Language learning for the rather hearing impaired?

June 5, 2019 12:26 PM

I have long wanted to both learn Mandarin and increase my Japanese vocabulary, but now that I have moderate hearing loss I'm finding language acquisition challenging. With Mandarin I really can't distinguish between some of the tones, and am stymied by most language learning materials. Are there any materials geared more towards the written language? Also, could someone point me towards good tutorials on entering characters into Windows 10?

My university has offered to waive the language requirement for me, but I'd like to see if there's any possibility of either doing this on my own, or fulfilling their requirements in writing. (Difficulty level: quadriplegic using voice-recognition and eye tracking. Yes, taking them up on their offer would be the sane thing to do, but I'm not exactly known for taking easier routes.)

posted by Soliloquy to Education (4 answers total)

Here is a good, short video on using the Pinyin keyboard in Windows 10. The closed captions are accurate as well.
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:11 PM on June 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

Given that you're already navigating your university's bureaucracy as a person with a disability, you're probably already familiar with their Disability/Access Services or equivalent. Make an appointment to specifically discuss foreign language learning and what they can offer you with your needs.

Gallaudet teaches foreign languages. Would your university be willing to connect and see what resources would be useful? (perhaps you can do a semester or year away/abroad there!)

This article on Teaching Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students Language is geared towards educators on what they can do to ensure Deaf and hard of hearing students are able to take their courses successfully. Maybe useful so you can meet with Disability and Access Services knowing what some options might be.

For working on your own:
Mango Languages, which offers Japanese and Mandarin, includes phonetic pop-ups and allows voice comparisons with a visualization of what you're saying and what you're aiming to say. If your University doesn't have a license for it, your local public library may.

This Deaf person on Duolingo recommends their modules and several other Deaf and hard of hearing people in the comments agree. Duo has Mandarin and Japanese.

This is a list of tips from a hearing aid wearer (on a site for a particular hearing aid company) about learning new languages.
posted by carrioncomfort at 7:34 AM on June 6, 2019

Just as some encouragement, I've been learning Mandarin for awhile and spent some time over in China for my research. Some of my colleagues are extremely skilled in Mandarin vocabulary- and grammar-wise, but speak extremely neutrally re: tones. My Chinese classmates often remark at their lack of tones in amusement, but it doesn't seem to get in the way of comprehension *too* much because many words are discernible via context. So if you're having trouble with tones, don't let it worry you too much! Learning pronunciation via pinyin will still be very effective.
posted by thebots at 12:57 PM on June 6, 2019

With the extremely large caveat that I have no idea how accessible it is - sorry - I've been finding WaniKani absolutely brilliant for increasing my Japanese vocabulary and kanji comprehension. You have to start from the beginning (with radicals, moving on to kanji that use the radicals and then vocabulary that uses the kanji), and there's a subscription fee after level 3, but by the time you've got that far, you're well-placed to decide whether the approach is working well enough for you that it's worth paying for, or not. The whole course gives you 2000 kanji and 6000 words, I think, and it forces you to learn both the readings and the meanings.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 3:23 PM on June 11, 2019