersion Mission

15:00

Taiwanese Culture Fair

Dinner

17:30~

the

Evening