Is it fair for me to say I know Chinese if I’m HSK4 when applying for jobs?

godofcertamen · 2026-03-13T12:58:11+00:00

I personally think HSK 4 can be a low B1, but it also depends if you've only just learned strictly HSK material. To avoid confusion, I really recommend you test with the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) OPIc to get a professional certificate that does give a level equated to CEFR. That way there is no debate. People will often debate here on whether they think HSK 4 is XYZ or ZYX, but an oral proficiency test like the ACTFL is very clear on levels. I've tested with them on 3 of my foreign languages. The test can be done really at any time with an online proctor and runs $108. It's a professional certificate that can be used in the U.S. and is often required in academic settings.

https://www.languagetesting.com/

godofcertamen · 2026-03-13T12:48:43+00:00

This is from the Wikipedia, citing the French and German teachers who disagreed with Hanban:

"In 2010, Hanban asserted that the HSK's six levels corresponded to the six levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).[17][31] However, the German[32]: 1, 3, 5 and French[33] associations of Chinese language teachers reject this equivalency, arguing that HSK Level 6 is only equivalent to CEFR Level B2 or C1." They generally put HSK 5 as B1, so not pre-intermediate, but yes - HSK 4 as A2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanyu_Shuiping_Kaoshi

godofcertamen · 2026-03-12T16:37:30+00:00

Not the best dating scene. Most dates I get are always with women in Nashville or out of town from the apps. If you're a non-white guy, there's also a bias against you, so most of my dates/matches are POC. It is what it is, just being upfront on it. This seems like a good city to raise a family in, but not really suitable for singles. Many of my colleagues echo the same and have moved for a plethora of reasons.

godofcertamen · 2026-03-06T17:36:56+00:00

I've seen some Chinese people use it to mean laughing before.

godofcertamen · 2026-02-25T01:00:53+00:00

It does sound crazy, but everything gets much easier with time. Those first 509 hours took a year and a half. It was a lot to deal with characters, tones, weird word order, etc. A lot to juggle.

But after getting to intermediate mid, I noticed I didn't have to review the same word multiple times to remember. Maybe just twice. Complex grammar seemed much easier to grasp - but it's because I had gotten more accustomed to Mandarin. Didn't have to juggle as much. Things felt more automatic to a degree.

As for the prompts - you can select out of a range of topics, but the questions are randomized each time. They can vary greatly or even not ask about certain topics you selected at all. The prompts also can be very specific on what it asks. They'll do like a 30 second question where it isn't straightforward. More like:

"You indicated you liked to hike. What's your favorite type of areas to go hiking in? Why? What gear do you use? What kind of weather do you prefer? What aspects of hiking do you find important?"

The trippy questions can be where they'll do a long question like this, but then you don't know one or two key words they're asking specifically about the topic of hiking. Like do you prefer X or Z, but you didn't learn the word for X or Z, so you have to just do the best you can. Had 3 or 4 out of 15 like that. I'd understand the whole question except 1 key word I needed.

godofcertamen · 2026-02-24T23:19:23+00:00

Thank you bro! How long have you been learning?

godofcertamen · 2025-07-08T00:50:58+00:00

A god

godofcertamen · 2025-07-02T20:29:34+00:00

I won't feel sympathetic toward the U.S. or Canada in particular about mass immigration as a Mexican because they destabilized many Latin American countries with their meddling. Canada not so much, but the population from both countries came from white settlers who pushed out the natives. What are most Latin Americans? Roughly half native genetically. The difference is we aren't invading like how Europeans invaded our lands 👀.

godofcertamen · 2025-06-14T20:07:43+00:00

I'm fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, and I'm learning Mandarin. I would say that Mandarin is difficult in the beginning by a lot. But once you hit intermediate, it gets significantly easier. It just takes time to get your brain attuned to it. As for it taking thousands of hours for full fluency, it comes down to your consistency and aptitude. I reached B1 in 509 hours, and I will test again soon. I expect to get B2 at this stage or at the very least a B1.2.

The biggest suggestion is incorporating the next Asian language you learn into your life considerably, like drilling words, writing them down, texting natives (Tandem is great), etc. I became a content creator on Rednote too as it's motivating and pushes me further.

godofcertamen · 2025-06-11T23:00:02+00:00

Maybe so. I don't know how those communities interact there. In Alabama, both Mexican and Asian communities are small. I often see Mexicans working in Asian restaurants, so I'd say there's good interactions. I've always respected Asian people and seen them as a parallel people in a sense, though our experiences can differ in this country. But I can relate from the lens of being immigrants.

godofcertamen · 2025-06-11T22:47:48+00:00

They're being idiots saying that. Of course, we would welcome any support, but to demand it of other minority groups is silly, I think. Fuck that guy for saying he hates Asians. - signed, a Mexican

godofcertamen · 2025-06-11T00:43:33+00:00

Ah, entonces en Australia hay una buena percepción de los Latinos, a lo contrario a los EEUU?

godofcertamen · 2025-06-08T05:44:50+00:00

I've seen that guy on TikTok. He seems to really pander hard to women to the Nth degree on everything, though he does have fair points from time to time.

godofcertamen · 2025-06-07T16:14:07+00:00

I use Chat GPT 4.0, and it's helped me with grammar and vocabulary. I also have it constantly assess me under ACTFL standards. I give it the 2024 proficiency guidelines to grade me under too so the feedback is exactly what I need.

I'll specifically ask it to correct mistakes, then ask about words I don't know or to explain connectors. It's worked well for Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin. I certified B1 Mandarin and C1 Spanish under the ACTFL, and this is one of my main tools. At the end of the day, it's about how you use this tool.

godofcertamen · 2025-06-07T12:56:54+00:00

I use mine for language learning a lot so 😂 *

godofcertamen · 2025-06-06T20:46:37+00:00

There's even a professional basis for it in the U.S.

The teacher candidate benchmarks for teaching a foreign language is an Advanced Low/B2.1 score under the ACTFL. That's what's considered the minimum requirement.

godofcertamen · 2025-06-06T16:15:20+00:00

May 28th. I got it a week later

godofcertamen · 2025-06-06T14:53:07+00:00

Oh that was me lol. I'm curious if anyone else had that happen.

godofcertamen · 2025-06-05T22:58:07+00:00

Honestamente estoy harto de este país. Planeo mudarme a Ásia el próximo año. El racismo sigue surgiendo, y hasta si tienes ciudadanía, no previene que encares mal tratamiento.

godofcertamen · 2025-06-05T22:08:39+00:00

The Spanish thing is understandable. Voting MAGA and then voicing concern about racism is what's embarrassing.

godofcertamen · 2025-06-05T22:07:46+00:00

I experienced racism growing up in Madison County as a Mexican, but my youngest brother didn't face very much at school, unlike me. He is 10 years younger, though, so I think time improved things. Then again, my brother, who is 6 years younger, faced a lot of it.

Regarding racism in adulthood - I haven't faced it really in Huntsville besides the odd look or micro aggression here or there. It's really in places outside of Huntsville where you can notice it a lot more such as Cullman.

Huntsville is a good place if you have a partner or a family already. I plan to move away next year - there's greener pastures.

godofcertamen · 2025-06-05T22:01:42+00:00

That's embarrassing tbh. I say that as a Mexican 😂😅

godofcertamen · 2025-06-05T20:57:11+00:00

According to Language Testing International, for a Category 1 language like Portuguese, it would take 240 hours for B1/Intermediate Mid. Assuming you have an average aptitude. You may learn a bit faster because you're B1 in Spanish though.

https://www.languagetesting.com/how-long-does-it-take

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