Self-introduction at work: Explaining your role and previous job

🇹🇼 Department first, then your specific task, is the standard way to introduce yourself at a Taiwanese workplace. It tells colleagues right away who to come to for what.

💬 喔 (o) at the end softens the line and adds warmth. It's very typical of Taiwanese speech.

🇹🇼 不錯 is real praise here, closer to "nice!" than a lukewarm "not bad."

💬 Chinese verbs don't show past tense. 以前 placed before the verb does that job: 我以前住台北 "I used to live in Taipei."

💬 Question words stay where the answer would go. Ask 你以前做什麼工作？ and reply 我以前做老師 "I used to be a teacher," with the answer simply replacing 什麼.

💬 當 (dāng) + a job title means "work as." Use it for roles: 當工程師 "work as an engineer."

💬 The order is fixed: time (以前), then place (在美國), then action (當英文老師). Keep that sequence: 我以前在日本當廚師 "I used to be a chef in Japan."

🇹🇼 Former English teachers are common among foreigners in Taiwan, so this line usually gets a knowing nod. Be ready to be asked to help with English.

💬 Adding 嗎 to the end of a statement turns it into a yes/no question: 真的 "real" → 真的嗎？ "really?"

🇹🇼 Colleagues in Taiwan ask this openly and out of friendly curiosity. A positive answer about the new job goes over better than complaints about the old one.

💬 比較 before a verb or adjective means "more" even when nothing is compared out loud: 比較忙 "busier." It's often just a gentle way of stating a preference.

💬 比較喜歡 (bǐ jiào xǐ huān) is the go-to way to say "prefer." Just swap the object: 我比較喜歡咖啡 "I prefer coffee."

💬 也 always comes right after the subject and before the verb, never at the end like English "too." When the subject is dropped, as here, 也 starts the clause.

🇹🇼 Saying you chose to work in Taiwan tends to land warmly with local colleagues. It shows commitment and often opens up friendly conversation.

💬 業務 (yè wù) on its own also means "salesperson" in Taiwan, as in 他是業務 "he's in sales." 部 marks a department: 行銷部, 業務部.

💬 會 here signals something expected to happen, like "will." It comes before frequency words like 常常: 我會常常來 "I'll come often."

💬 太 + adjective + 了 is the excited "so ...!" pattern: 太棒了！ "awesome!" Without the 了, 太 usually means "too" in a bad sense, as in 太貴 "too expensive."

🇹🇼 This is the classic line to end a self-introduction at a new job. Literally it asks others to "give you lots of guidance", and it signals humility. Leaving it out would feel slightly abrupt.

🇹🇼 請多多指教 literally asks people to "please give me lots of guidance." It's the polite set phrase for closing any first meeting, and leaving it out can feel a little abrupt to Taiwanese colleagues.

🇹🇼 This is the standard modest reply to 請多多指教. It returns the compliment so that neither side seems superior.

💬 Chinese often drops the "if": just putting 有問題 at the front of the sentence sets up the condition. The same thing works with 有空 "if you're free".

💬 Chinese often skips "if." Just stating the situation first, 有問題 "have questions," sets up the condition for what follows.

🇹🇼 This is a friendly offer that colleagues genuinely expect you to take up. Asking questions as a newcomer is seen as normal, not as a burden.

🇹🇼 This is the standard polite way to end a chat and return to work in a Taiwanese office. It's never rude, just a soft exit line.

🇹🇼 加油 (jiā yóu), literally "add fuel", is said constantly in Taiwan to encourage anyone facing a task, from exams to a first day at work. A smile and 謝謝 is the natural reply.