Tag Archives: Language Learning

So, I did a YouTube thing?

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As part of a personal challenge to improve my Mandarin, I started a YouTube Channel to force me to study, the same way some ESL classes require the students to start a blog.

Boy, I’ve learned all about cameras, lighting, image editing software, filmography, post production, translating, captions and subtitling. I felt overwhelmed many times.

But I’ve finally launched Chanchantv with a handful of videos that took me seconds to shoot, hours to edit and ACTUAL DAYS to translate and embed subtitles. It truly is a labor of love and I hope my friends, family and you guys can enjoy them n_n

Until next time 🙂
-下次聊天儿！
柯香瑞/ TBG

 

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Oh the nosiness! (Why I’m into foreign languages Pt 2.)

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So I promised a part 2 of why I’m interested in languages. Previously, I had explained that I had a couple of bad experiences with name calling in Spanish, and that initially prompted my interest in any language other an English. But as is with all endeavors spurred on by revenge, my heart was not in it, and to this day I use Spanish the least. I learned it and passed a fluency exam, I can read, write and speak it well, but do I want to? Nope. Double nope.

Moving on, along came the local Chinese spot. For those who grew up outside of New York City’s urban neighborhoods, we called the local Chinese fast food place, “the spot”. There was usually a “chicken spot” and the Chinese “spot”, and your momma’s cooking. That’s it, three sources of food. This time, paranoia got the best of me and my friends who always assumed the guy behind the counter was talking smack about us in Chinese.

So a pattern was developing:
Non Black person: “@le$%#b#$%%, @#jhk#%”
Me: *squinting suspiciously*: “What did you call me?
Non Black person: *flailing arms* “hadsjhd%^&jdbd!”

Annnd, misunderstandings ensue. In an effort to cut down the language barrier, I began developing an interest in studying foreign languages. I have a really fond memory of being in a Chinese spot, and translating from Spanish to Chinese for a guy wanted to order chuletas pork chops, and the lady couldn’t figure out what he wanted. (Yes the Chinese restaurants in the hood make spanish food XP), then Chinese to English for my friend who was with me at the time. Using three languages in one instance like that made me feel really warm inside, and special and useful .

So there’s my ranting. I currently stumble my way through conversations at my local Chinese nail salon. I try very hard every day, maybe one day I can be a translator n_n

Until next time
-TBG

 

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My Favorite Language Apps and Sites!

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So I may’ve mentioned I’m an aspiring polyglot, so I’ve taken and studied numerous foreign languages. Chiefly: Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese and Korean. I’m actively studying Mandarin and Japanese and so I wanted to share my favorite tools and apps that I use for each language.

For Spanish: Duolingo is a fantastic free site that helps you learn in a fun interactive way. There are quizzes and games to help you stay sharp, as well as helpful study reminders. I studied Spanish for 6 years, but barely use it because I hate romance languages (yeah I said it -_- I wanna yell at someone in Russian lol, I don’t care so much for the flowery stuff). Ahem, anyway Duolingo helps me retain the years of hard work I put into the language in a fast and free way.

For Mandarin: I use an app that has its own website and a ton of features. I mainly use the app and I currently only use the free versions. The app is called ChineseWriter and the website is called trainchinese, and the webpage is available in English, Russian and Espanol ~

I also pay for Chinese tutoring from a woman named YangYang Chen on her site called YoYoChinese (yeah she went there -_-) . She’s supposedly a tutor to celebrities and has a very nice looking website lol. I have been using her services for about two years at $99/year, but honestly haven’t buckled down and followed the instructions to a T. So DON’T BE LIKE ME! Study hard and do your lessons every day. and DO pay for her Black Friday special. DO NOT pay any other time of the year because its ridiculously expensive (AGAIN, POST COLLEGE POOR KID, If you have money to burn, by all means pay full price).

For Japanese: I use an app called Kanji Study by Chase Colburn in the Educational section of the Google Play store. It’s about $6 to unlock the full thing and I do have the paid version. You get so much for your money, and I love helping developers who create wonderful things. It’s not currently iOS optimized but the developer notes suggest it will be at some point in the future.

For Korean: I actually haven’t found an app to write home about yet, but I do like a website a friend of mine showed me called Korean from Zero. It comes with a free PDF textbook and seems to be very comprehensive. My Korean is terrible and isn’t a huge focus right now, but I found the site extremely helpful!

What sites and tools do you like to use?

Hope this helped, until next time n_n

-TBG

How to Find a Language Partner

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Hey there,

It’s me again, your friendly neighborhood polyglot n_n. I wanted to share my favorite website for getting language exchange partners in your area, around the world, or just online. It’s called conversation exchange and it’s where I meet 90% of my students and partners.

I like it because you can’t upload a profile picture, you have to choose a thumbnail avatar from them. It deters creepers and weirdos looking for dating and not actual studying. Sending and receiving messages is easy, and the best part about the site is that its FREE!

Here’s what my profile looks like:

convoex

Don’t worry about the votes, I honestly don’t know where they came from lol. They don’t seem to matter, but try to not piss anyone off just in case lol.

There you have it. Of course always be safe, practice common sense, NEVER give out personal information (phone numbers, address, credit card info, etc.). Wishing luck to all my fellow language enthusiasts n_n

See ya next time 🙂