Mandarin for Taiwan, and the Chinese people really use
Mandarin is now split into China and Taiwan, and stiff textbook phrases were replaced with what people say day to day.
What you can do now
- Choose Mandarin (Taiwan) for traditional characters and Taiwan words like 計程車 (taxi), 捷運 (MRT) and 發票 (receipt).
- Mandarin (China) now uses 不好意思 for "excuse me", 拜拜 for "bye" and 厕所 for "toilet".
Why we made this change
A traveller in Taipei sees traditional characters and hears different words for everyday things. Textbook phrases like 打扰一下 sound odd in a shop, so you now learn the ones you will hear.