Ancillary Jobs for learning written Chinese in America

[paulcotney]

I recently quit a computer-programming gig to move with my wife to North Carolina after she got a great job opportunity. I am now working as a freelance programmer. The issue is that I want to improve my Chinese literacy, but I am hampered by time constraints. A possible solution would be to get a job where I can work with written Chinese or at least be in contact with it. What job would the forum recommend, part-time or full, that would push me closer to that goal? I am not worried about the money; though, I would shy away from totally gratis work as I have an expensive coffee habit. As for experience, I have what amounts to a few years of self-taught instruction I can with a lot of effort get through a newspaper. My spoken fluency is very meager basically being “tourist Mandarin” Please help a poor student.

Paul Anthony Cotney

[wrbt]

I do the roundabout way: spend some of my time at work studying on my employer's dime.

One sometimes reads stats about how much time workers spend screwing off... that's me in those stats. Online flashcards, listening to Ken & Jenny, reading Chinese stories, etc.

[Kathy]

Hi Paul - Welcome to North Carolina!

I loose group of us are working on a few projects. The pay is pitiful or nil, but the opportunities to learn are plentiful. We have started an international web conferencing group to work on our first project - T'ang Dynasty Poetry for Children. It is half Chinese, and half assorted others, but you can speak and type Chinese all you want to, and work with all the Chinese characters you like.

For more info - and a cleaned-up transcript of our online meeting last Saturday, go to:

http://www.eslwebcamforkids.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=121

To listen to the first of the poems we have recorded, go to:

http://newstore2005.googlepages.com/index

Email me if you are interested in creating worksheets or helping to make some games. We have work enough to keep a bunch of folks busy for a long time! Tell me a little about your interests and technical skills. You also contact me on Skype - kfelts - just refresh me on who you are - and that you live in NC.

Kathy Felts kathyfelts@aim.com