You Can Learn Chinese

By Jared Turner, John Pasden

Society & Culture Education

What's You Can Learn Chinese about?

For everyone who is trying to learn Chinese or reaching for the next level, you came to the right place! Hosts Jared Turner and John Pasden bring you this new podcast series to discuss everything learning Chinese. Together they started the Mandarin Companion graded reader series and have spent countless years in Chinese education. You'll find helpful information, inspiring stories, and practical guidance on your journey of learning Chinese. You can do this!
Visit www.MandarinCompanion.com for more information.

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#61 National Chinese Langua...

05.03.2021

Recently, Mandarin Companion participated in the 2021 National Chinese Language Conference (NCLC), and the topics discussed provided quite a bit of insight into what is in store for the future of Chinese learning, since methods applied in schools trickles down ...

You Can Learn Chinese episodes:

05.03.2021 #61 National Chinese Language Conference 2021 Report: Hope for all Chinese learners Recently, Mandarin Companion participated in the 2021 National Chinese Language Conference (NCLC), and the topics discussed provided quite a bit of insight into what is in store for the future of Chinese learning, since methods applied in schools trickles down ...
04.19.2021 #60 How Chinese food can help your Chinese Everyone loves Chinese food, but if only there were a way to tie your love for the cuisine into progress learning the language. Well, there is! ...sort of. Tune in to learn what to do and what not to do ...
04.05.2021 #59 Bridging to Breakthrough and Abigail Washburn What if you are still struggling to get to the point where you can read the lowest level graded readers? What techniques can get you there? John and Jared will discuss steps you can take to bridge the gap to ...
03.22.2021 #58 Will Chinese become the next global language? Will Chinese one day unseat English to become the dominant language around the world? Jared and John discuss a paper by professor Jeffery Gil who predicts that one day it will. Guest interview is with Amani Core who provides a ...
03.08.2021 #57 What’s in a Chinese surname? You probably know a bit about Chinese surnames, but in this episode you’ll learn how they relate to both Chinese culture and language acquisition plus how they can even help you forge new relationships in Chinese. Guest interview is with ...
02.22.2021 #56 When should you start learning characters? John and Jared unpack when you should start learning Chinese characters so you can find your own answer that might be later or earlier than you might think. Guest interview is with Adam DiFrisco who found the courage to make ...
02.08.2021 #55 Flashcards, spaced repetition software, and building proficiency John and Jared talk about flashcards and spaced repetition software, how they can help, their limits, and how to use them to build your Chinese skills. This guest interview is with Mandarin Blueprint cofounder Luke Neale, who felt the call ...
01.25.2021 #54 Putting the Drama into Chinese Class Review of a paper written by a professor who incorporated graded readers and theater into a Chinese class. Interview with Denis Suslov from Russia.
01.11.2021 #53 Reality vs. How You Think Your Chinese Sounds John and Jared discuss the difference between how you think your Chinese sounds vs how it really sounds. Surprise surprise, there is a difference! John takes us through an academic paper to tell you which tones you should prioritize to ...
12.28.2020 #52 Top 10 Stories of 2020 In this special episode, John and Jared went back through all of the interviews of 2020 and pulled out the ten best stories. Get ready to laugh, reflect, and possibly shed a tear as we take a trip down memory ...
12.14.2020 #51 Behind-the-Scenes Making a Mandarin Companion Graded Reader John and Jared give you a behind the scenes look at how they choose and adapt stories for Chinese learners like you. It’s a look into how the sausage is made! If you’ve read any of the books, or do ...
11.30.2020 #50 What’s Holding You Back From Learning Chinese What are you afraid of? John and Jared discuss the most common things that could be holding you back from learning Chinese. They offer tips on how to overcome them to achieve your dreams. Guest interview is with Megan Ammirati, ...
11.16.2020 #49 How to Learn to Read Chinese: Bridging the Gap to Native Materials (Part 4 of 4) Welcome to part 4 of 4 about learning how to read Chinese. This is the situation: you’ve read all the graded readers and learner content out there, and you're wondering….now what? John and Jared offer tips on how to bridge ...
11.02.2020 #48 How to Learn to Read Chinese: Developing Fluency Now (Part 3 of 4) Welcome to part 3 of 4 about learning how to read Chinese. In this episode, John and Jared discuss the concept of fluency now as opposed to some distant time in the future and how reading will get you there. ...
10.19.2020 #47 How to Learn to Read Chinese: Baby Steps to Real Reading (Part 2 of 4) Welcome to part 2 of 4 about learning how to read Chinese. In this episode, John and Jared discuss how to get into reading at an early stage, even if you don’t have anything that is low enough for you ...
10.05.2020 #46 How to Learn to Read Chinese: Pinyin, Characters, Vocabulary (Part 1 of 4) Welcome to part 1 of 4 about learning how to read Chinese. In this episode, John and Jared start at the beginning and talk about how to learn pinyin, characters, and vocabulary.Guest interview is with Scott Young, author of bestselling ...
09.21.2020 #45 The Perils of Taking Chinese Literally John and Jared discuss a linguistic concept that you’ve probably never heard of but is pervasive throughout all languages. This will help you understand why for some things there is simply no direct translation and the answer for “why is ...
09.07.2020 #44 Using Chinese at Work with Kaiser Kuo John and Jared discuss using Chinese in the workplace and how you can use it no matter what your level. Guest interview is with Kaiser Kuo, a well know figure among China expats, and who, among many things, started the ...
08.24.2020 #43 How to Level Up Your Listening Skills In this episode, you’re going to learn how to level up your Chinese listening skills. Jared and John will be sharing tips and tricks you can use no matter where you live. Guest interview is with Eric Majerus, a home ...
08.10.2020 #42 How to Get a Laugh in Chinese So you think you’re funny? John and Jared discuss some of the cultural differences of Chinese humor and what it takes to get your Chinese friends rolling on the floor in laughter. Guest interview is with Laszlo Montgomery, host of ...
07.27.2020 #41 How to Use Translation to Learn Chinese John & Jared discuss the role of translation in the language learning journey. When you encounter a text with many unfamiliar characters, should you open a translation app?Guest interview is with Jeremy Goldkorn, a 20 year veteran of China from ...
07.13.2020 #40 How to Set Goals for Learning Chinese John and Jared discuss how to set language learning goals, with concrete ideas on how to break them down into achievable chunks and avoiding the trap of “I want to be fluent enough to read a Chinese newspaper”. Guest interview ...
06.29.2020 #39 The Future of Learning Chinese In this special episode, guest interview is with expert Chinese teacher trainer and innovator, Terry Waltz. She’s a renegade in the Chinese language of community, championing the cause of comprehensible input, which is the future of all language education. Like ...
06.15.2020 #38 How Much Mandarin Do You Need To Speak? John and Jared break down what it’s going to take if you want to get conversational in Chinese both in terms of the number of words and which ones are the most necessary. Plus, where to find the vocab to ...
06.01.2020 #37 Chinese Homestay Censorship Vampires Guest interview is with John Gordon, a longtime resident of Beijing who went from English education to starring in a Children’s TV show in China. His journey shows the value of a long homestay experience in helping with pronunciation and ...
05.18.2020 #36 How To Find The Perfect Tutor What does a great tutor do differently? How often should they correct you? What should you do if you can’t afford a private tutor? John and I will give you tips and advice on how to identify a tutor who ...
05.04.2020 #35 Don't Be the Girl with the Name Radiohead What is in a name? In this episode, John and Jared discuss names in Chinese and how to pick out a good one so you don’t end up with a name like the Chinese girl whose English name is Radiohead. ...
04.20.2020 #34 Pronouncing Chinese Confidently This episode kicks off interviewing Jason Schuurman, an American who has spent a third of his life immersed in Chinese culture and having a blast while doing it. He’s now using technology to bring Chinese learning to the masses. John ...
04.06.2020 #33 Writing Chinese: How to Build Your Skills John and Jared discuss how you can develop mad Chinese writing skills, complete with very practical activities to build those skills, either with others or by yourself. Make sure you stay tuned for John’s writing game “Eat poop, you cat”. ...
03.23.2020 #32 COVID-19: A Tale of Two Cities John and Jared have an insightful discussion about the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe with an on-the-ground perspective in China and the US. John talks about the two month lockdown in Shanghai he experienced and what the end of the ...
03.09.2020 #31 Extensive Reading and the Path to Fluency John and Jared talk discuss everything you wanted to know about extensive reading but were afraid to ask. After this, you’ll be able to identify why many of the traditional methods of learning a language are not as effective and ...
02.24.2020 #30 Second Language or Foreign Language: What Type of Learner Are You? In this episode, John and Jared talk about the difference between learning Chinese as a second language vs. learning as a foreign language. At first glance, they seem to be the same thing, but as you pick it apart you ...
02.10.2020 #29 How to Pass the HSK and AP Chinese Tests Jared talks with Grant Brown, an expert on HSK and AP Chinese test prep. Grant tells us the key reasons people fail, and the secrets to passing. This is advice you won’t hear anywhere else from a teacher who has ...
01.27.2020 #28 A Method to Remember Thousands of Characters Do you find it hard to remember characters? We all do. In this episode, John and Jared discuss a method that has delivered results time and time again. Plus, imagine reading a Charles Dickens novel in Chinese…but with only 450 ...
01.13.2020 #27 Can You Learn Chinese from a Textbook? What can you realistically learn from a textbook? John and Jared discuss this question to help anyone understand how far a textbook can take you towards fluency. Plus, be ready for a surprise guest appearance from John’s mother-in-law! Guest interview ...
12.29.2019 #26 End of Year Special In this special episode, John and Jared go over the top 10 YCLC podcasts of the year, highlighting their favorite episodes and why. If you’re new to the podcast, this is a must listen to find out what you might ...
12.16.2019 #25 Christmas in China 圣诞节快乐! This is our special Christmas episode! John and Jared discuss Christmas is like in China, Christmas words in Chinese, and they even have a “name that tune” for some Chinese Christmas carols, all to bring you some Christmas cheer… ...
12.02.2019 #24 The 4 Types of Tone Mistakes Tones are definitely one of the challenging aspects of Chinese. In this episode, John and Jared discuss the 4 types of mistakes learners make with tones and offer tips on fixing them quickly. Guest interview is with China-based CELTA trainer ...
11.18.2019 #23 Pinyin Over Characters: the Crippling Crutch John and Jared discuss the all too common situation of pinyin over Chinese characters, something Jared sometimes refer to as the “crippling crutch”. They go into depth on why this is so common, why it is so detrimental, and what ...
11.04.2019 #22 Going from "Learning to Read" to "Reading to Learn" John and Jared discuss some of the latest research about how we learn to read in Chinese. This episode is packed with insights that will change the way you think about learning Chinese! You'll also get two raves that will ...
10.21.2019 #21 How Important is Chinese Culture When Learning Chinese? In this episode, John and I talk about the connection between culture and language. Just how important is a grasp of the culture to learn Chinese? In addition to a rant and a rave, we’ve got a new segment about ...
10.07.2019 #20 Confessions of a Chinese Language Teacher For this special episode, we are joined by Diane Neubauer as a special guest co-host. Diane is a Chinese teacher who first learned Chinese in college, has spent over a decade in the classroom teaching, and is now pursuing a ...
09.23.2019 #19 How to Find Your Motivation Why are you studying Chinese? It seems that everyone has a different reason, but your reason is critical to your success in learning Chinese. Jared and John discuss the importance of having a reason to learn Chinese and cultivating existing ...
09.09.2019 #18 The Controversy Between Simplified and Traditional Characters Explained How did we get two systems of Chinese characters? John and Jared discuss why we have simplified and traditional characters, how it all came about, and dissect what sometimes can be a controversial subject among the Chinese language community. You’ll ...
08.26.2019 #17 Bridging the Gap to Higher Levels There comes a point in every learners language development when there is a gap between their current level and the next level up. It’s a more pronounced gap for intermediate to advanced levels and John and Jared discuss strategies on ...
08.12.2019 #16 How to Build Listening Skills A learner on Reddit expressed his frustration that he can speak, read, and write Chinese but can’t understand spoken Chinese. John and Jared discuss this learners situations, talk about reasons why some learners find themselves in a situation like this, ...
07.29.2019 #15 Steven Kaufmann “The Linguist” Interview Have you ever tried to learn grammar? In this episode, John and Jared discuss the best ways to learn grammar and things you should avoid. You’ll find out that much of the traditional methods of learning grammar are just plain ...
07.15.2019 #14 How to Pronounce Like a Pro How is your pronunciation? In this podcast, John and Jared discuss Chinese pronunciation, common pitfalls, and tips on how to sound even better when you’re speaking Chinese. Learn how to pronounce like a pro! Guest interview is with Shang Zhu ...
07.01.2019 #13 The Four Keys to Learning Chinese You Need to Know Are you doing the right things to learn Chinese? In this episode, John and Jared discuss the Four Strands of language learning developed by Paul Nation, a famous researcher in vocabulary acquisition, and how we can use these four keys ...
06.16.2019 #12 Knowledge vs Proficiency You may know a lot of Chinese, but are you proficient in it? Or maybe you’ve studied for a long time but are still unable to speak or hold a simple conversation. Jared and John discuss this as one of ...

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