Corporate Mandarin Training in Australia

The challenge

As a global company working closely with manufacturing partners in China, Breville engineers regularly needed to communicate with Chinese factories and suppliers. While technical collaboration was strong, language and cultural barriers sometimes limited efficiency and relationship-building.

At the same time, China represented significant long-term business potential, making cross-cultural communication increasingly valuable for the team.

Our solution

We designed and delivered a corporate Mandarin training program tailored specifically to Breville’s business needs and working environment.

Key features of the program included:

• Face-to-face interactive sessions.
• Small class sizes with a maximum of six participants.
• Practical business-focused Mandarin
• Industry-relevant communication scenarios.
• Cultural insights and Chinese business etiquette training.
• Structured lessons designed for busy professionals.

The sessions were highly engaging, practical, and aligned closely with real workplace situations the participants encountered during factory visits and supplier communication.

The outcome

The program achieved outstanding engagement and practical business outcomes throughout the training period. Attendance remained at 100%, with participants consistently showing high levels of enthusiasm and engagement during every session.

One of the most rewarding outcomes was seeing participants confidently apply their Mandarin skills during business trips to China. Their efforts to communicate in Mandarin were warmly received by Chinese factory partners, helping to create stronger professional relationships and more meaningful interactions.

Beyond language development, the training also strengthened participants’ confidence in cross-cultural communication and deepened their understanding of Chinese business culture. The positive learning experience led all participants to express strong interest in continuing into the next term, with many eager to further develop both their Chinese language skills and business communication abilities.

This program helped build stronger relationships between Australian and Chinese teams while giving participants greater confidence in international business environments.

Danielle Westacott – Head of Sales and Marketing Asia at Breville Group

1. “Shelley delivers highly effective, business-focused Mandarin training tailored to corporate environments and industry-specific needs. Her structured teaching approach breaks down complex language concepts into practical, easy-to-apply communication skills usable immediately in professional settings.
   Through her training, I’ve gained the confidence to communicate more effectively with Chinese clients and partners, strengthen cross-cultural relationships, and navigate business interactions with greater ease. Shelley’s ability to customise lessons to real workplace scenarios makes her training both engaging and results-driven.
   I highly recommend Shelley to any organisation or professional seeking high-quality corporate Mandarin training with measurable business value.”

The challenge

As global investment markets become increasingly interconnected, Zagga recognised the value of Mandarin communication skills when engaging with Chinese-background clients and business partners.

The company also identified that Business Chinese training for the investment and funds management sector requires more than general language teaching. To be effective, the program needed to incorporate industry knowledge, financial terminology, and an understanding of business culture within Chinese-speaking markets.

Our solution

We developed a tailored Business Mandarin training program designed specifically for professionals in the investment and funds management industry.

To support participants with different language levels, the program was divided into two streams:

• One class for complete beginners.
• One class for participants with existing Chinese language foundations.

The training included:

• Weekly face-to-face sessions.
• Industry-specific business vocabulary and practical communication
• Real-world networking and client interaction scenarios
• Chinese business etiquette and cultural understanding.
• Discussions on current Chinese market trends and economic developments.

The lessons were designed to be practical, engaging, and directly relevant to participants’ professional environments.

The outcome

The program delivered meaningful professional and cultural value to participants while also bringing energy and enjoyment into their busy work schedules. Each session created an engaging and interactive learning environment, allowing participants to step away from daily pressures and actively immerse themselves in practical Business Mandarin communication.

Throughout the program, participants strengthened their Mandarin skills for networking events, professional conversations, and client interactions. In addition to language development, the training also provided valuable insights into China’s current market trends and economic landscape, helping participants better understand the broader business environment in which many Chinese clients and partners operate.

The program further improved participants’ confidence in cross-cultural business interactions and enhanced their understanding of Chinese business etiquette and communication styles. As a result, participants felt more prepared and comfortable engaging with Chinese-speaking clients, colleagues, and stakeholders in professional settings.

The training helped participants build stronger professional relationships while increasing their confidence in engaging with Chinese-speaking clients and stakeholders.

Erica Tsang – Brand and Marketing Director Zagga Group Investment

1. “Our team has been learning Mandarin Chinese with Shelley since March 2024 and we’ve been thoroughly enjoying our lessons! I have many positive things to say but the best aspect of the course is that Shelley tailors the content, pace and style to suit each individual’s level and capability. We’ve all gotten so much more out of the lessons from this and it’s great knowing Shelley doesn’t just deliver an ‘off the shelf’ experience!”

The challenge

As a leading company headquartered in Beijing, BJEI Australia wanted to strengthen communication and collaboration between its Sydney-based team and colleagues in China.

Many employees frequently interacted with Chinese teams and travelled to China for business purposes. The company recognised the importance of improving both Mandarin communication skills and understanding of Chinese business etiquette to support smoother day-to-day interactions and stronger cross-cultural relationships.

Our solution

We designed a practical Mandarin and cultural training program tailored to the needs of BJEI Australia’s Sydney office.

To ensure personalised learning and strong engagement, participants were divided into four small groups based on their Chinese language foundation and learning needs.

The program focused on:

• Daily conversational Mandarin used in real business situations.
• Practical communication for business trips to China.
• Chinese business etiquette and workplace culture.
• Interactive face-to-face learning.
• Building confidence in casual and professional conversations.

The lessons were designed to be engaging, supportive, and directly relevant to participants’ workplace communication needs.

The outcome

The training program created both professional and cultural impact across the team:

• Participants experienced high levels of enjoyment and engagement throughout the training.
• Employees were excited to apply their Mandarin skills during business trips to China.
• Participants reported positive experiences using their newly learned language skills in real-life situations.
• Communication with visiting Chinese delegates became more interactive, natural, and culturally engaging.
• The program helped strengthen relationships between Australian and Chinese teams through improved cultural understanding and casual conversation confidence.

The training supported stronger international collaboration while making cross-cultural communication more approachable and enjoyable for employees.

York Xu – HR Generalist BJEI Australia

1. “I would highly recommend Shelley’s Mandarin class. She is very engaging in the classroom and creates a relaxed, supportive learning environment. Our employees always give great feedback about her lessons and find the classes both enjoyable and practical. Shelley is also very patient and adapts the teaching pace well to suit different learning levels. It has been a great experience working with her.”

The challenge

Since 2021, Shelley has been providing Mandarin training services to Allen & Overy as part of the firm’s professional development and cross-cultural communication initiatives.

As a leading global law firm with international clients and cross-border collaboration, the firm recognised that Chinese language skills and cultural understanding would bring long-term value to both the organisation and its employees.

The challenge was to deliver flexible, high-quality language training that could accommodate busy legal professionals while also meeting a wide range of language levels and learning objectives.

Our solution

We designed and delivered a tailored corporate Mandarin training program aligned with the firm’s professional environment and operational needs.

Key features of the program included:

• Participants divided into multiple groups based on language level and learning goals.
• Flexible online classes designed to suit demanding professional schedules.
• Rescheduling options to accommodate changing workloads and commitments
• Tailored learning content ranging from:
• Legal Chinese
• Business Mandarin
• Daily conversational Chinese
• Interactive and practical lessons focused on real communication scenarios.

The program was designed to provide both language development and deeper cross-cultural understanding within a professional context.

The outcome

The Mandarin training program has continued successfully since 2021 and has delivered strong engagement and positive feedback across the firm.

Key outcomes included:

• Consistently high participation and engagement levels.
• 100% satisfaction feedback from participants.
• Improved confidence in Chinese language communication.
• Stronger cross-cultural awareness and collaboration within teams.
• Increased interest among employees in continuing their Mandarin learning journey.

The program has helped support Allen & Overy’s global mindset while strengthening communication and cultural connection across international teams.