On January 25, 2018, Toronto West Academy launched the Mandarin for Travellers course – the first of its Adult Education programs, which is intended to help travellers prepare for trips to Mandarin speaking countries, especially China. By learning the basics of the Mandarin language, including commonly used phrases that travellers can use during their journeys, plus social norms and common etiquette observed in Mandarin speaking countries, travellers can improve their travel experience and avoid potentially embarrassing situations.

The three-hour Mandarin for Travellers course will consist of two components – a language component that will teach students the basics of the Mandarin language, plus a cultural component that will provide foreigners with insight into common social norms and etiquette observed in Mandarin speaking areas. With the language component, students will learn basic pronunciation, numbers and amounts, time and dates, plus commonly used dialog for travellers. With the cultural component, students will learn proper social etiquette for situations that that they would normally encounter while travelling, including when meeting and interacting with people, when shopping and eating out, when getting around and also, when visiting attractions and historical sites. In addition to the course material, students will be given a 256-page Lonely Planet Mandarin Phrasebook and Dictionary, 9th Edition, that they can take with them during their travel and use for reference when needed.

“There are many challenges faced by travellers when visiting a new country and we hope that this course will make it a little easier for anyone heading to Mandarin speaking areas, such as China.” said Don Trynor, Managing Director at Toronto West Academy, who has travelled to several countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. “There are many situations that I have personally encountered during my travels abroad that I wished I had done more research about so that I could have avoided them and the embarrassment that comes along with making such faux pas. With an accelerated learning course like this, travellers can be more prepared for their trip, thereby helping them to avoid such mistakes, allowing them a better overall travel experience.” he added. For those students that want to continue their learning, Toronto West Academy also offers Mandarin training programs and tutoring to help them to achieve Mandarin fluency.

The Mandarin for Travellers course will be available to students as an in-person class in downtown Toronto and an online class, allowing those outside of the Toronto area to participate from their home. For more information on the Mandarin for Travellers course, including course dates and locations, please check out to the course webpage.

About Toronto West Academy

Toronto West Academy is Canada’s premier science and technology online secondary school, helping students prepare for future success in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The school, which is based in Toronto, Canada, is determined to help youth around the world to achieve their full potential through the delivery of the best possible education using the highest quality teaching professionals that Canada has to offer. For more information, please refer to the Toronto West Academy website.