HSK 5 Mission

[Tom89]

Hello everyone

 

I am new to this forum but have read previous topics. I am posting for a little personal reassurance on my specific case.

 

So I have studied Chinese here and there for 2 years. Taken a couple of intro classes in Australia as electives and spent 2 semesters in Beijing on exchange (English taught classes). I have never studied Chinese on its own, I have always had other commitments. I am guessing I would be around the HSK 3 mark. I am going to Beijing next week. Lined up I have 1 years language study and then 2 years masters degree in Chinese law. I am required to have the HSK 5 exam before I commence the major. I am so excited for the opportunity to study just Chinese for the year. However the reality is that Law in your mother tongue is not an easy degree. It is a degree which arguably requires the strongest command of language. Chinese Law is codified and similiar to that of the European continent rather than common law which is used in Australia, U.K and the U.S. This means less interpretation which will certainly help my case. So am I 'biting off more than I can chew'? Is there a real possibility, despite giving it my all that I simply will not be able to complete this? I am confident with my current language skills plus the one year I have to study I will be able to acquire the HSK 5, I am more concerned about the Law degree. Has anyone else completed a degree in Chinese law with only 1 year language study? I would appreciate any feedback.

 

Cheers!

[imron]

I did a semester of business law in Chinese at Tsinghua on a scholarship/exchange program.  I actually found it really approachable and interesting - though a large part of that was probably also down to the lecturer who was very engaging and had a great way of using humour to explain things.

 

You're going to have to work really hard to get your language skill up to the level required for a university degree.  My advice, first, work really hard on your listening, if your listening is not up to scratch you're just going to get lost. 

 

Secondly, work on learning to read handwriting - lecturers will write on their blackboards and whiteboards in quick scrawl.  Not being able to read what they have written on the board is a pain.

 

Thirdly, see if you can find out what text books you'll be learning in your first year of law and purchase one or two of them early and start revising vocab from them.  Initially it will just be a random collection of words, little different from learning words from a dictionary, but it's all stuff you'll need to be familiar with.  Note also that many words have a specific meaning in the legal sense that native speakers without a law background won't know about and won't be able to explain or define them precisely.  If you have questions about legal Chinese, don't rely on laymen native speakers to be able to help you out.

 

Fourthly, and related to the above, try and find a language exchange with a native speaking already studying law - best maybe a first year when you are doing your language course.  That way you'll have someone a year ahead of you who can help you out when you start studying law and who'll be there up until your final year.

[Shelley]

I have no experience in studying law, but I would go and give it my all, enjoy what I could, learn what I can and come away with a masters degree in Chinese.

 

If you don't get the degree you will still have had the most interesting, rewarding, and fulfilling 3 years of your life.

 

IMHO an opportunity not to missed. Go grab it with both hands

 

Keep us updated on your 3 year journey.

 

Hope it goes well

[Tom89]

Thanks for the replies guys, I am going to go there and work hard. I am confident which is the main thing. I will take the specific points you suggested imron and implement them into my study plan. 

 

Cheers!

[barashkov]

Hey,

 

I think HSK level 5 is definitely doable in a year. I almost passed level 5 last month and about six months ago I could hardly read or write at all and I’m not even taking formal classes just doing the past HSK papers by myself.

 

I am also contemplating studying law in Chinese and have the same worries as you about whether it would be too difficult. Though I have heard rumours that some Chinese universities will give some leeway to foreigners to help them to pass, for example by allowing them to do modified exams.

 

Which university will you be studying law at? Do you have to be on campus for the 2^nd year? (I’m searching for an LLM in Chinese which allows me to stay on campus for only one year and so far have only found CESL)

[TheBigZaboon]

OP:

I don't want to distract you from your goal to pass HSK 5 in order to qualify for the program you want to participate in. This really should be job 1: if you don't pass HSK 5, you don't get to participate.  But maybe I can try to help you ease some of the burden of the law school-oriented Chinese before you get there. You'll have to find the proper balance for yourself, as to where to put the emphasis, but I'll introduce you to a book to use for studying legal Chinese.

 

The book is called 法律汉语 - 商事篇, and it's edited by 张泰平。 It is published by Peking University Press, and the ISBN is 978-7-301-13109-1. It was published around 2007. It consists of 4 units, each unit starts off with a short introduction to the subject, followed by 3 lessons per unit on the theme of that particular unit. The four units are: An overview of the Chinese legal system; Chinese foreign investment law; Foreign trade law in China; and Contract law in China, obviously business law-oriented. 

.

The introduction to the unit starts off in Chinese, followed by a very good vocabulary list, topped off with an English translation. Each lesson features a conversation among the four characters ( a professor and both Chinese and foreign lawyers or legal interns). The conversations have no pinyin, you'll have to rely on the vocabulary for that, but there is a line-by-line English translation of the exchanges. The conversation is followed by an essay in Chinese relevant to the subject, (e.g., the WTO), with a glossary, but no English translation. The essays seem semi-scholarly, maybe a bit more so than the introduction to the unit. This will give you some practice in reading Chinese legalese.

 

There is also a CD included with MP3s of the conversations. It would have been good practice to have the introductions or the essays recorded, too, but the conversations are wordy and lawyerly enough to give you a little bit of practice in hearing the terminology spoken aloud. The various vocabulary lists and glossaries are also annotated to explain who the people (and institutions) mentioned in the essays are. There are also lists of various ministries and legal institutions relevant to each subject.. All in all, a pretty good introduction to the subject, even for already practicing lawyers who want to get into China.  

 

One other thing I want to strongly second from Imron's advice, try to learn how to read very handwritten Chinese. Ninety percent of the Chinese I've studied has been with all Japanese in the class. I was the only foreigner. As both the Japanese students and the Chinese teachers already had the characters in common, no time  was wasted in writing out the characters clearly and legibly. When I stopped the teacher to ask what the hell that squiggle was, everybody got a good laugh at my expense. But if you do it too often, you're holding up the class. Your classmates (and the teacher) probably won't appreciate that.  I'll try to find a useful book I have called something like "An introduction to handwritten Chinese," from Yale University Press. I've got a copy somewhere. It's not perfect, but it'll have to do.

[imron]

This book is also good for learning to read handwriting.

[mokushiroku]

If I were you, I wouldn't waste time on practicing style. I'd focus on substance. In order, this is what I would do:

 

1. Get grammar down.

 

2. Get radicals down, if you're willing. Skip this step if you can't be bothered to learn radicals (which have been done away with in Simp. Chinese but still are important). Skipping this step will make writing, reading, and learning vocab harder. But this step alone might seem to be an entirely new study on its own, so I won't blame you for skipping it.

 

3. Memorize vocab. 10 words a day in practice sentences. No exceptions. Use Anki or flashcards.

 

4. Practice tests.

 

That's enough to get you through the HSK 5.

[roddy]

Are you still out there, Tom? How did you get on?