Communicating in Chinese
Smart Phone
The best way to get around town is to
have a convenient and easy to use translator handy at all times. Smart phones are the best, multi-functional tool to help you in these everyday situations.
They are convenient to carry, have free and travel friendly
applications (I have listed some of my favorite below).
Try downloading applications like Google Translate. This application allows you to translate
English-Chinese and Chinese-English. It displays
Chinese characters and pinyin. You can make the text bigger to help
taxi drivers read the address. It can
translate words AND phrases, has a listening button so you can hear what the translation sounds like, and keeps a history of your searched words. If it is on your phone, you can translate virtually anywhere you have an internet or a wifi connection.
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-translate/id414706506?mt=8
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.translate&hl=en
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-translate/id414706506?mt=8
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.translate&hl=en
The Ol' Fashion Way
Write down the things you want to say onto a piece of paper. Take it to a colleague at work and have them translate it. If you are looking to be more independent, use your computer to access Google Translate (https://translate.google.com/). Print it off - most people can understand this translation.
Taxi Cards
Most Chinese taxi drivers do not know English. Something that may be perceived easy to us, like requesting to be dropped off at "McDonalds," is not as easy as you might think. If you are looking to visit a particular place, always make sure to prepare the address into Chinese characters.
Some organizations in town, like housing realtors, give taxi cards away for free to promote their business. Some companies make them for their employees. In Kunshan, the only place I have seen "taxi cards" available to the public is the Kunshan Expat Association. They charge 50 RMB. They are useful if you don't know your way around town, but take caution, places can shut down or change location. Call before going.
The Kunshan Expat Association does hand out selected taxi cards on the last page of their free monthly magazine. Most of the important ones are here. You can find an archive of their magazines at their website http://www.kunshanexpat.com/archive.
Communicating with Friends & Family Overseas
Write down the things you want to say onto a piece of paper. Take it to a colleague at work and have them translate it. If you are looking to be more independent, use your computer to access Google Translate (https://translate.google.com/). Print it off - most people can understand this translation.
Taxi Cards
Most Chinese taxi drivers do not know English. Something that may be perceived easy to us, like requesting to be dropped off at "McDonalds," is not as easy as you might think. If you are looking to visit a particular place, always make sure to prepare the address into Chinese characters.
Some organizations in town, like housing realtors, give taxi cards away for free to promote their business. Some companies make them for their employees. In Kunshan, the only place I have seen "taxi cards" available to the public is the Kunshan Expat Association. They charge 50 RMB. They are useful if you don't know your way around town, but take caution, places can shut down or change location. Call before going.
The Kunshan Expat Association does hand out selected taxi cards on the last page of their free monthly magazine. Most of the important ones are here. You can find an archive of their magazines at their website http://www.kunshanexpat.com/archive.
Communicating with Friends & Family Overseas
There are a few affordable choices when calling your friends and family overseas. Many of them share similar features - I have and use all of them :-)
1.
One
popular way is using Skype. You can make
a regular phone call through the internet. If you are calling a landline, there are fees. If you are calling another Skype program, it is free. I enjoy video chatting with my family on weekends. It is friendly to use and so far, reception is great in China. (To video chat, you need a video camera and microphone). http://www.skype.com/en/download-skype/skype-for-computer/
2.
Another great option is the as-seen-on-tv Magic Jack. This device can
allow you to make calls from anywhere with the use of the internet to Canada or
the US for a flat fee of $40 USD a year (rates may change). The Magic Jack gives you a local number in
Canada/US so your friends and family can call without any long distance
fees. You also get voice mail and caller ID. Voice mails are emailed in the form of an mp3
format.
Magic Jack just recently added their app to the andriod/apple market. Downloading the app allows you to use all of Magic Jack's features without lugging your computer around with you. There is a limitation - currently, your Magic Jack number can only be registered to one cell phone. http://www.magicjack.com/index.html
3. Viber is another app you can download onto your phone. It is similar to Skype except it leans more towards a social messaging platform. You can leave voice mails, send pictures and videos, and text internationally to other Viber users free with an internet connection.
Viber is great - it is a free app and provides a lot of features. The downside being Viber can only call other Viber users. (You can call telephone numbers, but it requires payment). This means the person or people you chat with must have this app. You have no telephone number.
I love using Viber to make calls when my other apps fail to provide a clear connection. In my experience, reception is very good. http://www.viber.com/
4. WeChat is the best social platform within China. I have met less than a handful of people here that do not have this downloaded on their phone.
"Nee yo way shing ma?" Do you have Wechat? I always ask new acquaintances. They giggle and we then exchange our information. This is a great way to establish a relationship with people in the community, even if you do not have a common language. WeChat just added a translator to its messager, making easier than ever to use.
This app has not caught on back home....yet.... but it is the best way to keep in touch with friends in China.
You can message, send pictures, video call, leave voice mails, and even communicate in a "walkie talkie" feature. Be sure to register it not only with your mobile phone number, but with a password and email account. (Otherwise, if you change phone numbers, there is a good chance you'll lose you account and all your contacts.... I'm speaking from experience!). http://www.wechat.com/en/
5. Whatsapp is similar to WeChat and shares most of its functions. The only difference being it is the Western version of WeChat. Most of my friends use this back home. It is a great tool, but be warned, for Apple products, there is a $.99 app fee. http://www.whatsapp.com/
Magic Jack just recently added their app to the andriod/apple market. Downloading the app allows you to use all of Magic Jack's features without lugging your computer around with you. There is a limitation - currently, your Magic Jack number can only be registered to one cell phone. http://www.magicjack.com/index.html
3. Viber is another app you can download onto your phone. It is similar to Skype except it leans more towards a social messaging platform. You can leave voice mails, send pictures and videos, and text internationally to other Viber users free with an internet connection.
Viber is great - it is a free app and provides a lot of features. The downside being Viber can only call other Viber users. (You can call telephone numbers, but it requires payment). This means the person or people you chat with must have this app. You have no telephone number.
I love using Viber to make calls when my other apps fail to provide a clear connection. In my experience, reception is very good. http://www.viber.com/
4. WeChat is the best social platform within China. I have met less than a handful of people here that do not have this downloaded on their phone.
"Nee yo way shing ma?" Do you have Wechat? I always ask new acquaintances. They giggle and we then exchange our information. This is a great way to establish a relationship with people in the community, even if you do not have a common language. WeChat just added a translator to its messager, making easier than ever to use.
This app has not caught on back home....yet.... but it is the best way to keep in touch with friends in China.
You can message, send pictures, video call, leave voice mails, and even communicate in a "walkie talkie" feature. Be sure to register it not only with your mobile phone number, but with a password and email account. (Otherwise, if you change phone numbers, there is a good chance you'll lose you account and all your contacts.... I'm speaking from experience!). http://www.wechat.com/en/
5. Whatsapp is similar to WeChat and shares most of its functions. The only difference being it is the Western version of WeChat. Most of my friends use this back home. It is a great tool, but be warned, for Apple products, there is a $.99 app fee. http://www.whatsapp.com/
Accessing the Internet
Virtual Private Network “VPN”
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. A VPN is a program that protects your computer from hackers. It does not allow outside people to see what you
are viewing on the internet. This allows
you access to things that are censored in China, like Google Docs, Facebook,
Twitter, Pandora, Netflix and Youtube. Depending upon the
package you get, some VPNs are free while others can be over $100 USD.
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