As you enter the professional world, you will interact with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. These differences extend beyond simply communicating with colleagues but also influence various aspects of workplace interactions, including interaction with external parties. Although the universal language for business communication has never been settled, people have been using English for interacting due to its numerous native speakers. 

Despite its use in worldwide communication, the language that you learn should depend on the region you’re currently living in and the countries you are actively engaging with. As an expat in Singapore, learning Business Chinese can be a great investment to help you communicate with local professionals. Apart from locals, learning Business Chinese can also be beneficial if you’re working closely with companies based in Asia–such as China, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

One of the recurring questions that will come up to one’s mind while considering a new language is rather mastering another language would be worth it, especially if most of your social interactions can be carried out with English or any other local languages. However, learning Business Chinese for expats can be necessary and beneficial as it serves a few advantages as the following. 

1. Communicating Fluently in Business Settings
   As a lot of Singaporeans still use Chinese in communication, both formal and informal, learning Business Chinese serves as one of the essential steps to help you reach a greater understanding on a professional level. With a proper understanding of Business Chinese, you will be able to collaborate with a multicultural team, clearing any misunderstandings that may arise due to language barriers. You might be surprised by how often you’ll engage with Mainland Chinese clients and partners in today’s global economy world, too!
2. Expanding Career Options
   Learning business Chinese can improve your chances of getting hired by multinational companies. As Singapore usually ties itself with other countries, having a great foundation in Business Chinese can expand your career options to other roles that require fluency in communicating with Chinese language. With the increasing popularity of Chinese in business settings, fluency in Business Chinese language will enhance your value and offer you more opportunities in job seeking.
3. Building A Good Business Etiquette
   As you learn more about Business Chinese, you will grow familiar with how Chinese speaking people address each other in a professional setting. Furthermore, learning Chinese for business occurrence will also make you feel more familiar with different terms that show respect toward other parties.

As an expat starting to live in Singapore, having a basic understanding on how to use business Chinese to communicate with new people is essential to assist you in leaving a great impression. The following phrases can help you start a conversation in Chinese easily!

1. 您好，很高兴能跟您会面! (nín hǎo, hěn gāoxìng néng gēn nín huìmiàn) = Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you
2. 怎么称呼 (zěnme chēnghū) = How should I address you?
3. 请问您贵姓 (qǐng wèn nín guì xìng) = May I ask your surname?
4. 请问 您能再说一遍吗 (qǐng wèn, nín néng zài shuō yí biàn ma) = May I ask which department are you working in? 
5. 非常期待和你一起工作 (fēi cháng qī dài hé nǐ yī qǐ gōng zuò) = I am looking forward to working with you.

Working in Singapore may come with the challenge of having Chinese-speaking coworkers, making Business Chinese for Expats a vital skill for seamless collaboration. Although Singaporeans nowadays can speak English on a daily basis, maintaining interaction with business Chinese can strengthen connections and ensure a seamless collaboration with one another. 

1. 能帮我一下吗 (néng bāng wǒ yíxià ma) = Could you please help me for a moment?
2. 您们刚才已经吃过饭了吗 (nínmen gāngcái yǐjīng chī guò fàn le ma) = Have you already eaten yet?
3. 您有空教我一下吗 (nín yǒukòng jiāo wǒ yíxià ma) = Could you please show it to me briefly? 
4. 您需要帮忙吗 (nín xū yào bāng máng ma) = Do you need any help?

Presentation is one of the cores that you need to master in order to be able to work efficiently. Delivering a presentation, especially in business settings, requires the presenter to be able to speak with both clarity and confidence. As an expat in Singapore, the following phrases can help you communicate clearly to present your materials. 

1. 我来汇报一下上个月的公司业绩 (wǒ lái huìbào yīxià shàng ge yuè de gōngsī yèji) = Let me give a report regarding the company’s performance last month.
2. 让我们来看下一张幻灯片 (ràng wǒmen lái kàn xià yī zhāng huàndēng piàn) = Let us see the next slide together. 
3. 请看这个图表 (qǐngkàn zhège túbiǎo) = Please take a look at the chart.
4. 谢谢大家的聆听 (xièxie dàjiā de língtīng) = Thank you everyone for listening.
5. 如有疑问，请随时提出 (rú yǒu yíwèn, qǐng suí shí tí chū) = Should you encounter any problem, please feel free to ask.

In Singapore,’s international business landscape, meetings often involve Mandarin-fluent parties who may by default reside in Chinese discussion. As a professional, you will be expected to engage actively and meaningfully in these discussions. To help you navigate confidently and build stronger rapport with partners, here are a few Business Chinese phrases that you should master beforehand. 

1. 我们开始会议吧 (wǒ men kāi shǐ huì yì ba) = Let us start the meeting
2. 让我们按照议程进行 (ràng wǒ men àn zhào yì chéng jìn xíng) = Let us proceed with today’s agenda.
3. 您觉得怎么样 (nín jué dé zěn me yàng) = What do you think about it?
4. 请您重说一遍好吗 (qǐng nín zhòng shuō yī biàn hǎo ma) = Could you please repeat what you said?
5. 请大家发表自己的看法 (Qǐng dà jiā fā biǎo zì jǐ de kàn fǎ) = Please share your opinions.

If you’re originally from a country that doesn’t actively communicate with Chinese, learning Mandarin for business can be quite a challenge. While studying, you cannot just focus on the vocabulary, but also on how to properly structure sentences. These easy steps can help you learn Business Chinese. 

1. Start with the basics
   Although you’re trying to master Chinese for business purposes, it is still important to start from the very beginning. Familiarize yourself with how Chinese pronunciation and tones work as it will be essential, especially in verbal communication.
2. Practice with daily conversation
   Before you delve deeper into specific industries to enhance your Business Chinese skills, it is also important to be able to hold a conversation with a local Singaporean who can speak Chinese–or even better, native! Familiarizing yourself with daily conversation will not only help you understand more vocabulary, but also boost your confidence to be able to speak fluently.
3. Attend courses
   As an expat in Singapore, self-learning business Chinese can come up as quite a challenge as all the terms might differ depending on the field you’re currently working in. To help a more effective learning method, you can also consider taking courses to give you a better understanding. With the help of certified trainers, you will be guided by experts that can tailor the materials in accordance to your needs.