How different are TV shows and movies in Mandarin Chinese and in English? We get some insights from a Chinese National podcast listening friend of mine from Shanghai, Frank, to answer this question. ​

More info: https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo (https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo/24)

How hard is it to learn Mandarin Chinese OR to learn English if you grew up with Mandarin Chinese? That is one of the central questions we address as we learn our guests language learning stories on the language show of the Geopats Podcast. We are doing mini episodes in November for NaPodPoMo (more info below on this) but normally our language conversations get long and windy. Here is a brief overview of who we have talked to so far.

More info: https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo (https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo/23)

Being able to read in another language requires so much more than just vocabulary and grammar. That's why we brought Phil back on the show to highlight some distinct differences between modern written Chinese fiction and the same genre in English.

More info: https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo (https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpom/22)

Massive breakthrough last night in my Mandarin Chinese reading practice. Want to know what it is?

More info: https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo (https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo/21)

What do you do when simple words like "yes" and "no" open up a language pandora's box? You adjust, just as Tanya Crossman has. Here she is explaining the differences between these two words in Mandarin Chinese and English. ​

More info: https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo (https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo/20)

Is writing in Mandarin Chinese and English very different? Nanci, a local Chinese Writer I met in various cultural groups in Shanghai, was kind enough to share her experiences writing in both languages from an early age. Does anything she say surprise you? Does her experience resonate with you? Please share your ideas with us on Twitter, Instagram or via Gmail: stephfuccio is my handle in all of these places. ​

More info: https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo/30 (https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo/19)

Do we sound like our language teachers? Do we pick up and carry with us different language and personality nuances based on their language usage? Geopats Host Stephanie dives into this idea from both a language learner AND language teacher point of view. What do you think?

More info: https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo/30 (https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo/18)

Are you a beginning language learner? Do you feel inadequate, shy, hesitant about talking about your learning process? Let's work on that. #languagelearningpride at every stage should be a thing and I want to help make it a thing. Who's with me on this?

More info: https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo/30 (https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo/17)

Does the phrase "practice make perfect" make you cringe? Me too! When it comes to learning and using Mandarin Chinese, our guest Venture Capitalisthttps://twitter.com/Rshuken ( Ryan Shuken) focuses on fluency. He mentioned this in parts 1 and 2 of this interview but really expands on this concept with real life examples in today's episode. He stresses that he wants to keep talking to people, keep reading the newspaper, and keep typing a message. Perfection is not the goal: communication is. That's not to say that being understood is not important and this is clear in Ryan's future language goals of continuing to build vocabulary to make these communicative moments even more powerful. ​

More info: https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo/30 (https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo/16)

666 has a bad meaning in every culture, right? In today's episode Venture Capitalisthttps://twitter.com/Rshuken ( Ryan Shuken) explains what 666 means in Mandarin Chinese how numbers were a gateway into understanding Chinese culture for him. He also admits that focusing on communication instead of language perfection was a strong element in his success in finally becoming fluent in a language after years and years of struggle.

More info: https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo/30 (https://www.stephfuccio.com/napodpomo/15)