You need dedication to learn Chinese, simply living in China is not enough
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YOU’VE been living in China for a few years, so naturally everyone back home thinks you’re now completely fluent in Mandarin. Before you arrived, you probably thought that would be the case, too.
But at some point you learned the cold, hard truth: just being here isn’t enough to improve your Chinese level — it takes work, and a lot of it.
We all know someone back home who immigrated years ago, but somehow still doesn’t grasp the local language. Sometimes I would wonder how the Vietnamese lady down at the corner store, having lived in New Zealand for 20 years, could still be so unintelligible when she spoke English.
Now I realize, when I moved to China, that you don’t just suck up a language simply by virtue of being there. Unfortunately it doesn’t work like that.
You need to work, and you need to work hard.
Before I decided to come to Shanghai this time, I was guilty of thinking the same thing. When I realized my master’s degree, which was taught in English, didn’t consist of many Mandarin classes, I thought to myself: “That’s all good, I can learn just by living there.”
How wrong I was.
To be fair, you can learn a lot during your day-to-day life while being forced to communicate in another language in another country, that’s true.
For example, you’ll become a pro at buying food, depositing money, buying groceries, taking taxis, and asking for directions. But you aren’t going to suck up language from the wide variety of topics needed in order to navigate various conversations with ease unless you have some sort of plan.
Don’t get me wrong: You don’t necessarily have to go to school, although I would recommend classes since you’ll be forced into some kind of a routine. But it takes a concerted effort, across a number of methods, to cover all of your bases.
The biggest mistake people make is living life in a bubble. If you don’t have Chinese friends, if you don’t talk to your Chinese workmates, and if you only consume media in your native language, you’re truly never going to get far.
Training the brain
One tip that I have, which doesn’t require too much brain power at all, is having Chinese-language TV or radio on in the background at home for as long as you can each day.
You don’t need to understand it, and you don’t even need to actively consume it, but it will subconsciously train your brain to recognize the rhythm and patterns of Mandarin.
Thankfully, technology can also play a major part in your learning. There are plenty of apps available, including some which teach you using repetition, which is quite helpful in moving language to your permanent memory.
Some websites and apps also offer regular videos, accompanied by word lists and language points in text form.
Of course, actively consuming Chinese-language media is also a massive tool when it comes to raising your fluency level. Read, watch TV shows, watch zhibo, listen to songs, chat with your friends online in Chinese, and go to see Chinese movies at the cinema. This method not only helps with your language ability, but it also gives a valuable insight into local culture.
One problem I do have with consuming Chinese TV and movies, though, is to do with the prevalence of subtitles across visual media here.
Oftentimes my reading is better than my listening, so my eyes will constantly gravitate toward the zimu (subtitles) when I don’t understand, offering me an easy escape. Cover them if you can.
If you are lucky enough to find a local boyfriend or girlfriend, that’s even better. One of my first Chinese teachers told me that once you know how to argue in Chinese, you’ve truly succeeded. You will definitely have ample opportunity to do just that with your new beau!
If you have time, evening Chinese-language classes are great, because they not only offer you a chance to practice your language skills, they also give you structure. There are many schools available, but I’d definitely recommend GoEast, which offers classes for any level in a friendly and supportive environment.
Mandarin, and all Chinese languages, are extremely difficult for English natives like myself to learn. In fact, many linguists agree that Chinese languages are the hardest to learn for most people on the planet.
But it’s truly not a mountain you can’t climb, you just need dedication.
And how cool is it that you are learning the most difficult language on Earth! 加油!
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