Job Discussion Forums

vallillo1983 · Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Posts: 194

I have tried to learn Mandarin and it's so difficult!!! Has anyone learnt it while working in Taiwan?? How long did it take?? Do most people learn speaking but not reading??
cheers

wix · Joined: 21 Apr 2003 Posts: 250 Location: Earth

Most courses teach you speaking in conjunction with reading and writing Chinese characters. There are some faults with this approach. It is much easier to learn to speak Mandarin than it is to learn to read and write it. For that reason I suggest you focus on learning how to speak Mandarin first. Learning characters will only hold back your pace of learning. Don't completely ignore characters and it is worthwhile to at least learn some. Just devote more time to speaking at first.

To be successful in learning Mandarin correct pronunciation is very important. Hanyu pinyin is the most common system (used to indicate pronunciation), although in Taiwan a system called Zhuyin fuhao (aka bo po mo fo) is also used. It doesn't matter which one you learn, just learn it well!!!!

Have a look at my webpage Studying chinese in Taiwan for some general information and advice.

Ki · Joined: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 475

If you only want to study for six months then I would suggest forgetting all about learning to read and write. If however you are more dedicated than myself and really want to learn Mandarin as a long term goal then learning to read will greatly aid the rest of your learning.

Personally I prefer ba pa ma fa to pinyin. Though harder to learn at first it seems to be less confusing and more exact.

You can get a good foundation in six months, especially if you do your homework, use flash cards, etc.

vallillo1983 · Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Posts: 194

Ok, will take your advice on board!! Can i further ask, those of you who learn Chinese in either China or Taiwan, did you just learn to speak Chinese or read and write it also?

How long on ave does it take a Teacher to be able to speak Chinese once in a Chinese speaking land?

What about writing?

Cheers

clark.w.griswald · Joined: 06 Dec 2004 Posts: 2056

Personally I did not find reading and writing to be that difficult to learn. It is remembering it all that is the killer. Unlike English you cannot obviously sound out words and thereby guess their spelling. With Chinese you just need to remember it all.

If you do happen to learn it my advice is to regularly use it so that you don't forget it.

Welshguy · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 143

Reckon about two years if you are talking to the people everyday. I didnt!

DirtGuy · Joined: 28 Dec 2004 Posts: 529

Here is what I did and you can draw your own conclusions.

I bought levels 1 and 2 of the Pimsleur series (check out e-bay) along with some other listen and repeat programs. Then I attended TLI in Taipei for 3 weeks. Everything just sort of "clicked" with TLI's materials and teaching in a way things didn't with the tapes. After 3 weeks of private instruction, I understood a LOT but still had a way to go with speaking.

You might see if you could buy TLI's level 1 book and CDs. I would recommend reviewing these especially for the tones. Then attend classes over there. If nothing else, at least your teachers can quickly de-mistify much of Taiwan society. One other bonus was that one of the few coin wash places in Taipei was only a couple of blocks from the school:-)

Good luck and don't stress too much. Mandarin seems impossible when you are trying to learn it in an English speaking country but way easier when you hear it daily. I hope to be back in Taipei for a couple of months next winter and I fully expect to be able to carry on rudimentary conversations within that time period.

DirtGuy