|
STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND DO IT IN CHINESE Credit goes to this lady and this guy and these guys for the ideas expressed below. Credit goes to me for being so devilishly handsome. Ahem. If you are trying to learn Chinese, then you should stop what you're doing, this instant, and do it in Chinese. You don't have to change what you're doing. What you're doing right now is fine. In fact, keep doing what you're doing. What you have to change is the language you're doing it in. Today I woke up in bed next to my Chinese wife and had breakfast with my Chinese father-in-law. An atypical experience for many, I realize. But then I did this. I went to McDonald's. I went to Starbucks. I checked my email. I logged onto Facebook. I dealt with a security warning on my probably illegal copy of Windows 7. I took a phone call. I walked home. And all the time I was learning Chinese. How did I do this, exactly? Keep reading. What did I learn, exactly? Well, this: Chinese/English: 请到邻居柜台点膳 / Please order [your meal] at the next counter Location: McDonalds Notes: The character 膳 (shàn), which means meal. Chinese/English: 咖啡醇香宜人，请勿在此吸烟 / Our coffee is fragrant and delightful. No smoking please Location: Starbucks bathroom Notes: 醇香. The Chinese love to smoke. Funny this was posted in a bathroom, of all places. Chinese/English: 立即尝试 / Try now Location: Gmail Notes: 尝试. When Google services stall (as they often do in China) you might see a message like this. Click to reconnect with Google servers. Chinese/English: 政治倾向 / Political Views Location: Facebook profile Notes: 倾向, means disposition or orientation. Chinese/English: 是(Y) 否(N) / Allow(Y) Deny(N) Location: Probably illegal copy of Windows 7 Notes: 否 (fǒu). Knew the character, but not its pronunciation. Chinese/English: 你平时忙？/ Are you busy these days? Location: Cell phone Notes: 平时. My guitar student is asking why I keep rescheduling our lessons. Chinese/English: 禁止乱扔粪便 / Littering feces and urine is prohibited Location: Public garden (really) Notes: 粪便. More direct than our "Stay off the grass", to be sure. So how am I learning Chinese? In a word, by going to McDonald's, going to Starbucks, using Windows 7, logging on to Facebook, checking my email, and talking with friends. Yes, I'm learning Chinese while wasting time on Facebook. This is because my Facebook account language is set to Chinese. In fact, everything on my computer is set to Chinese. My Skype is set to Chinese. I have an English book reader whose interface is in Chinese. My iPod—Chinese. I listen to podcasts—Chinese. Many of my friends—Chinese. I txt—Chinese. And so on. What did you not see? Textbooks. Class instruction. Language tapes. Phrase books. Student loans. Sadness. Financial insolvency. One more time: I'm learning Chinese by wasting time on Facebook and eating at McDonald's. Be encouraged. If you have an internet connection, you can learn a foreign language. If you enjoy eating awful food, you can learn a foreign language. People get good at things by doing them all the time. Drummers tap rhythms on their legs as they walk about. Cab drivers learn whole cities by driving them 40 hours a week. Christians are told to pray without ceasing. Good chefs are always cooking. Smart people read lots. Learning Chinese? Then stop what you're doing and do it in Chinese. Because constant contact makes it better. -murrayjames 08/07/10 Admittedly cocky, self-aggrandizing postscript. My friends often ask me, "How good is your Chinese?" My answer: "Still not very." I read 1500 characters, write maybe half of that, listen at a kindergarten level and speak better than tourists. I don't do the stuff most school teachers recommend. What I do do is practice (and improve) through daily endless exposure. I win. |