Episode 11: You don't know the way?
Enjoying the process
Language learning is a marathon, and the ones who make it past the finish line are the ones who have found a way to enjoy the process. Even if you're learning Mandarin for a specific reason, whether practical, academic, or career-related, it’s still important to connect with the instinctual enjoyment of it.
To put it another way: you are going to spend a significant portion of your life speaking (and practicing, and imitating) Mandarin. If you don’t enjoy it, what’s the point? Why spend all those hours training if you don’t actually like to run?
Luckily, you don’t need to figure it all out today. Like any new thing, finding what inspires you about language learning can take some time. So give yourself the time and permission to explore, to try various things, to follow paths of inquiry that pique your curiosity. There is no one correct path; every person is different.
Language and music, conversation and collaboration
Language and music have a lot in common. Both come naturally to us humans. Learning a new language and learning music both feel good at a deep level. They are ways that we express ourselves, and how we connect with other people.
A conversation is also a lot like a musical collaboration. It goes well when everyone listens to everyone else — when everyone plays in the same rhythm. In a good collaboration, each player takes turns sharing the spotlight; one player takes a solo, and the others hang back, make space, nod in affirmation, ask questions, play counterpoint. A good conversation can be a beautiful thing, just like a well improvised piece of music.
In his TEDx talk at Gabriola Island, musician Victor Wooten tells the story of learning to play the bass guitar as a very young child. Before he was old enough to even hold a real instrument, he would sit in on his older brothers’ jam sessions. His brothers put a plastic toy guitar in his hand so that he could feel like he was part of the band. You could say he was learning music at the same time that he was learning English.
This is an unusual way to start learning music, but it was effective: By the time Wooten was old enough to hold a real instrument, nobody needed to tell him what to do with it. He knew how to play music — it was just a matter of teaching his fingers to channel the sonic ideas his mind already grasped.
It’s never too early to start speaking
Nobody ever told Victor Wooten that he wasn’t ready to play yet. Or that he wasn’t allowed to jam with his older brothers until he learned more chords and scales. So don’t let anyone — least of all yourself — tell you that you aren’t ready to speak Mandarin until you learn more words and phrases.
If you know what it feels like to communicate with someone, then in a crucial way you already have everything you need to start speaking Mandarin. If you’re still a beginner, then maybe you’re just like that baby Victor Wooten, sitting in the chair with the plastic guitar: You're already in the band. You're already holding the instrument. You just need to start messing around on it, and keep your eyes and ears open.
A note about learning Chinese characters
Teaching Chinese characters is outside the scope of this podcast, but if you are learning Chinese characters through another course or method, you can use the transcript below to follow along.
Learning characters can be a fulfilling project, and can help you to remember and differentiate similar-sounding words. And, of course, it opens up more avenues for practicing your Mandarin, such as reading (books, children's books, comic books) and corresponding with Chinese speakers via email and other messaging apps. I highly encourage you to give it a try!
However, if the thought of memorizing all those characters now gives you a headache, rest assured: you can start speaking Mandarin without being able to read or write. Millions of preliterate children speak Mandarin fluently, and so can you. If and when you are ready to start learning the characters, speaking some Mandarin already will make it that much easier.
The bottom line is this: Don't let anything stop you or discourage you. The best method is the method you actually use, and any method you choose is better than no method at all. Find a way to move forward. You can always make adjustments later. And most important of all, enjoy!
Daily Practice Session
Dialogue text (Chinese characters)
L：欸？餐廳在哪裡...
M：你不知道怎麼去？
L：我忘記了...
M: 你忘記怎麼去！要不要我幫你看Google Maps?
L：不用了，我可以的
M：你看左邊！是那家嗎？
L：喔？不是。不是那家
M：好吧... 欸？等一下！是左邊那家很大的餐廳嗎？
L：在哪裡啊？
M：在那裡啊！
L：喔！對！就是那家！我的眼睛有問題了
M：沒關係，趕快停車！
Dialogue text (w/ pinyin and translation)
L：欸？餐廳在哪裡...
L: Éi? Cāntīng zài nǎlǐ...
L: Huh? Where’s the restaurant…
M：你不知道怎麼去？
M: Nǐ bù zhīdào zěnme qù?
M: You don’t know how to go?
L：我忘記了...
L: Wǒ wàngjìle...
L: I forgot…
M: 你忘記怎麼去！要不要我幫你看Google Maps?
M: Nǐ wàngjì zěnme qù! Yào bùyào wǒ bāng nǐ kàn Google Maps?
M: You forgot how to go?! Do you want me to help you look at Google Maps?
L：不用了，我可以的
L: Bùyòngle, wǒ kěyǐ de
L: Don’t bother (literally: don't use), I can do it.
M：你看左邊！是那家嗎？
M: Nǐ kàn zuǒbiān! Shì nà jiā ma?
M: Look to the left! Is it that one?
L：喔？不是。不是那家
L: Ō? Bùshì. Bùshì nà jiā
L: Oh? No, it’s not. It’s not that one.
M：好吧... 欸？等一下！是左邊那家很大的餐廳嗎？
M: Hǎo ba... Éi? Děng yīxià! Shì zuǒbiān nà jiā hěn dà de cāntīng ma?
M: Alright… Oh? Wait a sec! Is it that really big restaurant on the left?
L：在哪裡啊？
L: Zài nǎlǐ a?
L: Where?!
M：在那裡啊！
M: Zài nàlǐ a!
M: There!
L：喔！對！就是那家！我的眼睛有問題了
L: Ō! Duì! Jiùshì nà jiā! Wǒ de yǎnjīng yǒu wèntíle
L: Oh! Yeah! That’s the one! My eyes have a problem.
M：沒關係，趕快停車！
M: Méiguānxì, gǎnkuài tíngchē!
M: It’s fine, hurry up and park!
Thank you for listening!
