Business Chinese: Intermediate · IWG Institute · Courses

Business Chinese: Intermediate. Putting Your Chinese to Work.

Business Chinese: Intermediate is the first working-life program following IWG Institute's Beginner 1–3 foundational series, designed for professionals who have a solid foundation in Mandarin and are starting to use it in their work. The course is taught in Finnish and builds the vocabulary and structures participants need to introduce their company and what it offers, handle straightforward customer situations, write simple professional messages, and manage small talk with Chinese-speaking counterparts. Considerable attention is given to communication culture — hierarchy, indirectness, relationship-building, how negotiations typically work, and etiquette in meetings and correspondence — so that participants approach professional interactions with more confidence and fewer misunderstandings. Available as B2B group courses, 1:1 coaching, or onsite programs at the company's premises, including Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Vaasa, Kuopio, Lahti, or fully online.

Available in: Chinese 🇨🇳Taught in: Finnish 🇫🇮
Professional language training online and onsite across Finland — including Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Vaasa, Kuopio, Lahti and Pori.
45+
Years of experience
4.9/5
Trainer rating
3
Delivery formats
The challenge

Knowing Chinese and using it at work are two different things

Business Chinese: Intermediate is the first working-life program following the Beginner 1–3 foundational series. The course is taught in Finnish and shifts the focus from building Chinese to starting to use it at work: introducing the company and what it offers, handling straightforward customer situations, writing simple professional messages, and understanding how Chinese business culture actually works. Available as B2B group courses, 1:1 coaching, online, onsite or in a hybrid mode.

Finishing the foundational series leaves participants with real Chinese — but general Chinese. The vocabulary covers everyday life rather than the specific things a professional needs to say about their own company, their own products, and their own work. And the situations are different too: a customer asking a question, a message that needs writing, a first meeting with a Chinese-speaking counterpart. These are not harder than everyday Chinese, but they are unfamiliar, and unfamiliar is enough to stall a conversation.

This course closes that gap. Participants build the vocabulary and structures to introduce their company and what it offers, handle straightforward customer situations, and write simple professional messages — practised until these situations feel routine rather than daunting. Alongside this, considerable attention is given to communication culture: hierarchy, indirectness, relationship-building, how negotiations typically work, and etiquette in meetings and correspondence. Knowing what to expect in a Chinese business setting prevents most of the misunderstandings that catch professionals out. Vocabulary is tailored to the participant's own work context. All instruction is in Finnish.

  • Introducing your company, products and services in Chinese
  • Handling straightforward customer situations
  • Writing simple professional messages in Chinese
  • Small talk with Chinese-speaking counterparts
  • Understanding hierarchy, indirectness, and how negotiations typically work
  • Etiquette and relationship-building conventions in meetings and correspondence
  • Vocabulary tailored to your own work context
Program structure

What the course covers

MODULE 1
Introducing Your Company & Offering
The vocabulary and structures to introduce your company and explain what it does, what it makes, or what it offers in Chinese. Built directly around the participant's own organisation, so the language is immediately usable.
MODULE 2
Customer Situations & Simple Messages
Handling straightforward customer situations in Chinese — answering common questions, giving basic information, and responding helpfully. Writing simple professional messages with the right structure and tone for a business context.
MODULE 3
Understanding Chinese Business Culture
Hierarchy, indirectness, and relationship-building in Chinese business settings — including how negotiations typically unfold and what is expected of each side. Knowing what to expect is what prevents misunderstandings, and that awareness is the goal here.
MODULE 4
Meetings, Etiquette & Small Talk
Etiquette in meetings and correspondence, and the small talk that opens a professional relationship with Chinese-speaking counterparts. Practised until it feels comfortable rather than rehearsed.

Business Chinese: Intermediate follows the Beginner 1–3 foundational series and assumes a solid Mandarin foundation. It is a first working-life program: the aim is confidence in straightforward professional situations, not full independence in Chinese-language business environments. All instruction is in Finnish. Vocabulary and scenarios are tailored to the organisation's industry, products or services, and the situations participants actually face.

Who it's for

Professionals starting to use Chinese in their work

Participants who have completed the Business Chinese Beginner 1–3 series
Professionals with solid Mandarin beginning to use it in their role
Sales and account teams working directly with Chinese-speaking clients
Procurement and supply chain professionals managing Chinese supplier relationships
Employees representing their company to Chinese-speaking partners
Teams entering Chinese-speaking markets who need cultural awareness alongside the language

This course assumes a solid Mandarin foundation equivalent to the Business Chinese Beginner 1–3 series — communication across a broad range of everyday structures and vocabulary, comprehension of straightforward texts and conversations, and familiarity with Chinese business etiquette. It is a first working-life program: participants finish able to handle familiar professional situations in Chinese with growing confidence. Participants who built their Chinese elsewhere and are unsure whether their level fits can contact IWG Institute for a brief assessment. Instruction is entirely in Finnish.

See also: Business Chinese: Beginner 3 — the final foundational course, and the natural entry point into this program.
Outcomes

What participants walk away with

The ability to introduce their company, products, or services in Chinese in simple terms
The ability to handle straightforward customer situations and write simple professional messages in Chinese
A working understanding of Chinese business etiquette, hierarchy, and how negotiations typically work
Command of relevant vocabulary tailored to their own work context
Growing confidence in familiar Chinese-language professional situations
Delivery

Flexible to fit your team

B2B Group Course

Group working-life Chinese for teams who have completed the foundational series. The company introduction content, customer scenarios, and vocabulary are built around the organisation's actual products, services and client situations — which makes this the most directly applicable course in the Chinese program.

1:1 Coaching

Individual coaching for employees with a specific professional requirement — an account manager starting to have direct contact with Chinese-speaking clients, or a professional preparing for a first visit to a Chinese supplier or partner. Entirely tailored in pace and focus.

Online, onsite or hybrid

Available online for teams across Finland and internationally. Onsite programs at the company's premises, including Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Lahti, Kuopio, Vaasa and Pori.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What level of Chinese do participants need to start this course?+
Business Chinese: Intermediate assumes a solid Mandarin foundation equivalent to completing the Business Chinese Beginner 1–3 series — independent communication using a broad range of structures and vocabulary, comprehension of straightforward texts and conversations, and familiarity with Chinese business etiquette. Participants who built their Chinese elsewhere are welcome; contact IWG Institute for a brief assessment to confirm the fit. Participants without this foundation should begin with the Beginner series.
How is this different from the Beginner courses?+
The three Beginner courses build the language. This course starts applying it at work. Where Beginner 3 develops the ability to describe a company or product with reasonable detail, this course develops the vocabulary and structures to introduce your own company and what it offers, handle straightforward customer situations, and write simple professional messages — plus a working understanding of how Chinese business culture operates. It is a first working-life program, not an advanced one: the aim is confidence in familiar professional situations.
Why is so much emphasis placed on communication culture?+
Because in Chinese-speaking business settings, a great deal is carried by things other than grammar — hierarchy, what is implied rather than stated, how relationships are built before business is discussed. A professional can be linguistically correct and still misread a situation. This course builds a working understanding of these conventions, including how negotiations typically unfold, so that participants know what to expect. Knowing what to expect prevents most of the misunderstandings that catch professionals out, and it is achievable at this level in a way that mastering the conventions under pressure is not.
Why is the course taught in Finnish?+
Finnish is the most direct route to clear understanding for Finnish-speaking professionals. The cultural conventions of Chinese business life in particular — what is implied, what is expected, why a given approach works or does not — are far more precisely explained and discussed in Finnish than through another foreign language. All instruction, explanations, and classroom discussion are in Finnish, while the Chinese practised is the Chinese participants will actually use at work.
What level will participants reach by the end of the course?+
Participants finish able to introduce their company and what it offers in simple terms, handle straightforward customer situations, write simple professional messages, and approach Chinese business settings with a working understanding of what to expect. This is a first working-life program: it builds confidence in familiar professional situations rather than full independence in Chinese-language business environments. IWG Institute can discuss realistic outcomes for a specific team based on starting level, session frequency, and course duration.
Can the content be tailored to our industry?+
Yes, and on this course tailoring is central rather than supplementary. The company introduction content is built around the organisation's actual products and services; the customer scenarios reflect real client situations; and the vocabulary is tailored to participants' own work context. Before the course begins, IWG Institute conducts a needs assessment to understand the specific professional situations the team faces in Chinese.
How do we get started?+
Contact Maria Kunz, Director of Studies, directly at +358 40 5877 142 or via the contact form on this website. She will arrange a brief call to understand your team's current level, professional requirements, goals, and preferred format. A tailored proposal for group courses is typically delivered within 3–5 working days. The initial consultation is free and there is no obligation.

Interested in Business Chinese: Intermediate training?

Language training is not the goal. Professional impact is.

Get in Touch →

Maria Kunz · Director of Studies · +358 40 5877 142 · iwginstitute.com