Cantonese as a tonal language can be difficult to learn. Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) has partnered with Hong Kong Wen Wei Management College to offer a regular Cantonese course to help newly arrived talent integrate into the community.

Through small-group teaching and interactive methods, the instructors introduce Cantonese knowledge to the new arrivals and provide oral communication training for them to master the language’s daily application and basic skills.

During one class, the participants listened to a classic Cantopop song to hear the different tones.

Daily dialogue
The two-month course, comprising 12 lessons, focuses on everyday Cantonese phrases and sentence structures. Topics include transport, shopping, dining and workplace scenarios. The course participants engage in group discussions to build up their confidence in speaking Cantonese.

Instructor Chen Yongyin explained: “No matter which language you learn, it is all about listening and speaking more. We have designed various daily life and work scenarios. For example, the students interview their classmates about their payment habits. Cantonese words like ‘Hong’ and ‘Seung’ can be tough for them, so we place more emphasis on teaching these pronunciations.”

Participants who complete the course and pass the exam will receive a certificate.

Interactive learning
One of the course participants is 36-year-old Tony Zhou from Shanghai. He came to Hong Kong last October through the Top Talent Pass Scheme and now works for a data centre.

He tried learning Cantonese through using mobile apps but did not get the desired results.

“I sometimes encounter problems but there is no-one to help. My colleagues also commented that my pronunciation sounded a bit robotic,” he joked.

Mr Zhou often interacts with Hong Kong clients, but he finds some local expressions and Cantonese articulation challenging. By enrolling in the Cantonese course, he hopes to master the local language and learn more about the culture too.

“The most useful part of the on-site course is that we can communicate with each other during class and rectify each other’s mistakes with the pronunciation.”

Positive response
HKTE held a trial Cantonese class in April. Its Director Anthony Lau said the response was excellent, leading to the launch of long-term courses.

“The talent wanted a smaller-sized class. They do not want to be that formal, in terms of learning how to pronounce the tones and things. They just want to learn casual, day-to-day language. I think we have found the right formula. We will continue to expand our Cantonese class offering by working with other partners.”

Mr Lau also pointed out that job opportunities and housing are the top priorities for young talent coming to Hong Kong, while those with families look for jobs, schools and places to rent.

He added that the office plans to organise Cantonese courses for the talent’s children and non-Chinese speaking talent in the future.

Attracting talent
Beyond helping new arrivals adapt to life in the city, HKTE actively promotes Hong Kong's advantages to attract global talent with diverse backgrounds to come and settle in Hong Kong and develop their careers.

Mr Lau said the office’s objective is clear. Based on the Hong Kong Talent List and survey reports, they analyse talent distribution across different countries and plan their visits.

In the coming months, the office will embark on promotion activities in Malaysia, Singapore and North America, as well as European countries including the UK and Germany.

“Malaysia is an excellent market, both linguistically and culturally, with talent in business services, healthcare services, and innovation and technology, while in Europe the talent is mainly dispersed across the fields of artificial intelligence and electronic technology, with Germany producing more business and technology talent,” Mr Lau noted.

Established in October 2023, HKTE expects to meet performance indicators including webpage views, social media platform numbers, follower counts and partnership numbers, by the end of this year.