Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with mandarin

Where to Learn Mandarin in Los Angeles?

jabberjaw — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:01:45 -0800

I'm looking for a reputable and effective Chinese Mandarin school / teacher / tutor in the Los Angeles area. You'd think they'd be easier to find considering all of the Chinese communities out here. I'm hoping that somebody can recommend someplace / somebody good. Thanks.

Where Can I Get Disney Movies in Chinese?

rubberkey — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:51:51 -0800

Where can I get Disney movies dubbed in Mandarin? My Chinese teacher had showed us MuLan in Mandarin Chinese with the subtitles when I was in school a few years ago. Surfing youtube has brought up tons of Disney songs dubbed in Mandarin, but I can't seem to find the movies to buy or otherwise anywhere. I've also read that any Disney movie that is dubbed in Chinese is a fake because they don't make them. This doesn't really bother me, but I want to find some to play in the United States dvd players. I also don't know/understand very much about dvd zones but I understand that movies made for China will not play in the U.S.
Also where I can find other shows/ movies for kids in Mandarin that aren't specifically Disney films? (the children are 2 and 5 + myself)
Thanks

What's my best language strategy for a quarter in Shanghai?

0xFCAF — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:29:19 -0800

Which Chinese dialect should I learn to best survive in Shanghai, and how? Difficulty: I have 6 weeks. I'll very likely be spending 3-6 months in Shanghai as part of my job. The relocation includes a language tutor, but I'll only have access to one once I'm actually in China. I'd like to do whatever preparation I can before I actually get over there.

It looks like the two reasonable choices here are Shanghainese or Standard Mandarin. Wikipedia says they're mutually unintelligible, so it sounds like I need to make a commitment to one or the other. How do I make a decision on which one to learn?

As for the actual learning part, my friends recommended Rosetta Stone or some other software/thing I don't remember the name of. Any recommendations or experience here would be appreciated. I can spend about 10 hours a week doing interactive material, and another 5 hrs/week doing listening-only stuff at the gym.

If it matters, I have friends/co-workers who can probably help me 1 on 1 for an hour or two a week on either language.

English is the workplace language, but being able to pick up on the basics with my Chinese co-workers will be helpful. I have no idea where they are from or what they usually speak.

Mandarin Programs in China

Dr.James.Orin.Incandenza — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:11:08 -0800

Can anyone recommend some good Mandarin programs in China? I've recently quit my job in Washington, DC and moved to Taipei, Taiwan to study Mandarin Chinese. I'm taking classes at National Taiwan Normal University's (Shi-Da) Mandarin Training Center but am considering hopping over to China this summer to continue with my studies there. Can anyone recommend some solid Mandarin programs on the Mainland? I'm planning to come back to the U.S. for graduate school in mid-2009 and want to make the most of my language training.

Thanks!

Mandarin Chinese help

JamesJD — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:17:02 -0800

Please help me find a reliable (hopefully free) translation service so that I can ace my Mandarin test. I have an upcoming test in Mandarin Chinese, and a very large component of the test is translation from English to Chinese.

In order to make sure that I understand the fundamentals, I would love to know where I could find a site (possibly some rapid-response Chinese-learning message board?) that could help me figure out how to translate certain English phrases into Chinese (e.g. "It will soon be Autumn").

My test is on Thursday morning, so I place a very high premium on sites where I could get very rapid feedback. I would be willing to pay for a service, but I would much rather use a free one.

Thanks!

Japanese or Mandarin?

pwally — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 14:36:51 -0800

Need to take a language next year; Japanese or Mandarin? I've been to Japan and love the culture but with China becoming more and more important globally it is definitely the more practical choice. Which is harder to learn? If I take Japanese will I be as marketable when finding a job?

Good Chinese reading for non-Chinese reader?

jruckman — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 07:05:03 -0800

I'm looking for some good Mandarin Chinese online reading -- news, blogs, etc. Very simple -- no fancy academic language. A good daily world news site in layman's writing would be perfect -- I'm looking to practice and expand my Mandarin vocabulary.

Chinese Tone Checking Software?

trinarian — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 02:31:45 -0800

Does a "Chinese Tone Checker" software program exist? For that matter, does any software exist that will show the pitches in my voice in a way that I could perfect my tones? For the life of me I can't learn to speak the four Chinese tones [pitch up, hold pitch, pitch down, pitch down then up]. I over-emphasize them to the point of destruction when I use them at all. I can't even hear them when native speakers use them. Is there any software that will show me the tone/pitch of my voice? Preferably freeware, but I'll take anything.

aiyah! need help prounouncing Chinese!

beammeup4 — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 15:58:43 -0800

Need help pronouncing some Cantonese (preferably audio) I'm Chinese, but pretty much as far from Chinese as you can get culturally. I'm too busy to learn any Chinese at all, but I'd like to know how you say and pronounce "Pleased to meet you" in Cantonese. I found out it is this: "Ho Ko Hing Ying Sic Lee", but of course, Canto has like 6 different tones, so I want to know how to pronounce it correctly, hence the need for audio.

It will be useful for me for, say, I meet my future significant other's parents whose native language is Cantonese, and I want to make a good, but totally false FIRST impression =)

Will I survive in this city?

dihutenosa — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 22:47:27 -0800

ChinaFilter part III - Give me advice for living, teaching, and learning Mandarin in Jiangmen! This is the third and final installment in the "which China should I go to" trilogy. The Hive Mind has chosen to send me to Mainland China, and I have obliged. I will be in Jiangmen, teaching for 25h/week, with my own apartment. I'm fucking stoked.

So now, a day before I leave, I now ask the green: what sort of things can be done in Jiangmen (~2h north of Hong Kong), or Guangdong in general? Here are a list of things I am particularly concerned in.

1. I love music, to no end. Electronic, house, and hip-hop covers much of my tastes. I want to do some clubbing, and I am also extremely interested in securing a DJing gig somewhere round here - perhaps even in HK if possible (though I understand transportation one-way there is round US$22.) But mainly, let's say that I am sort of a party animal. Will I die of boredom? Is there any sort of youth scene here at all (I'm 22)?

2. In addition to absorbing the culture, I really, really want to learn Mandarin Chinese. This is my primary reason for coming. I worry slightly that I'll be surrounded by people who would rather speak Cantonese - which is fine, but one at a time, you know? In addition to taking uni classes, I am willing to be outgoing, get one-on-one tutors out of my teaching money, etc - will this be doable here? I

3. While I've got a year of college Mandarin under my belt, I know little of the culture - and I'm not proud of that. Are there any pointers or you would give to an enterprising foreigner-to-be?

I thank you all from the bottom of my heart, and offer a decoratively wrapped bag of the finest choice internets as well as a free spot to crash at my pad once I get settled to anyone able to give me some solid advice.

Using font subsets in Acrobat Pro.

RavinDave — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 10:59:10 -0800

How do I embed a Chinese font subset into an Adobe Acrobat .pdf file? This is driving me batty. I know there has to be a simple explanation I'm missing, but for the life of me I cannot figure out how to create a portable document with Chinese characters.

I'm using Microsoft's IME to input Mandarin Chinese into a standard Word document -- then converting it to a PDF. Displays fine when I view it -- but only because I have the fonts on my system. If I take it to another computer, I just get the [][][][][][]s.

What ultra-simple "guaranteed-to-make-me-look-stupid" step am I overlooking? How can I tell Acrobat to embed a font subset?

should I have fun and make money or go through hell and pay dearly?

dihutenosa — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:17:28 -0800

Should I study at TaiDa and incur a US$10,000 debt or teach English in Jiangmen (near HK) and, you know, not be broke? Primary focus: learning Mandarin for future international business/applied technology grad school/career. Here's the rundown.

Previously, I asked the hive mind about what school in Taiwan I should apply for. I ended up being accepted for one of the more expensive programs (IC LP), but suddenly my finances have taken a turn for the worse. If I want to finance this, I'll be taking out a loan to the tune of $11,000 - even on top of my scholarship. There's a chance that I could transfer out of this program after the 1st quarter if I feel that the price/performance ratio isn't quite up to par - that would put me about $6,000 in the hole instead.

Of course, there is additional complication.

Recently, a friend introduced me to a recruiter for a school in Jiangmen, around 1 hour northwest of Hong Kong. He offered me a job teaching elementary students - maximum 25h/week. I'd be getting RMB 6000 or roughly $750 (?), a furnished apartment, and lots and lots of vacation - plus a work permit (obviously), so working under the table is not a deportable offense like it would be in Taiwan with my Student visa. Additionally, upon hearing that I am primarily interested in learning Mandarin, the guy told me that there's a university nearby (WuYi) where I can take language classes, and that if I am interested in business, he can introduce me to some of the, as he put it, "movers and shakers" in the area - which, as I understand it, is fairly industrial. I have little support in Taipei.

I also spoke to a guy who went recently - he said the program was supportive, job was easy and fun, city was great - he stayed for a 2nd year contract, even.

So, as you're reading this, you're wondering why I don't just drop Taiwan and rush for the Jiangmen joint. Well, here are my concerns:

1. I want to get as fluent as possible in one year. I worry that taking classes "on the side", while living in a mishmash of Cantonese and Mandarin - won't give me nearly the dramatic progress that the TaiDa program - or any program, really, if I am a student only - would give me.

2. I don't really mind investing $6,000 - 10,000 if it's going to mean me being totally fucking gangster at Chinese. I mean, some people spend money on fancy cars, I prefer to invest it on what's inside my head.

But then again,

1. I have heard that Taiwan isn't really the economic powerhouse it was a while back - that it's really more about mainland China nowadays. Also, as the recruiter put it, language is nice, but connections are more important - and conceivably I'd be making a few out in Jiangmen, if I worked at it.

2. I am not averse to being disciplined and really absorbing language via immersion, some classes, and self study. I did it with Japanese, I may be able to do similar with Mandarin?

3. Instead of being broke, I'd probably save up money. I live pretty frugally.

YEAH. so there's a lot there, sorry. Basically, if you were interested in studying Chinese - results over fun - for the eventual purpose of doing work both in the university and the real non-ivory-tower-world in international business and applied technology - would you opt for Jiangmen or Taipei?

I kinda need to decide by Monday, as I'll be leaving in 3ish weeks either way.

Go East, young man?

Big Fat Tycoon — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 08:06:48 -0800

How hard is it to get work in Hong Kong without being fluent in Chinese? I've always had a pipe dream about living in Hong Kong, but due to the relatively high cost of living I obviously couldn't do it without getting steady employment. Hong Kong-immigrants, how difficult is it to find work if you are only moderately conversant in Cantonese and Mandarin and work in the tech industry in a support/consultant capacity?

Howto: Mandarin in Latin characters

jfuller — Tue, 09 May 2006 14:05:22 -0800

I'm presently working on a set of Pimsleur Mandarin CDs, and the Pimsleur system is spoken-only. I'm dying to write down what I've learned (I'm addicted to practicing with note cards, I don't feel that I'm really working hard on a language until I have a thick deck of dirty, dog-eared note cards.) But I'm nowhere near ready to write stuff down in Chinese characters. Is there a standard or widely used way of transliterating Mandarin into Latin characters, and somehow also indicating the tonal content?

Mandarin classes chicago

rabbitsnake — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 11:04:20 -0800

Any suggestions for a good Mandarin Chinese class in Chicago for someone with some Mandarin experience (not an absolute beginner)?

Mandarin pop

Jeanne — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 16:01:56 -0800

I've started studying Mandarin. In a couple weeks I'll be going on vacation to a city where I should be able to pick up some CDs of pop music in Mandarin. What should I get? Clear voices (not drowned out by instruments or distortion) are a plus; I dislike rap; otherwise I'm open to anything.

Chinese Cassette

Evstar — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 22:09:39 -0800

I bought a tape at goodwill the other day. It's in a chinese dialect and there is no english on the packaging. It's got a great Mandarin/Chinese cover of Addicted to Love and I'm hoping you guys can help translate the artist's name, and hopefully the name of the album, too. Copyright 1987, by the way. Here's a scan of the sleeve.

Question number 15091

numble — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 15:42:27 -0800

While I was in Taiwan this past month, I was sure that I heard a Mandarin version of Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi" on the radio/sound-system while browsing through a store... does anyone know what the song/artist is? Or, on a similar note, other Mandarin songs/artists that either cover or steal their melodies from American/English songs?

Question number 11869

phyrewerx — Wed, 17 Nov 2004 14:07:13 -0800

Language programs abroad. I'm a university student, I'm Canadian, and I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a good immersive program aboard for studying French or Chinese. I doubt I can be proficient in either in one summer, and I already have a very basic grasp of both. What I'm looking for instead is a chance to go aboard to develop my french or mandarin further. Any suggestions other than commercial programs geared for Business-persons?

Question number 9773

loquax — Mon, 30 Aug 2004 08:21:43 -0800

Does anybody have any experience with learning Mandarin (specifically Putonghua, I guess) in North America? Are there any useful programs, tips, or strategies that people have employed? Are there any good online programs or resources? Is it extremely difficult for romance language speakers to pick it up? Thanks!