I'm Learning Mandarin

Links: 

Karen's Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQEWEPIHLzQ

My Roadmap to Learning Mandarin Tones: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2022/02/12/its-never-too-late-to-learn-chinese-tones-heres-how/

On today’s podcast, I chat with a very distinguished guest. Someone  who has designed a technique she believes can help learners of any  language achieve near native accents.

Karen Chung from the USA has lived in Taiwan for more than 30 years  and for most of that time has worked as a linguistics professor at the  National Taiwan University.

In 2018 a Ted Talk which she delivered in flawless Mandarin received over a million views  and brought her methods to the attention of a large international  audience.

In the video she explains her accent training technique which she  calls the echo method. The method which is based on her own learning  experiences takes advantage of our echoic memory.

First we listen to a sentence or phrase in our target language,  waiting for the audio to replay or echo in our minds, before finally  mimicking it out loud. Doing it this way allows us to mimic native  speech much more closely than conventional listen and repeat methods.

In this podcast, we explore her own language learning journey, how  she learned Mandarin to such a high level and why she disagrees with  conventional language learning opinion which argues accents don’t matter  as long as we can more or less make ourselves understood.

She also kindly agreed to give me a brief demonstration of her method to help improve my own Mandarin accent.

Links: 

I'm Learning Mandarin Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/imlearningmandarin/

Will's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7LmgMa8XhIusF7RI7YI_KQ/featured

Will's interview in chinese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CggHugyhyJU

My Blog on Interviewing Will: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2022/06/04/interviewing-this-master-of-oral-chinese-made-me-rethink-everything-i-believed-about-language-learning/

My Blog on learning chinese tones: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2022/02/12/its-never-too-late-to-learn-chinese-tones-heres-how/

On today’s episode we delve into one of the most remarkable language learning stories I’ve ever come across.

It’s the story of Will Hart, a 20 year old medical student who on the eve of the first UK lockdown in 2020 had never been to a Chinese speaking country, had no Chinese family and had never had any meaningful contact with the language in any form.

Fast forward 12 months and he posted a short video to YouTube speaking with the kind of fluency many people fail to reach after more than a decade studying the language immersed in Chinese speaking countries.

Recently, a second video appeared on YouTube in which he was interviewed in Chinese at length at the 1.5 year mark. Watching that video I was astonished by how fast he had progressed.

A lot of people upload videos claiming to have reached fluency in as little as six months. I've written previously about why I'm usually not a fan of this kind of content.

But Will's case really is different. His Chinese is genuinely phenomenal, as any native speaker or advanced learner who hears him speak will confirm.

So I decided to invite him on the podcast to see what I could learn from his methods. What he told me is, I believe, utterly invaluable to all Mandarin learners, especially people with an interest in making their learning as efficient as possible.

Links:

I'm Learning Mandarin Language Exchange Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/imlearningmandarin

My blog on learning Mandarin tones: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2022/02/12/its-never-too-late-to-learn-chinese-tones-heres-how/

Karl's blog on using flashcards to learn Chinese: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2021/03/10/how-useful-are-flashcards-for-learning-mandarin-vocab/

Many listeners of this podcast are people who, like me, get immense joy and gratification from the language learning process. However, it’s also worth being aware of the psychological pitfalls which those of us studying Chinese intensively commonly fall into. 

On my podcast today I discuss this issue with two friends who have both experienced the ups and downs of Mandarin learning. 

Karl Baker is a language app programmer who has appeared on the podcast before. Esther Spiering is a UXP designer who is currently on a secondment from work during which she is self-studying Mandarin intensively. 

We talk about dealing with comments and judgments from native speakers, coping with those moments when we failed to live up to our expectations of ourselves and much more.

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe on Apple, Spotify or on imlearningmandarin.com to have new blogs and podcasts pinged straight to your email. 

Links:

My blog on DuoLingo Chinese: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2022/04/07/i-completed-duolingo-chinese-heres-why-you-shouldnt/

My blog on the best apps for learning Chinese: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2022/02/20/thanks-to-these-apps-self-studying-chinese-is-much-easier-than-ten-years-ago/

Karl's flashcard app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=spaced.repetition.mandarin.chinese.learning.vocabulary.builder&hl=en_GB&gl=US

Karl's Twitter: https://twitter.com/mandarinbaker

Teo's Twitter: https://twitter.com/_TeoValdes

On today’s podcast we discuss the world’s most popular language app, Duolingo. I’ve long been a critic of Duolingo, having spent a ridiculous amount of time completing the Mandarin Duolingo Tree as a beginner. I’ve previously blogged that I found my progress during that time to be almost imperceptible and subsequently discovered other learning tools which I found to be far more effective for learning Chinese. 

So on today’s podcast I wanted to open up a balanced discussion about the pros and cons of DuoLingo Chinese. Joining me to discuss this are two guests with experience of using the app and fascinating perspectives. 

Teo Valdés is a Doctor of Education candidate at American University. He is an experienced language learner and Spanish teacher who has also studied Mandarin. 

Karl Baker is a language app designer whose free flashcard app Mandarin Vocabulary Builder is available for android phones. 

Links: 

Matt’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MATTvsJapan

Matt’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattvsjapan

My blog on how to acquire Chinese tones: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2022/02/12/its-never-too-late-to-learn-chinese-tones-heres-how/

My blog on the importance of accent: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2022/04/24/is-matt-vs-japan-right-that-your-accent-really-matters/

On today’s podcast we have a very special guest, the YouTube superstar and fluent Japanese speaker Matt Vs Japan. Matt is a well known face in the language learning community who has risen to prominence thanks to his insightful YouTube videos which explain how he managed to reach a near native level in Japanese in the space of a few years, all the while while living in the US. Like me, he is a big fan of the linguist Stephen Krashen and is on a mission to popularise language learning methods which prioritise the importance of getting lots of reading and listening input. More recently he has also taken a keen interest in the question of how we should go about acquiring native-like accents when studying a new language as an adult. We discussed all this and much more in a very wide ranging interview, one of the most fascinating interviews I’ve ever done.

Links: 

My blog on Language Talent: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2021/09/03/why-i-dont-believe-in-language-talent/

My roadmap for learning Chinese tones: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2022/02/12/its-never-too-late-to-learn-chinese-tones-heres-how/

On today's episode I debate the concept of language talent with two guests. Yong Jun is a PHD student researching the philosophy of language. Katherine, who has appeared on the podcast before, is a Masters student in translation studies. Both guests are language learning enthusiasts and have ample experience of learning languages to high levels. We discuss whether it's meaningful to talk about having a gift for languages and whether it's true that some learners really are more gifted than others. 

Links: 

My best app recommendations for learning Chinese: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2022/02/20/thanks-to-these-apps-self-studying-chinese-is-much-easier-than-ten-years-ago/

Alej's Langaholic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg3WIz-1ezXsIsGQqWBlwEA

Alej's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Langaholic

My Twitter: https://twitter.com/MischaWilmers

It’s often said that different languages shouldn't be compared with each other in terms of difficulty. I  understand this sentiment but also think it’s useful to be aware of  certain key differences between the challenge of learning Chinese  compared to that of taking on other languages, particularly those more closely related to our mother tongue.

Many learners feel disappointed when they compare their speed of  progress to that of friends studying other languages. You might see people  online who appear to have reached fluency in Spanish in under a year  while you still don’t feel fluent in Mandarin after several years. It  can be easy to wonder if there’s something wrong with you as a learner.

The reality is that there’s nothing wrong with you and there may not  even be anything wrong with your learning methods. I think it’s helpful  to be aware that there are particular challenges involved in learning  Mandarin which make it, if not more difficult than many other languages,  then certainly more time consuming.

To discuss this topic with me on today’s episode is polyglot Alej, also known by his YouTube name Langaholic.  Alej has taken on a number of languages, including Mandarin, and is in a  great position to explore how the challenge of learning Chinese differs  from other languages.

Links: 

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/imlearningmandarin 

Lei Lei's Blog: https://mixitwithmandarin.wordpress.com/

Blog on mastering tones: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2022/02/12/its-never-too-late-to-learn-chinese-tones-heres-how/

Blog on Netflix Chinese: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2022/03/04/how-to-learn-mandarin-with-chinese-netflix-shows/

Blog on best Chinese learning apps: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2022/02/20/thanks-to-these-apps-self-studying-chinese-is-much-easier-than-ten-years-ago/

My guest today is called Lei Lei. Lei Lei is a blogger and Mandarin Chinese learner who writes about the process of learning Chinese to a high level. After stumbling across Lei Lei’s blog a couple of months ago there were a couple of things I which I thought would make for a great discussion. The first point something we have in common which is that we are both bilingual learners. Lei Lei was brought up in Canada and was educated in French whilst English was always used in the family home. I was interested in exploring how being bilingual has affected our approach and attitude to language learning. The second point was that Lei Lei has written a very insightful blog about reaching high levels in listening proficiency. With so much focus on tones and characters, listening is perhaps the most underestimated aspect of Mandarin learning in terms of difficulty. The number of homophones as well as high variety of accents spoken across China and Chinese speaking countries means becoming good at listening doesn’t happen overnight. Luckily Lei Lei has some great tips on how to reach impressive levels of listening comprehension which we can all learn from. 

Anyone who has learned Mandarin will be familiar with how encouraging Chinese people tend to be towards those of us who take an interest in their language. For the most part this is great. All we have to do is say 你好 in order to be showered with praise and encouragement. But at times it can also be quite tricky to navigate the unwritten rules of Chinese polite culture. To the new Mandarin learner it isn’t always clear when praise is sincere as opposed to merely small talk. Throughout my learning experience I’ve also found it a challenge to get honest feedback on my Mandarin as opposed to exaggerated and undeserved praise. On today’s podcast I invited three of my language buddies, Helen, Mingna  and Katherine. Helen, like me, is a fellow Mandarin learner while  Mingna and Katherine are both students from China. Together we explore  how Chinese politeness can impact language learners in both positive and  negative ways.

For Today’s podcast I had the honour of interviewing a very distinguished guest. Benjamin Zephaniah is best known as one of Britain’s favourite poets. He is also a political activist, playwright and novelist who has been listed as one of Britain’s 50 greatest postwar writers by the Times newspaper. 

One of the lesser known aspects of Benjamin’s life is his interest in foreign languages and in particular Mandarin. In his Autobiography, the life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah, he writes about his decades long exploration of the Chinese language and culture.

I wanted to find out more about why he took on the challenge of learning Chinese, how he went about doing so and why he believes language learning can be a powerful tool against bigotry and war. 

Links: 

For more blogs & podcasts: imlearningmandarin.com

Benjamin's Website: https://benjaminzephaniah.com/

Benjamin's autobiography: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Rhymes-Benjamin-Zephaniah-Autobiography/dp/1471168921

Dreaming in Chinese, Deborah Fallows: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dreaming-Chinese-Deborah-Fallows/dp/1780720858