Links:

Skritter: https://skritter.com/

I'm Learning Mandarin: imlearningmandarin.com

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Today on the podcast, I’m speaking with Jake Gill from Skritter, one of the most well-known apps for learning to write Chinese characters.

Skritter has been around for years, helping learners improve their handwriting and character recognition through a unique combination of spaced repetition and stroke-by-stroke feedback.

For many students, particularly those focused on writing, it’s an essential part of their study routine.

In this conversation, Jake shares his own experiences with learning Chinese including what it was like living in Taiwan and being one of the only non-native speakers taking a course in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language.

Links:

My Tones Mechanic newsletter: imlearningmandarin.com

Mandarin Companion: https://mandarincompanion.com/

Jared interviews me on his podcast: https://mandarincompanion.com/you-can-learn-chinese-podcast/63-the-truth-about-vocabulary/

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Today, I'm joined by a special guest on the podcast, Jared Turner from Mandarin Companion.

If you’re learning Chinese, you’ve probably heard of Mandarin Companion’s graded readers, which make it possible to read Mandarin from an elementary level.

I used them a lot in my own learning journey, and as I've written on my blog, they were a game-changer for me when it came to reading.

What makes this conversation extra special is that a few years ago, Jared actually had me on his podcast, the You Can Learn Chinese podcast, where we talked about my experiences learning Mandarin in lockdown.

Now, it's my turn to turn the tables and interview him!

We had a wide-ranging chat, covering how he got into learning Chinese, and why he decided to start the legendary Mandarin Companion graded reader series.

Links:

My Tones Mechanic newsletter: https://imlearningmandarin.com/

Ninchanese: https://ninchanese.com/

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On today's episode, I’m joined by Sarah Aberman, co-founder of Ninchanese, an app that makes learning Mandarin fun and accessible through gamified lessons and interactive tools.

We talk about her personal journey learning Mandarin and the inspiration behind creating Ninchanese.

Links:

Tones Mechanic Newsletter: imlearningmandarin.com

Dong Chinese: https://www.dong-chinese.com/

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On today's episode of I'm Learning Mandarin, I speak to Peter Olson, the founder of Dong Chinese.

Dong Chinese is an all-in-one Chinese learning app that enables learners to learn sentences in context using spaced repetition.

In the episode, we discuss Peter's own background. Peter was actually born in China before leaving at an early age without learning much of the language, before later moving back and rediscovering Mandarin in adulthood.

We also delve into how the challenges he faced early on as a learner shaped the approaches he developed when creating his app.

This includes some really helpful features, such as the handwriting practice tool that helps solidify memory and the comprehensible media selections that match learners to online Chinese content appropriate to their level.

Links:

Tones Mechanic newsletter: imlearningmandarin.com

Outlier Linguistics: https://www.outlier-linguistics.com/

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Ash Henson is the co-founder of Outlier Linguistics, a company dedicated to creating tools and courses that make learning Chinese and other languages more effective and engaging.

Outlier specialise in facilitating the language learning process by breaking down the complexities of the language, including Chinese characters.

And Ash is particularly well placed to do this. He holds a PhD in Chinese Palaeography and Phonology from National Taiwan Normal University, with a specialisation in the study of ancient writing systems.

Initially, he began his career as an electrical engineer and since then he has consistently sought to apply this engineering mindset to the study of languages.

In this interview, I chat with Ash about his novel approaches to learning characters and Mandarin tones.

I began by exploring his unusual background working as an engineer for NASA and how this influenced his learning approach.

Links:

Karen's website: Happy Mandarin

My website: imlearningmandarin.com

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Today's guest is Karen Cheuk, an inspiring educator behind Happy Mandarin, an organization that helps children learn Chinese in a fun and engaging environment.

Karen was born and raised in Hong Kong and went on to study at Cambridge University on a scholarship. After graduating and having a daughter, she was inspired to create Happy Mandarin.

She noticed that existing Chinese classes did not strike the right balance between fun and learning and often only catered to Chinese-speaking families, so she created Happy Mandarin to fill this gap. 

Karen is also a mother and juggles her work activities with raising a trilingual daughter. 

We had a wide-ranging chat about the importance of creating an immersive environment for children to learn a second or third language, encouraging parents to learn alongside their children and how to integrate the language into their daily lives.

Links:

Glossika: https://ai.glossika.com/

The I'm Learning Mandarin blog: imlearningmandarin.com

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In this episode, I talk with Michael Campbell, a true language enthusiast and the founder of language learning app, Glossika.

Michael has dedicated a significant portion of his life to

In this wide ranging interview we discuss how growing up surrounded by polyglots in the intelligence community inspired him to take up languages as well as the driving force behind the creation of Glossika.

Glossika takes a unique approach to language acquisition, focusing on building “muscle memory” through repeated exposure to sound patterns.

This method, coupled with a clever blend of increasing and decreasing spaced repetition intervals, helps learners internalize the natural flow and structure of their target language.

I began by asking Michael how and why he started learning Mandarin.

Links:

Mandarin Blueprint: https://www.mandarinblueprint.com/

My blog: imlearningmandarin.com

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On today’s episode, I interview Phil Crimmins. Phil is one of the two minds behind Mandarin Blueprint, a Mandarin learning course with over 4000 videos taking learners step-by-step all the way to Mandarin proficiency.

Phil's journey with Mandarin is fascinating. He graduated from Sichuan University in China with a bachelor's degree in the Chinese language. But he left unsatisfied with the traditional methods of learning Chinese he'd been exposed to.

So together with his business partner Luke, they created Mandarin Blueprint.

Before exploring how the blueprint works and the thinking that went behind it, I was keen to find out more about Phil’s personal experiences of learning Mandarin.

Links:

Amanda's website: ⁠https://www.misspandachinese.com/about/⁠

Let's Learn Chinese with Miss Panda album: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7glqGNHQOnHMV7pNKbMTSU⁠

My website: ⁠imlearningmandarin.com⁠

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Welcome to the podcast! Today's guest is Amanda, better known as ⁠"Miss Panda,"⁠ a renowned expert in Mandarin language instruction.

Amanda boasts over 30 years of experience teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) and Mandarin Chinese.

She's also a published author, consultant, and the creative force behind the popular ⁠"Let's Learn Mandarin Chinese with Miss Panda!" ⁠album, which has helped introduce Mandarin Chinese to a global audience.

Throughout her career, Amanda has made significant contributions to the field of language acquisition, presenting her insights at conferences worldwide.

Her dedication extends beyond the classroom; she actively assists various educational institutions in developing their Chinese language and culture programs.

In this episode, we'll explore Amanda's inspiring journey as a Mandarin teacher, her innovative teaching methods, and the impact she's had on countless language learners.

I began by asking her how that journey all began.

Links:

Jorrit's Kaohongshu blog: https://kaohongshu.blog/about/

My free eBook: https://www.peakmandarin.com/free-ebook

My blog: imlearningmandarin.com

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In this episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with Jorrit, a Dutch blogger and the creator of the Kaohongshu website, about his Mandarin learning journey.

Jorrit opens up about learning the language, living in China, and the challenges of maintaining his abilities after returning to a non-Chinese-speaking environment.

We also explore the story behind his Kaohongshu blog and his mission to inspire and help others in their language-learning journeys.