Chinese for working in Taiwan
Taiwan writes traditional characters and uses many words differently from mainland China. This program teaches the characters and usage of Taiwan for the situations migrant workers meet most: taking instructions in the factory, caring for elderly people, shopping, seeing a doctor and asking about pay.
5 units in this program
The “Daily life” unit shows how to call the 1955 hotline if your wages are late, you are forced to work overtime or your documents are withheld.
Framework: TOCFL (Band A) / HSK. Target: TOCFL A2. Mock test criteria: Understanding and correct answers, Work vocabulary, Grammar, Pronunciation and tones.
- 1Self-introduction (自我介紹)Introduce yourself, your family and experience — traditional characters, Taiwanese pronunciation.Model sentence: 我是越南人，請多指教。 (Wǒ shì Yuènán rén, qǐng duō zhǐjiào.): I'm Vietnamese, and I look forward to learning from you.
- 2In the factory: safety and reportingUnderstand safety commands, report a broken machine, ask for leave, check with your team leader.Model sentence: 機器壞了。 (Jīqì huài le.): The machine is broken.
- 3Caregiving: looking after elderly peopleAsk how they are, help them eat, take them to the doctor, report to the employer's family.Model sentence: 阿公，您要喝水嗎？ (Āgōng, nín yào hē shuǐ ma?): Grandpa, would you like some water?
- 4Daily life: bank, hospital, your rightsSend money, see a doctor, understand pay and days off, and the 1955 hotline for foreign workers.Model sentence: 我要匯款回越南。 (Wǒ yào huìkuǎn huí Yuènán.): I'd like to send money to Vietnam.
- 🏁Chinese interview mock testA mock interview + 2 work situations; scored on understanding, answers and pronunciation.
About the exam and the program
- The 1955 hotline of Taiwan's Ministry of Labor gives advice and takes complaints from foreign workers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, free of charge, in several languages including Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai and English.
- The hotline has operated since 1 July 2009.
Sources: 1955 consultation and protection hotline (Ministry of Labor, Taiwan).
What you should know before you start
Contracts and labour law change over time; ask the 1955 hotline or the labour authorities directly when you need to.
Frequently asked questions
I learned simplified Chinese. Do I need to start again?
Pronunciation is almost the same. You only need to get used to traditional characters and a few words specific to Taiwan; your tutor points them out as they come up.
Try the Traditional Chinese · working in Taiwan program
The link opens the program straight away: your tutor starts with unit 1. Or leave your email and we'll send you a short guide.