Job Discussion Forums

[hfpardue]

I am really interested in learning Chinese (writing and speaking). Do you all think that teaching English in China is a good way to learn Chinese? If not, what way would you suggest? I do want to teach english because I think I would enjoy it, but I also would love to learn Chinese. I apologize if I have overlooked any topics related to my post. There is so much to read and so little time.

[amandabarrick]

Teaching English in China can or cannot be a great way to learn Chinese, depending on if you allow or encourage students to use their first language in the classroom. But I have found the best way is outside of class talking and listening to others in shops, parks, restaurants, etc... You would be suprised how much you can learn if you study and talk as much as possible in your own time.

AB

[MoggIntellect]

Amanda said it... if you're self-disciplined enough you can learn fairly quickly. Put in the long hours and you'll be speaking, writing, listening and reading in no time! It's really not too hard.

[Drizzt]

I've managed to establish a solid base in Chinese after being here for about eight months. When I say solid base, I'm referring to spoken Chinese (my reading and writing is still really poor, although pinyin is not so difficult).

Here is what I sugges to you:

Start with the Pimsluer tapes; they will really help you get down the very BASICS. There are three levels--each level has about 30 lessons, and each lesson is 30 minutes of listening and repeating.

After you have the basics down try to Rosetta Stone, which is really good once you have a vocabulary of about 500 words or more.

Of course to practice your spoken Chinese, go to restaurants, speak to the taxi drivers, make friends (that are not English majors at your college! They will only want to practice their English with you)...you will be surprised how pleased most Chinese are to chat with you in Mandarin. If you find a girlfriend, try to find one whose English is worse than your Chinese.

The reading and writing comes MUCH slower, but I recommend learning the pinyin system first, because after you have a sizable pinyin vocab built up, learning the characters is much easier. Oh, and for your writing buy a "lianxi bu" which is a practice book which is ideal for writing your characters. Many people say stroke order doesn't matter, but believe me it does. You can remember how to write the characters much easier once you understand the system.

Also, don't get discouraged if at first everything comes slow, because believe me it does! After the first few months, though, you will begin to understand and recognize more than you realize.

Try to find someone to teach you on a consistent basis. I've found the learning process goes much faster is you use a variety of different resources (such as the software I mentioned, speaking to people to practice your spoken, having a tutor, etc.)

As far as the tones are concerned, don't worry if no one understands you at first. The truth is once you learn to speak faster, many times natives can understand you even if your tones aren't exactly correct, because if you speak fast enough they can understand your meaning from context.

Oh and lastly, and perhaps most importantly--limit the time you spend around other foreigners. It's all too easy to hang around Westerners and speak English all the time--and your Chinese will go nowhere.

Hope this helps, PM if you have any questions!

[dajiang]

Yeah, good idea.
I'd say it's crucial to speak some Chinese, and it will improve your stay there enormously.

Would be an idea to get the older edition of the LP phrasebook. The new edition is not as good I think.
Start easy: making small talk, buying stuff, ordering food and such.
Get a notebook.

Probably the most usful thing I did was to ask other foreign Chinese speakers how to say certain sentences. Don't start with Chinese teachers, cuz they focus too much on the tones. You'll learn the tones later. First just get an understanding of word order, and how to construct a sentence.

I know some disagree with that, but hey this worked best for me. Just get talking, and when you're in China you'll have plenty of opportunity to do that.

for online stuff:
http://workingabroad.web-log.nl/

Dajiang

[hfpardue]

Thank you, amandabarrick, moddintellect, drizzt, and dajiang. I appreciate your quick responses and helpful advice. I will consider everything you have mentioned.

[erinyes]

Ever heard of Pimsleur?

I found that his method is the best way to get a good grip on Chinese without having to go to any classes... and it's really good for your pronunciation. They are a series of MP3s each 40 minutes long that take you from the basics to the advanced.

You can easily download the MP3s using this program http://azureus.sourceforge.net/
and getting the torrent from www.torrentspy.com
searching for Chinese or Pimsleur.

There are many languages there... I have Japanese, Chinese, Italian, and German...

I know downloading stuff form the net is wrong... BUT as soon as I get to a country that sells them, I promise to buy them! Cross my heart.

[halroach]

I'm using this www.ChinesePod.com

I'm a beginner, and no expert, but this seems to me to be way better than the other stuff I've seen.

[yamahuh]

[amandabarrick]

I agree that no one will understand you at first, and not to worry or give up or get frustrated. It takes time and patience. Start with word order and how to construct a sentence, build a basic vocabulary from the pinyin system, etc... but once you get to a certain point and want to be understood by others, the tones are crucial. Don't put off learning the tones and never get them down, otherwise you will go around repeating everything twice or three times. I have never met a Chinese who could understand my meaning from context. Chinese have little experience talking with foreigners in Chinese and comprehending 'broken' Chinese. In addition, they do not make assumptions about your meaning unless everything is said exactly perfect. At least I have never met a Chinese who understood my meaning from context. Just keep talking and listening to others, don't get discouraged. Then as you are learning vocabulary, pay attention to the tones and listen for the tones when native say the vocabulary, then copy it exactly! Go back and memorize the tones on the words you already learned. This is the only way I have found to be understood.

AB

[therock]

First learn some basic phrases like what is your name, where are you from etc. Then do as the previous posters said practice, practice and practice. Learn some new phrases then go around and speak to the canteen staff who can not speak English just practice what you have learnt. If they understand then you know that you have mastered that phrase. It also helps you remember the phrases if you use it many times. Go around the school and ask whats your name to 20 people and then you will never forget it.

It's a really good idea to learn the pin yin system first. It will make learning much, much easier.

[coming soon]

a teacher at my school had a great collection of software to learn Chinese ( Rosetta Stone) as well as the pimsleur tapes and other materials he gave me when leaving China. I used the for the first 3 or 4 weeks until i was comfortable with the basics and then i started slacking around like you wouldn't believe.

There is something about teaching 16 periods only and having a DVD store outside my home that i've grown found off If you're planning on learning Chinese by yourself, you will be your own worst ennemy.

I'm finally getting my backend back in gear and attending the same lectures as my Chinese majors. Even though i can't understand 99% of what is said, it is still great training for my ears. I'm attending 4 periods a week which goes a long a way in establishing some sort of routine that i will not deviate from. Hopefully, i'll also be able to attend an intensive program over the winter break. I've heard good things from the folks who've been there before and i hope it helps me grasp a few more things.

[bdawg]

If you're planning on learning Chinese by yourself, you will be your own worst ennemy.

heh heh heh...I'll second that. I tried to do that last year, aside from survival words, not much became of it. Hence why I am now studing at a Chinese university...I need the incentive.

You've got to be EXTREMELY disciplined to take on a language (especially in regards to reading and writing) on your own.

[andrzej]

not that i've ever actually been to china or know chinese, but somehow i feel qualified to give my opinionated answer to this question -

i would say that coming to china to teach english is not the best way to learn the language. from websites i've seen, the tuition to attend a chinese university language program is fairly cheap - about 1000-1500 USD per semester. that's about 3K USD per academic year, not including living expenses. i've received some great advice from someone who came to china to such a language program and managed to pay for his living expenses by teaching english in the afternoons, part-time, after his chinese classes were finished. so to be honest, i think if your goal is to learn chinese, i'd say save your pennies and come to china as a student. if you really aren't interested in working as a teacher, the whole experience might just drain you. i imagine the thought, why the hell am i in china speaking english all the time (i mean a teacher works 30 - 40 hours a week or so, full-time,no?)?, will haunt you. i'm also in a similar boat, and am considering doing the semester-at-a-uni part-time teacher thing. you'll have more freedom, i think, if you come without a job to be at all day long that has nothing to do with your true reason for coming to china.

will know for sure whether i'm right or not in about six months!