The Random Crap Thread 2: It Hits the Fan.

Cog

Cog

I was walking home when a neighbor asked me out of the blue "What's your religion?". That was weird. I don't know how things are where you come from but this was the first time someone made that kind of question to me. Pretty much everybody here is catholic or a flavor of christianism. I said "I'm agnostic". Don't know if she understood what that is. When I got home and told my wife about it, she told me that because my uniform and the fact that I walk home everyday after work, many people think I am a Jehova's witness.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
Cog said:
I was walking home when a neighbor asked me out of the blue "What's your religion?". That was weird. I don't know how things are where you come from but this was the first time someone made that kind of question to me. Pretty much everybody here is catholic or a flavor of christianism. I said "I'm agnostic". Don't know if she understood what that is. When I got home and told my wife about it, she told me that because my uniform and the fact that I walk home everyday after work, many people think I am a Jehova's witness.
Click to expand...
You should have just screamed "HAAAAIIIIIL SATAAAAAAAN!" in your most hysterical voice and then just run off cackling and gamboling.
 
Cog

Cog

I don't think so. Most people already think I'm crazy because I don't care about the national soccer team.
 
blotsfan

blotsfan

I found out that theres a good chance that my interview tomorrow is for a position that isn't really open. Not a huge deal though since it doesn't preclude me from getting a job at the company after college. It should be nice to have the interview experience without the stress of trying to get a job.
 
Yoshimickster

Yoshimickster

When I was kid in the car, I'd point my finger against the windows and pretend I'd shoot a laser out my finger and imagine what it would look like if everything I saw was cut with a laser. Laser destruction is awesome when your a kid.
 
BananaHands

BananaHands

Staff member
bhamv3 said:
*raises hand* Professional Mandarin Chinese/English translator and interpreter here.
Click to expand...
I need some pointers on what I should do if I'm learning and want to practice outside of class? No one I know is really fluent and I really want to get decent at this.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
stienman said:
Hmm... Buck rogers had lasers in the late 70's... Star trek had phasers in the mid 60's...In the 50's the War of the Worlds and The Day the Earth Stood Still both used light beam weapons (despite lasers not being fully invented until the late 50's)...In the 30's and 40's buck rogers and flash gordon (books, movies & radio) used ray weapons that today would be considered infrared lasers...There are earlier death rays, to the late 1800's, in fiction as well.

So either you had your childhood during or prior to the great depression, or you weren't keeping up with science fiction during your childhood.
Click to expand...
It wouldn't have been prior, the term "bazooka" was invented to name a humorous musical instrument by a comedian in the 30s, and the recoilless antitank rocket launcher picked up the name because it was similar in appearance.
 
bhamv3

bhamv3

BananaHands said:
I need some pointers on what I should do if I'm learning and want to practice outside of class? No one I know is really fluent and I really want to get decent at this.
Click to expand...
Well.

Firstly, Mandarin Chinese is no different from any other language, in that language acquisition is best done through immersion. So look for Mandarin television shows, broadcasts, podcasts etc, and listen to them. Find Chinese texts to read, to accustom yourself to Chinese sentence structures and linguistic quirks.

And, if possible, find a Chinese person to practice with. This is important. You can't learn how to swim by reading about it. Similarly, you can't learn how to speak a language without practicing. See if there's a language exchange program near you. Maybe @Terrik can introduce you to a Chinese girl who's interested in chatting with a handsome foreign guy with bananas for hands.

Also, during the course of interpretation training, we'd do something called "shadowing". Basically, it's listening to something, and then repeating it either simultaneously or consecutively. This isn't just mindlessly parroting it though, instead you're to listen to it, understand it, and then repeat it. Sometimes you'll find yourself naturally paraphrasing it, eg you hear "It's a nice day today" and you end up saying "Today it's a nice day." This training is usually meant for people who want to become interpreters, but it also helps with getting your tongue accustomed to speaking a foreign language.

Now, unlike lots of western languages, Mandarin Chinese is a very tonal language, in that each sound can mean different things depending on whether the tone is ascending, descending, flat, etc. Remember to practice this part, as I find it's one of the things foreign speakers often have trouble with. Additionally, Chinese has a topic-comment sentence structure, which can take getting used to. You'll probably want to watch out for it too.

Sorry I can't be more help, I learned Mandarin Chinese growing up, so I don't really have much experience learning it as a foreign language. Terrik, Timmus, the Khan etc can probably offer more insights in this regard.
 
BananaHands

BananaHands

Staff member
bhamv3 said:
Well.

Firstly, Mandarin Chinese is no different from any other language, in that language acquisition is best done through immersion. So look for Mandarin television shows, broadcasts, podcasts etc, and listen to them. Find Chinese texts to read, to accustom yourself to Chinese sentence structures and linguistic quirks.

And, if possible, find a Chinese person to practice with. This is important. You can't learn how to swim by reading about it. Similarly, you can't learn how to speak a language without practicing. See if there's a language exchange program near you. Maybe @Terrik can introduce you to a Chinese girl who's interested in chatting with a handsome foreign guy with bananas for hands.

Also, during the course of interpretation training, we'd do something called "shadowing". Basically, it's listening to something, and then repeating it either simultaneously or consecutively. This isn't just mindlessly parroting it though, instead you're to listen to it, understand it, and then repeat it. Sometimes you'll find yourself naturally paraphrasing it, eg you hear "It's a nice day today" and you end up saying "Today it's a nice day." This training is usually meant for people who want to become interpreters, but it also helps with getting your tongue accustomed to speaking a foreign language.

Now, unlike lots of western languages, Mandarin Chinese is a very tonal language, in that each sound can mean different things depending on whether the tone is ascending, descending, flat, etc. Remember to practice this part, as I find it's one of the things foreign speakers often have trouble with. Additionally, Chinese has a topic-comment sentence structure, which can take getting used to. You'll probably want to watch out for it too.

Sorry I can't be more help, I learned Mandarin Chinese growing up, so I don't really have much experience learning it as a foreign language. Terrik, Timmus, the Khan etc can probably offer more insights in this regard.
Click to expand...
Thanks!

And yeah, I've been using Spotify to listen to a lot of artists from China that sing in Mandarin. I'll pick up words here and there. I guess I just need to find some foriegn films that are in Mandarin, because I think there are a lot of Kung Fu flicks that are in cantonese?

I'm going to Hong Kong in September, but they all speak cantonese there too. Shenzhen in November though!
 
Fun Size

Fun Size

Is there a word for constantly thinking something just flashed on your phone screen when you weren't looking/out of the corner of your eye, when really nothing of the sort occurred? I ask because it is a thing and I am afflicted.
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
I'm addicted to the Throwing Shade podcast. I listened to all of them while organizing my classroom... and I need more!

I also wrote fan mail and tweeted them all in one day because I want to come off like a stalker. I'm on their fan page right now toying with the idea of buying a tshirt.
 
tinabeebz

tinabeebz

BananaHands said:
I need some pointers on what I should do if I'm learning and want to practice outside of class? No one I know is really fluent and I really want to get decent at this.
Click to expand...
My Japanese teacher constantly had us watching Japanese children's programs. Think about shows that are on the same level as Sesame Street or Dora the Explorer. They're really juvenille, but tackle basic concepts like counting, simple grammar and conjugation, and topics like seasons/shopping/food/etc. As your Chinese improves, you can start to try to find shows targeted towards older audiences. I tried jumping right into listening to ordinary Japanese movies and music but find it far too difficult until I was at least a "level 2" learner. Baby steps are always best when it comes to language learning.

Also, small goals are good. Give yourself a managable number of characters to learn each day based on your class load and learning goals instead of overloading one or two nights a week. I know there were a lot of different iphone/ipad apps that are targeted towards practicing the different Japanese characters in proper stroke order, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some for Mandarin as well. Try out as many different apps as you can, variety will be the key to maintaing your sanity during this stressful time!

If you drive a lot, try to see if there are any audio lessons/podcasts/etc you can listen to in the car. That might be especially helpful for a tonal language like Mandarin.

I've actually had a lot of luck with using comic books in the ESL classroom. Spider-Man Blue being a favorite for its strict past/present/future set-up. Comic books are great in their blending of the visual and typographical, so though it won't be very helpful in learning how to speak a tonal language like Mandarin, it can help you read and write which will come in handy if you're having trouble speaking. I've got no recommendations on Chinese comic books for you though, so sorry on that one!

There's a lot of simple approaches to take as well. Labeling things with their Chinese names around the house, keeping a journal with simple sentences of things you did that day with the English/Mandarin translations (I wore a blue shirt. I bought carrots. I drank at the bar. I talked on the phone with a friend.), learning two or three vocabulary words a day, etc. Think of things we do to teach babies and children to learn English, and do those things for yourself. Start with simplicity, perfect with repitition, and continue to build on that.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top