You don't really understand a culture until you know how the people face death (inside and outside the ceremony). I talked about the ceremony and some shocking customs with new guest Li Laoshi.

🎥 Video version: https://youtu.be/iM3dx5CMds8

🔍 Get video without subtitles and audio versions plus a full transcript of Pinyin+Hanzi+English: https://ritachinese.com/chinese-unfiltered

🙋🏻‍♀️ Website: ritachinese.com

🔥 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RitaChinese

💬 Instagram: instagram.com/rita_mandarin_chinese

朋友们，好久不见！I did this interview with 9 brilliant Mandarin professors and educators back in May, when we were at the annual conference of the Chinese Language Teacher Association in NYC.

💡These most knowledgeable and experienced Chinese teachers shared their thoughts and tips on beginner, intermediate, and advanced learning processes, based on their decades of teaching experience with hundreds, if not thousands, of Mandarin learners.

00:00 - Who are you?

01:08 - What can a beginner do in 1 year of learning?

03:36 - Beginner learning traps

04:37 - What can an intermediate student do in the 3rd year of learning?

05:53 - Intermediate learning traps

09:29 - What is an advanced learner like?

11:07 - Advanced learners got traps, too?

13:09 - The most common Chinese pronunciation/tone traps

15:23 - Grammar traps from beginners to advanced learners

19:07 - Two learning hacks for self-taught Mandarin learners?

🎥 Video version: https://youtu.be/eF571hdSiCY

🔍 Get video without subtitles and audio versions plus a full transcript of Pinyin+Hanzi+English: https://ritachinese.com/chinese-unfiltered

🙋🏻‍♀️ Website: ritachinese.com

🔥 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RitaChinese

💬 Instagram: instagram.com/rita_mandarin_chinese

Marko is an experienced language learner and a former AI professional. We talked about whether he uses AI tools to learn languages himself, his suggestions for Mandarin learners, and if learning a second language is worth the time and effort when AI can do all translations better nowadays.

🎥 Video version: https://youtu.be/MjJe1dv7QBE

🔍 Support the podcast and get full transcripts of Pinyin+Hanzi+English: https://ritachinese.com/chinese-unfiltered

🙋🏻‍♀️ Website: ritachinese.com

🔥 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RitaChinese

💬 Instagram: instagram.com/rita_mandarin_chinese

00:00 - How Marko would use AI to learn Mandarin

03:36 - What translation AI can't do

05:31 - How learning languages changed Marko

11:55 - Why we need to learn a second language more than ever

👏 Marko is back in my interviews! He is a great Mandarin speaker, a mathematician, and a former AI software engineer. Our talk on learning Chinese with AI tools actually started with the feature of Mandarin Chinese which used to be the biggest challenge in machine learning. More importantly, what problems or pitfalls can it cause when you use AI tools to learn Chinese?

🎥 Video version: https://youtu.be/mo-vbN74wMk

🔍 Get video without subtitles and audio versions plus a full transcript of Pinyin+Hanzi+English: https://ritachinese.com/chinese-unfiltered

🙋🏻‍♀️ Website: ritachinese.com

🔥 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RitaChinese

💬 Instagram: instagram.com/rita_mandarin_chinese

00:00 - The feature of Chinese language that causes machine learning problems

09:25 - What can Mandarin teachers and learners learn from machine learning?

14:40 - The difference between experts and students when using AI tools

20:31 - What you shouldn't use ChatGPT to do when learning Chinese

It's challenging to raise a baby, and it's even more difficult to raise a bilingual child if there is no target language environment. So many overseas Chinese friends have asked me "how can I keep my kid motivated to speak Chinese," and Cindy is definitely the most experienced Chinese teacher who can answer this question!

🎥 Video version: https://youtu.be/Clj0onMMRAE

🔍 Get video without subtitles and audio versions plus a full transcript of Pinyin+Hanzi+English: https://ritachinese.com/chinese-unfiltered

🙋🏻‍♀️ Website: ritachinese.com

🔥 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RitaChinese

💬 Instagram: instagram.com/rita_mandarin_chinese

0:00 Parents' different expectations for kids' Chinese learning

4:51 How to keep kids motivated to use Chinese

13:27 What changes when kids are older

15:29 Can adults learn Chinese like kids?

The differences and similarities between kids and adults learning Chinese are always topics that interest me a lot, and I finally invited the best person to talk about them with! Cindy Huang is the founder and CEO of one of the best Chinese immersive schools in Washington, D.C.: www.chiachinese.com Chia Chinese Learning Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chia_chinese_learning/

🎥 Video version: https://youtu.be/uWbqtLchLO0

🔍 Get video without subtitles and audio versions plus a full transcript of Pinyin+Hanzi+English: https://ritachinese.com/chinese-unfiltered

🙋🏻‍♀️ Website: ritachinese.com

🔥 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RitaChinese

💬 Instagram: instagram.com/rita_mandarin_chinese

0:00 Why we both quit full-time jobs and start our own schools

6:23 How kids learn Chinese before 7 years old

13:27 What changes when kids are older

17:07 Teach kids Pinyin and Hanzi (differently from adults)

23:53 Differences and similarities between kids and adults learning pronunciation

The animated Chinese blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" is breaking records non-stop, and has already entered the Global Box Office ALL-TIME Top 10. I went to see the movie and asked what Chinese people thought. Is this movie accessible for non-Chinese audience? Will Chinese learners understand it? Interviews are fully in Chinese, so you can practice your listening at the same time!

🎥 Video version: https://youtu.be/GXdGVjg2Lp0

🔥 Speak Mandarin NATURALLY and hear CLEARLY in 12 weeks with Rita's "Finding Your Mandarin Voice" Pronunciation Boot Camp: https://ritachinese.com

🔍 Get video without subtitles and audio versions plus a full transcript of Pinyin+Hanzi+English: https://ritachinese.com/chinese-unfiltered

🙋🏻‍♀️ Website: ritachinese.com

🔥 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RitaChinese

💬 Instagram: instagram.com/rita_mandarin_chinese

Chinese New Year/Spring Festival is around the corner! And it's a very special year for Mei Laoshi and my husband! All of our must-dos and shouldn't-dos every year are still all related to our Chinese zodiac signs. (Surprisingly, I know!)

Video version: https://youtu.be/KaVG4SyP4L0

Get Pinyin+Hanzi+English Transcript: https://ritachinese.com/chinese-unfiltered

Website: ritachinese.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RitaChinese

Instagram: instagram.com/rita_mandarin_chinese

Squid Game Season 2 came out a few weeks ago, and the phenomenal show broke Netflix records (again)! In this episode, I invited my high school good friend Lara to talk about the games in the show, how they played it in South Korea when she was a kid, and what games we played in China in the 1990s. We got nostalgic, but there are a bunch of precise and specific verbs that Mandarin learners need to know in our chat! Enjoy!

Video version: https://youtu.be/dIFlpcGzOqY

Get Pinyin+Hanzi+English Transcript: https://ritachinese.com/chinese-unfiltered

Website: ritachinese.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RitaChinese

Instagram: instagram.com/rita_mandarin_chinese

MBTI (Myers–Briggs Type Indicator) may not be new to Americans, but it has become so popular in China that you see and hear people talking about it everywhere! We talk about how Chinese people talk about MBTI as small talk, and also roast our partners who have very different personalities than us! What is your MBTI type? What is your go-to topic in Chinese when you meet someone?! Let us know in the comments!

Video version: https://youtu.be/dbEjaZKxoD0

Get Pinyin+Hanzi+English Transcript: https://ritachinese.com/chinese-unfiltered

Website: ritachinese.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RitaChinese

Instagram: instagram.com/rita_mandarin_chinese