| Author |
Message |
ruud_niklas
Seeker
Joined: June 03, 2009
Posts: 66
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
|
 Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 01:08 AM |
 
|
| Post subject: You foreigners that are fluent in mandarin (not native) |
Hey all,
OK time do take the bull in the horn as we say in swedish if you wanna do something with drastic measurements...
Want to know how you foreigners that speak and read mandarin at an almost fluent level how you did get there and for how long time did it take? I am at an intermediate level in mandarin and l can use the words l know to a fluent level some weaknesses in the tones tho. 
tired of the slow past of learning, time to get real! I have a tutor 2 times a week but thinking, should study harder? :/, this business mandarin I am doing now have some really HARD words going on here.....
Before l was study in BJ but moved here prior to job, I work with only chinese people so maybe l should put some more efforts in my chinese studies, been here now for 3 months in shanghai and just feel that my lissening have improved much and some spoken but should it not go faster ? ;P
please I am not looking for another million teachers just a discussion about how long time it took for you guys that sametime have a job here in shanghai and have now reached a so close to a fluent level in mandarin so you could use it without talking one word of english.
Thanks,
/Nik |
|
|
 |
|
Cylon
PopStar
Joined: Mar 28, 2006
Posts: 1156
Location: Hongkou, Shanghai
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 01:17 AM |
|
|
|
|
|
ruud_niklas
Seeker
Joined: June 03, 2009
Posts: 66
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 01:26 AM |
|
|
well I was at a class in beijing for 6 month and l wasnt to impressed. Even think the tutoring back in bj hlped me more than the classes since its so different in levels. 1 hour of chinese class = 5 mins effective chinese talk from each student, 1on1 tutoring leads to new words and all the time you have to speak =)
I would like to increase my learning to 3 times a week, but so tired after my job ;P |
|
|
|
|
|
laundry
Lurker
Joined: Oct 04, 2009
Posts: 30
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 01:58 AM |
|
|
the only way to improve it is force your self to use it, and write the things you couldnt say then learn the words analize them in a context, try to use it even if is with your self, pay attention and try to listen to all theconversations you have on the street even if they las a second, try to figure it out, try to get the meaning even if you miis few words, becareful doing this while doing business. do this you will no need a teacher and remember sometimes to get something including words (tones) right you need to start saying it one day until the 1000 times are over so better start now. that is my sujestion |
|
|
|
|
|
rick_SH
Raver
Joined: Oct 08, 2007
Posts: 413
Location: Shaghai
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 04:33 AM |
|
|
Well I am by no means fluent in Chinese, but my basic Chinese is always said to be nearly fluent. Everyone understands what I say 99% of the time when I speak common Chinese. However my difficulty is grammar. I have never taken a minute of school Chinese. I find the best way to learn Chinese is using MP3. I downloaded 10 GB of ChinesePod lessons and Pimsleur. I find the Pimsleur is the best for basic Chinese because you repeat the same things all the time and it is really ingrained in to you.
Plus it is easier for a single guy to learn Chinese because how often do you see Chinese men with Western women.. not often. I personally only date Chinese women who speak no English. now.
I think Laundry gives great advice. I will carry a little notebook with me from now on and write down the things I cannot say. And then later ask my Chinese friends the best way to say these things. |
|
|
|
|
|
findus
Fire-eater
Joined: Feb 03, 2004
Posts: 2520
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 05:19 AM |
|
|
No need for a notebook, make a note on your mobile phone. |
_________________
 |
|
 |
|
Humac
FooJay
Joined: July 07, 2007
Posts: 1619
|
| Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 06:28 AM |
|
|
| findus wrote: |
| No need for a notebook, make a note on your mobile phone. |
Not on my phone! A case where old technology wins every time. A notebook is a great idea. However, when a friend fluent in Mandarin (she taught at a Chinese university) told me it took her about three years to have a meaningful conversation with anyone that's when I realised I'd just have to make do with some simple phrases. |
|
|
|
|
|
eiow
Newbie
Joined: Apr 02, 2009
Posts: 4
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 01:07 PM |
|
|
Most westerners you meet that can speak chinese well have studied it full time, for a period of time. None of the people at my office that has been trying to learn chinese while working here has anywhere near acceptable chinese.
If you want to speed up the learning process you need to put more effort into it, that simple. Try to spend an hour every day (yes even fridays!) to learn new words and review old ones. You really need to commit to it, if you cannot, just accept that you are going to reach survival level and enjoy Shanghai  ...
/Niklas |
|
|
|
|
|
Shangstar
Fire-eater
Joined: Feb 07, 2008
Posts: 2783
Location: Spitland
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 01:13 PM |
|
|
For me, it was a two-year full time stint at a local university. Talking about 3 hours lessons in the morning, followed by 3 hours private study, Monday to Friday. Hard slog, but its worth it because it's a practical skill that will stay with you all your life. When I was at Cambridge, we simply studied academia. Nice to learn something practical for a change. For the skill you acquire, uni fees are not that much at all. |
_________________
Charles Darwin: Differences between humans are differences in degree, not differences in kind |
|
|
|
|
TrueNorth
Barker
Joined: Sep 08, 2009
Posts: 138
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
|
 Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 01:16 PM |
|
|
Strange, nobody had mentioned about getting a Chinese gf who does not speak your language. I have one. But then again, my Chinese hasn't improved much.  Why, love doesn't need language as they say. Sorry for waisting your time...  |
|
|
|
|
|
dragond69
Raver
Joined: Mar 18, 2003
Posts: 419
Location: Vancouver, BC
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 01:43 PM |
|
|
i'm fluent in at the native level in both Mandarin and Cantonese. Parents started me out in Chinese school as a kid in Canada though. Spent 16 years in Chinese class every Sat morning. It is a lot of hard work to become fluent. Even many Chinese people don't speak proper Putong Hua. |
|
|
|
|
Cambronne
Wonder Wit
Joined: Feb 23, 2008
Posts: 3551
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 01:57 PM |
|
|
Move to a third-tier city (Yantai comes to mind) and get a local gf, possibly a KTV girl. Truth be told, I learnt more from a Yantai KTV girl in 2 days than in several years working in Shanghai. Once you are there, work for a local company and also study hard with books/teacher (=not the KTV girl). |
_________________
My pro-Madoff signature was censored by antisemite moderators! Free Madoff, the Dreyfus of the XXIth century! Bomb Iran! Down with antisemite moderators! |
|
|
|
|
Adrienne
SuperStar
Joined: Mar 01, 2003
Posts: 1433
Location: Shanghai, China
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 02:11 PM |
|
|
All good advice indeed. Another thing I used to do is have the TV on low volume as much as possible. Any talkback shows are great on either radio or TV. I used to tape some and play them over and over again until I fully understood. It really helps your listening skills and improves your vocab and grammar. You really need to make a concentrated effort. But have a bit of a break from it too or you can end up getting really anxious and your brain will shut off.
Adrienne |
_________________
Shanghai Properties - Expat Agents Speak Your Language http://www.shanghaiprops.com |
|
|
|
|
earthtoner
Barker
Joined: Feb 14, 2009
Posts: 159
Location: shanghai
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 06:55 PM |
|
|
@ Rick SH - where did you download the ChinesePod lessons and Pimsleur lessons from mate? Was this a torrent or did you actually pay for them!?! |
_________________
life is about love, lost minutes and lost evenings about fire in our bellies and furtive little feelings |
|
|
|
|
ruud_niklas
Seeker
Joined: June 03, 2009
Posts: 66
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 07:05 PM |
|
|
Hey all again, just back from work. =)
Many good advices, I started today to study new words in the bus to the company on the way home l tried but way to tired so slept instead. Was my first "real" wroking day today and I am only working wioth chinese people and my coworkers said, noneed for a tutor now, we all speak chinese here ;P
So trying to use the words l learn for the book and use it with them daily....
I gonna put in some effort in that now, today l just learned the words,
operator - cao zuo zhe
maintenance - wei xiu
thanks all for the advices, wish you all good luck in becoming more fluent in mandarin =)
/Nik |
|
|
|
|
|
Billybong
Newbie
Joined: Oct 12, 2009
Posts: 4
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 12, 2009 - 09:30 PM |
|
|
| earthtoner wrote: |
| @ Rick SH - where did you download the ChinesePod lessons and Pimsleur lessons from mate? Was this a torrent or did you actually pay for them!?! |
You can rent Pimsluer for super cheap from Audible.com!!! Or download from the iTunes Store!!! |
|
|
|
|
|
TrueNorth
Barker
Joined: Sep 08, 2009
Posts: 138
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 13, 2009 - 10:26 PM |
|
|
I'm far away from the fluent level, but the Western learners in general should consider my advice here. Here you go: Learn to read and write Chinese on cellphone and computers.
I was born and educated in Japan. Therefore Chinese characters are much less problematic than the most of the Westerners. So it may seem unfair to give this advice. But I had seen my Western classmates at Jiaotong U who were far ahead of me when I enrolled into the beginner course last year for they already had studied Chinese before, faded out fairly quickly after only a few months because they never were really interested in learning Chinese characters.
“Speaking Chinese is enough for me” they said. But in any country those who can only speak and listen are called illiterate and are at the bottom of the society. You don't want to be a bottom feeder foreigner in any country. Considering the most professional jobs involve more writing and reading than talking, I would say reading and writing is essential.
The reason I started learning Chinese characters was precisely because I wanted to learn pinyin. I found I can use my cell phone to enter pinyin and get to see corresponding Chinese characters. Of course this method is not effective to learn four tones. But it was a good start for me who had no previous learning experience. So around this time last year I started sending SMs in Chinese. Some people at that time never believed that someone who cannot speak Chinese can send a SM in Chinese.
Then I realized Western students can use notebook computers in the class to take notes in Chinese if they are good at pinyin. Let's face it anywhere in the developed countries the days of handwriting is over except for signatures and perhaps love letters. Therefore writing Chinese on cell phones and computers is enough. Then reading will naturally follow. That's my logic. At least it is working well for me.
Good luck for your new life in China! (I also need one, too.) |
|
|
|
|
|
helloasia2
Squeeker
Joined: Aug 12, 2009
Posts: 12
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Oct 13, 2009 - 11:12 PM |
|
|
My 2 cents: Focus on mastering spoken Chinese first. Get the tones right (I recommend a 1on1 tutor for this as this is _key_ to learning the language). Live as much as you can like the locals. This will force you to use Chinese to interact with people. Shop at the local wet markets, haggle with the vendors, take taxis, go to local universities, attend meetings in Chinese, befriend your co-workers and hang out with them over the weekends. Then learn the written language exactly as TrueNorth suggests. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forum FAQ
Search
Preferences
Watched Topics
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
