Learning a new language is hard. Learning a new language that uses tones and characters is WAY harder. Last year, I decided that I wanted to learn how to speak Mandarin. I started watching Chinese dramas, and after some digging found that a lot of the translations are not exactly correct. So, I made up my mind that I would give it a go. While I knew it would be difficult, and challenging, it’s still a lot harder than what I originally expected.
Once I made up my mind that I wanted to try learning Mandarin I started to read a bit more about the people and culture. And while I’m not educated enough on either to speak on them, I did find several things to be fascinating. Their family units, customs, and traditions. And not just those of the Chinese people, but several other Asian countries as well. When my mom asked me why I picked Mandarin, I told her it started over some silly dramas, but I’ve learned it’s the second most spoken language. It’s also a very popular language within the business world. Did you know that there are “slightly more than 1.1 billion Mandarin Chinese speakers” worldwide as of 2023? So, my interest in Mandarin has increased substantially.
So far, I’ve just been using Duolingo. Most days I do about 3 minutes, and some days I’ll do 3 to 4 lessons. Yes, I’m aware I should practice more. However, I keep repeating a lot of the lessons. Repetition is key for me or I won’t retain anything. This is why I’m still in Section 1, though I have moved on to Unit 3, Lesson 5. Still, I keep going back and reviewing previous units. I plan to start treating these lessons like I did my college courses by dedicating about 30 - 45 minutes twice a week. My goal is to be done with Section 1 by the end of February. This means I need to start knocking some of these out in the next few weeks. Eeks!
Now, Duolingo is a decent app. When I watch these Chinese dramas I can recognize some of the words I've learned. I’m pretty proud of that! But in my opinion, Duolingo shouldn’t be your only source of learning. I feel it’s more of a helpful tool that you can pair with other sources like an actual class or tutor. In my situation, I feel like I need to practice having conversations and getting feedback or help with pronunciation. I want to feel confident when speaking, and right now, Duolingo can’t provide that. This is why I’m looking into taking a class or paying for an online tutor this summer. Finances allowing. I do have a friend who speaks Mandarin who has offered to help me but she’s a professor and has a lot on her plate during the semesters. And since I’m a big fan of work/life balance, I don’t want to bother her with more work.
For now, I plan to keep chipping away at the app. It’s not super difficult to make the time for it, and I get reminders every day. Thankful for those “streak freezes” that allow me to skip from time to time. Now, even though this has been difficult, it’s also been pretty fun. It’s such an interesting feeling to be watching a show or video clip, and hearing, “shénme” (什么) or “nǐ jiào shénme míngzì” (你叫什么名字) or “shuǐ” (水) and being able to understand what is being said or at least recognize words from the lessons. That said, my next goal is to start piecing sentences together on my own by the beginning of summer. Wish me luck! Until the next post, zàijiàn. ✌
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