Wai Yin is the Founder and Instructor of Add Oil Cantonese. She is also a professional Translator and Community Interpreter working at public services in Montreal. Passionate about languages and etymology, she has always been learning new languages since she was a kid. Learning new languages is a humble attempt for her to understand other cultures and more importantly, it is the way she maintains curiosity towards the world like a child. She speaks Cantonese, French, English and Mandarin at a professional level and Spanish at a conversational level.
As a Community Interpreter, she has the privilege to work regularly with Speech Therapists, Language Specialists and Special Educators, that offered to her years of on-the-ground experience in order to comprehend children's needs and development.
Before becoming a mother, Wai Yin was very involved in dance and theatre. She danced flamenco (and other genres) for over 10 years and received training in community theatre. Her pedagogy is inspired by dance and theatre, she firmly believes in the Total Physical Response (TPR) method in which beginner language learners can effectively assimilate the meaning of a new vocabulary by an active physical experience. She is particularly interested to introduce more theatre elements in her language classes especially in children's classes. As someone who has discovered so much pleasure in learning languages, she wishes to pass this on to her students. To know more about Wai Yin's professional trajectory, please click:
Meet Joey, the Cantonese instructor at Add Oil Cantonese. She's here to make learning Cantonese an absolute blast! Born and raised in Hong Kong, Joey holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Translation from The University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, giving her a strong linguistic foundation in English and Cantonese.
Do you know Joey was a former English high school teacher in Hong Kong? During her teaching years, she led students on enriching cultural and language immersion expeditions to Europe, England, the USA, and Australia. She is a proficient English speaker at work with a deep understanding of the culture in the English-speaking world, she possesses a unique ability to crack the code to help English speakers master the quirky world of Cantonese.
In her leisure hours, Joey is an avid golfer, a home gardener, and a passionate photographer. Her lens has captured her travel journeys, outdoor shooting competitions, live concerts and school events. Her passion for teaching and working with children led her to become a part-time children’s craft program instructor. Kids love Miss Joey when she is in the classroom!
Her mission? To help you open the door to the witty Cantonese language and culture, making your Cantonese learning journey fun, delightful, and memorable. Add Oil!
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Jemmy holds an MBA from the University of Hong Kong and a Master in Counselling from the University of South Australia. Before she moved to Canada, she was an HR practitioner where she ran in-house workshops on team building and leadership development. Admittedly, enabling her colleagues’ careers through coaching has been one of the biggest satisfactions in her professional life.
Fast forward to today, she has a renewed interest as an instructor to aid others in learning Cantonese, her own mother-tongue. In addition to Cantonese and English, both of which she’s functional in, Jemmy also speaks French and Mandarin at a conversational level. In fact, she spent her first year in Montreal learning French full time and enjoyed every minute of it. She enjoys learning together with her students, across all age groups, and finds it a most rewarding experience.
- In her spare time, she enjoys reading, hiking, trying out new recipes and simply spending time with family and friends.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Connie has made Montreal her home for over 30 years, affectionately dubbing herself a "lou5 waa4 kiu4"— being an "old" Chinese immigrant.
Arriving in Montreal as a teenager, Connie has remained deeply connected to her roots, keeping up with Hong Kong trends, devouring Chinese novels and Chinese history, and nurturing her passion for her heritage.
Connie graduated with a business degree and a solid track record in the financial industry, Connie has since redirected her focus to teaching Cantonese. She now channels her love for language and culture into helping others appreciate the nuances of her mother tongue.
An avid traveler, Connie has journeyed to diverse corners of the globe; these travels have broadened her perspectives, deepened her understanding of various cultures, and enriched her personal and professional experiences.
Fluent in English, French, Cantonese, and Mandarin, Connie delights in connecting with people from all walks of life and embracing new cultures.