Taking the GZ interview in Chinese

[ShanghaiFred]

Just wondering, I've seen quite a few people with posts recounting easier interview experiences based on taking the interview in English. I don't think this will be possible for my wife. I majored in Chinese at university, and she only started studying English recently, so the two of us have always spoken Chinese at home. There are still several months to go before an interview will happen, but still I'm thinking even with a crash course in English...her taking the interview in English by summertime is probably out of the question. Does anyone have experience with their SO taking the interview in Chinese?...still ok?

 

Thanks!

[Randy W]

Your speaking Chinese is an excellent answer to the communication question. Having the interview in Chinese is no problem.

[Stone]

As a precaution, I'd recommend giving your SO a copy of your transcripts showing the Chinese courses. That may very well any question the VO may have about your ability to communicate if your SO's English is poor.

175364[/snapback]

I am a naturalized American citizen and Chinese is my first language. English is my second language. I do not have a transcript to show that I have taken Chinese language courses. I can only show that I graduated from an American university with a master degree. But is that really necessary?

 

I actually speak to my wife in the same dialect - Sichuan dialect on a daily basis (my wife and I grew up in the same city). My wife does not speak English well. But I am worried if the VO can understand what my wife says.

 

Paul

[warpedbored]

As a precaution, I'd recommend giving your SO a copy of your transcripts showing the Chinese courses. That may very well any question the VO may have about your ability to communicate if your SO's English is poor.

175364[/snapback]

I am a naturalized American citizen and Chinese is my first language. English is my second language. I do not have a transcript to show that I have taken Chinese language courses. I can only show that I graduated from an American university with a master degree. But is that really necessary?

 

I actually speak to my wife in the same dialect - Sichuan dialect on a daily basis (my wife and I grew up in the same city). My wife does not speak English well. But I am worried if the VO can understand what my wife says.

 

Paul

175366[/snapback]

It may be a good idea to make a video of you speaking and writing Chinese and sending it to her before the interview.

[Stone]

I am a naturalized American citizen and Chinese is my first language. English is my second language. I do not have a transcript to show that I have taken Chinese language courses.  I can only show that I graduated from an American university with a master degree.  But is that really necessary?

 

I actually speak to my wife in the same dialect - Sichuan dialect on a daily basis (my wife and I grew up in the same city).  My wife does not speak English well.   But I am worried if the VO can understand what my wife says.

 

Paul

175366[/snapback]

It may be a good idea to make a video of you speaking and writing Chinese and sending it to her before the interview.

175387[/snapback]

What? What? Let me explain:

 

(1) I still keep my original Chinese name, even on my American passport. So the VO would know I am a Chinese by origin. I look like a Chinese on the marriage certificate, don't I?

(2) I was born in China, in the same city as my wife, which can be seen on Form G-325 and on my U.S. passport.

(3) I worked in China for two private Chinese companies in China in the past five years (again on G-325). I had to speak Chinese there. They had not interpreter. The funny thing is that when I was in China, no one would ever think me as an American.

(4) My parents are Chinese. They have always lived in China, as can be seen on my Form G-325 again. It would be a miracle if I communicated with my parents in English or Spanish.

(5) My wife can show the VO the letters that I sent to her 9 years ago, in plain Chinese.

 

So, as in law, they call it "preponderance of evidence". So I should be OK in that regard. The only thing I can think of is to add a copy of my engineering Bachelor degree certificate showing I graduated from a well-know Chinese university when I was 20 year old, in China.

Edited December 13, 2005 by Stone (see edit history)

[Redsunset52]

Just wondering, I've seen quite a few people with posts recounting easier interview experiences based on taking the interview in English. I don't think this will be possible for my wife. I majored in Chinese at university, and she only started studying English recently, so the two of us have always spoken Chinese at home. There are still several months to go before an interview will happen, but still I'm thinking even with a crash course in English...her taking the interview in English by summertime is probably out of the question. Does anyone have experience with their SO taking the interview in Chinese?...still ok?

 

Thanks!

175361[/snapback]

My So does not speak English fluently , but we do commmunicate, I a little Chinese and her a little English. Based on my readings over the past few months on this website and others experience , I decided to make a video of us communticating the way we manage to do in the event GZ wants proof of our ability to communicate so hopefully this video will suffice .....NOt all Chinese SOs have the full Englsih education others may have because of financial limitations , but I have encouraged my SO to learn as much as she can and with the Video I think it will be sufficient to prove we can communicate .

 

Red

[mercator]

Keep in mind it is a minimum of 8 months before your SO is coming. Expect more like a year or more. That is a lot of time to learn English. My wife has increased her skill in English amazingly fast. Likewise I am able to have basic conversations in Chinese. When we communicate now, it is a mix of Chinese and English. I figure by the time we get to the interview, she will be able to handle most of the interview in English.

 

As for stone, yeah it would seem you have a lot of evidence!

[warpedbored]

The problem Stone is you are assuming the VO will look at the file. The interview lasts anywhere from1 - 5 minutes. In that short amount of time the VO looks for reasons to issue a blue slip. Lack of English skills can be a red flag. Even if the VO asks if you speak Chinese without having read your file they may ask your SO to prove it.

[david_dawei]

Just wondering, I've seen quite a few people with posts recounting easier interview experiences based on taking the interview in English. I don't think this will be possible for my wife. I majored in Chinese at university, and she only started studying English recently, so the two of us have always spoken Chinese at home. There are still several months to go before an interview will happen, but still I'm thinking even with a crash course in English...her taking the interview in English by summertime is probably out of the question. Does anyone have experience with their SO taking the interview in Chinese?...still ok?

 

Thanks!

175361[/snapback]

I'd say the interview experience is going to be easier for her if she talks in a language that she is comfortable with.

 

if there's any doubt, have her open in english (hello, but ask to have the interview in chinese--see my post below for an example).

 

The trend in at least the last 6-8 months has been that interview's in chinese have been mostly without any problem; rarely has a video been asked for, when previously to this period it was quite frequently asked for.

 

here's my interview from a few months ago... SO had it in chinese.

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...topic=12690&hl=

[Stone]

The problem Stone is you are assuming the VO will look at the file.  The interview lasts anywhere from1 - 5 minutes.  In that short amount of time the VO looks for reasons to issue a blue slip.  Lack of English skills can be a red flag.  Even if the VO asks if you speak Chinese without having read your file they may ask your SO to prove it.

175431[/snapback]

I've got a solid proof here - my wife is going to hand in to the VO my expired original Chinese passport. That Chinese passport would show that I was a citizen of P.R. China at the age of 21. In the passport, it has a student visa stamp (J-1), issued by one American consulate in China, indicating that I came to the United States as a student to pursue graduate study in the States at that time.

 

If that proof is still not enough, then I will cut my head to prove it.

[david_dawei]

It's solid proof alright... but...

 

Now your assuming that the VO will accept it from your SO and look at it... it is not uncommon for them to downright refuse something. Remember, thy call the shots... if they don't want to see it, they ain't gonna look at it...

 

Nevertheless, my advice is always for the SO to hand over both passports (or USC copy) when asked...

[cosmiclobster]

I have to agree with the majority on this one.

Preponderance of the evidence means NOTHING if they don't take the time to look at it and there have been recent cases where that is exactly what they have done!!!!

 

You may get a native nieve American VO who speaks little Chinese and will have doubts about your SO's ability to function in an English speaking country.

 

Anything can happen and in my almost 2 years on this board, I have seen a lot of outright stupid things happen where the VO should have known better. Do not EVER ASSUME ANYTHING in the course of the visa process. Their status quo is to throw curveballs and keep changing their intreperatation of rules to keep the would be abusers of the system off guard. We pay the price, but that is how our govt. works!!!

 

Make a VHS American standard NTSC tape of the two of you speaking to eachother in any language for her to have just in case.

 

Carl (warpedboard) had to make a special trip to China just to produce the asked for tape on the whim of the VO.

 

Good luck and welcome to CFL!!!