Let's hear a line-by-line translation of the dialogue from lesson 16.

This is the final lesson of Season 2 -- a milestone for both of us. Congratulations! Every minute you spent listening is a minute you invested in yourself and your Mandarin learning. Learning a language is challenging, it takes time, and there are bound to have been moments when you felt frustrated or felt that you had hit a plateau. Whenever this happens, I find it helpful to zoom out and consider how far I've come in the past months or years. I encourage you to do the same. And remember that often it's those very moments of doubt that signal a breakthrough is about to happen.

Send me your feedback!
I would like to invite you to give me your feedback on the lessons so far. Here are some questions I'm particularly curious about: 

• Did you listen to the whole series, or just part of it? If just part, how did you choose which lessons to listen to?
• How helpful have you found the Daily Practice Sessions? Is there anything that made them hard to use?
• How was the step up in difficulty between Season 1 and Season 2?
• In Season 2, we spread one dialogue over two lessons, hearing the translation in the second part. What was that like for you? 
• Anything else you'd like to share about your experience with the podcast, or with learning Mandarin. 

Thank you for taking a few minutes to answer these questions. Your feedback will influence the design of Season 3 and beyond. You can send me your answers by email, or via my new MFTGU Facebook page. Whether you're reading this roughly now-ish, or months or years after this lesson was published, I would love to hear from you. 

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I have lots of ideas, including a series specifically designed to help you master the tones, another series on pronunciation, a video series about “Mandarin Power Tools,” more fun dialogues, and much beyond that. 

It’s up to you, and it doesn’t take a lot. Even if everyone pitches in a small amount, it will make all the difference. And as a member, you will be among the first to know about this new material. 

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Lesson Outline:

1. [00:21] Introduction
2. [01:42] Dialogue
3. [03:12] Translation
4. [10:07] Dialogue (full picture)
5. [11:35] Questions for you, the listener!

Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only):

• 莉莉：不好意思，我媽一直都這樣。
• 小李：沒事！她人超好。
• 阿明：你也住在這裡嗎？
• 莉莉：沒有，我在外面租房。但是，因為媽媽現在一個人，所以我常常回家陪她吃飯。
• 阿明：你人真好！
• 莉莉：應該的。你們會喝酒嗎？
• 小李：這是什麼？
• 阿明：小李，你沒有喝過高粱？
• 小李：好辣！
• 阿明：慢慢喝。
• 莉莉：我很好奇。你怎麼會來到台灣呢？
• 小李：喔，我一開始來學中文。畢業後我就留在這裡工作。
• 莉莉：哦！你做什麼工作？
• 阿明：小李是記者！
• 小李：啊，對啦，可以這樣說。我在寫部落格。
• 莉莉：部落格？什麼樣的部落格？
• 小李：就是我去很多地方，然後問那裡的人很多問題。
• 莉莉：聽起來很酷！
• 小李：阿明也會幫我。他是攝影師。
• 阿明：小李負責採訪，我負責拍照。
• 莉莉：那你的中文已經超好的！
• 小李：還好，還好。
• 阿明：小李很謙虛。
• 莉莉：那你… 要不要採訪我？
• 阿明：小李，你慢慢喝！

Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation): 

• 莉莉：不好意思，我媽一直都這樣。
  • Sorry, my mom is always like this.
  • Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ mā yīzhí dōu zhèyàng.
• 小李：沒事！她人超好。
  • No problem. She’s super nice.
  • Méishì! Tā rén chāo hǎo
• 阿明：你也住在這裡嗎？
  • Do you also live here?
  • Nǐ yě zhù zài zhèlǐ ma?
• 莉莉：沒有，我在外面租房。但是，因為媽媽現在一個人，所以我常常回家陪她吃飯。
  • No, I rent a place. But since my mom is alone now, I come home often to eat with her.
  • Méiyǒu, wǒ zài wàimiàn zūfáng. Dànshì, yīnwèi māmā xiànzài yīgèrén, suǒyǐ wǒ chángcháng huí jiā péi tā chīfàn
• 阿明：你人真好！
  • You’re so kind!
  • Nǐ rén zhēn hǎo!
• 莉莉：應該的。你們會喝酒嗎？
  • It’s the right thing to do. Do you drink alcohol?
  • Yīnggāi de. Nǐmen huì hējiǔ ma?
• 小李：這是什麼？
  • What’s this?
  • Zhè shì shénme?
• 阿明：小李，你沒有喝過高粱？
  • Xiao Li, you’ve never tried Kaoliang?
  • Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ méiyǒu hēguò gāoliang?
• 小李：好辣！
  • It’s so strong! (lit. spicy)
  • Hǎo là!
• 阿明：慢慢喝。
  • Drink slowly.
  • Màn man hē.
• 莉莉：我很好奇。你怎麼會來到台灣呢？
  • I’m curious. How did you end up coming to Taiwan?
  • Wǒ hěn hàoqí. Nǐ zěnme huì lái dào táiwān ne?
• 小李：喔，我一開始來學中文。畢業後我就留在這裡工作。
  • Oh, at first I came to study Chinese. After graduating, I stayed here to work.
  • Ō, wǒ yī kāishǐ lái xué zhōngwén. Bìyè hòu wǒ jiù liú zài zhèlǐ gōngzuò.
• 莉莉：哦！你做什麼工作？
  • Oh! What work do you do?
  • Ó! Nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò?
• 阿明：小李是記者！
  • Xiao Li is a journalist!
  • Xiǎo lǐ shì jìzhě!
• 小李：啊，對啦，可以這樣說。我在寫部落格。
  • Ah, yeah, you could say that. I’m writing a blog.
  • A, duì la, kěyǐ zhèyàng shuō. Wǒ zài xiě bùluògé.
• 莉莉：部落格？什麼樣的部落格？
  • A blog? What kind of blog?
  • Bùluògé? Shénme yàng de bùluògé?
• 小李：就是我去很多地方，然後問那裡的人很多問題。
  • It’s just like, I go to a lot of places, and then I ask the people there a lot of questions.
  • Jiùshì wǒ qù hěnduō dìfāng, ránhòu wèn nàlǐ de rén hěnduō wèntí.
• 莉莉：聽起來很酷！
  • Sounds cool!
  • Tīng qǐlái hěn kù!
• 小李：阿明也會幫我。他是攝影師。
  • A-Ming also helps me. He’s a photographer.
  • Ā míng yě huì bāng wǒ. Tā shì shèyǐng shī. 
• 阿明：小李負責採訪，我負責拍照。
  • Xiao Li takes care of the interviewing. I’m in charge of taking pictures.
  • Xiǎo lǐ fùzé cǎifǎng, wǒ fùzé pāizhào. 
• 莉莉：那你的中文已經超好的！
  • Then your Chinese is already super great!
  • Nà nǐ de zhōngwén yǐjīng chāo hǎo de!
• 小李：還好，還好。
  • It’s alright, it’s alright.
  • Hái hǎo, hái hǎo.
• 阿明：小李很謙虛。
  • Xiao Li is really modest.
  • Xiǎo lǐ hěn qiānxū.
• 莉莉：那你… 要不要採訪我？
  • Well then… do you want to interview me?
  • Nà nǐ… yào bùyào cǎifǎng wǒ?
• 阿明：小李，你慢慢喝！
  • Xiao Li, drink slowly!
  • Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ màn man hē!

Thanks for listening!