Bragging! / Advice?

[yukifu]

大家，你好！ I'm a long-time lurker, first-time poster.

 

First: some bragging!

 

Studying Chinese was a hobby for three years. I took a one-on-one class for an hour once a week, spent maybe two hours a week studying vocabulary and doing workbook exercises, and spent one month in China with my instructor, mostly as a tourist but spending most of the time speaking only Chinese. Needless to say, I wasn't very serious. 

 

I had completely several textbooks meant for children (the 中文 series), as well as NCPR 1 and 2. I had read all the Chinese Breeze books that were released at that point. 

 

Then I decided to join the U.S. Department of State's Foreign Service and wanted a China placement. I spent 5 months intensively studying for my Chinese language exam (which, at this stage in my FS placement, was just a phone conversation with a Chinese teacher at FSI). My study program included:

 

-Two-hour private lessons with a Chinese teacher, 6 days a week. Mostly conversations. Some grammar explanations. 

-Finishing NCPR 3.

-Finishing a book called "Learn to Speak Chinese through Contextualized Dialogues." (hated it)

-Quality Anki time. (About two hours a day)

-Reading one news article a day, adding new words to my Anki deck, and discussing the article with my teacher during class. 

 

I did not focus solely on listening and speaking during my test prep phase, even though only those skills would be tested. I believed (and still do) that my speaking/listening skills should only be slightly better than my reading/writing skills.

 

I took the test and passed with a 2+ (I needed a 2). I think I was probably more accurately a 3 or a 3+, but I was really nervous. (Language Roundtable scale, btw)

 

Long story short, I got into FS but was told I wouldn't get a China placement. My boss at the time offered me a promotion. So, I didn't join the FS.

 

I spent the next year not studying Chinese. I stopped my lessons. I was burned out and a bit disappointed that I wasn't moving to China any time soon. Aside from occasional conversations with Chinese friends I didn't do much...

 

EXCEPT I watched a lot of Taiwanese dramas.

 

Correction: I binged on Chinese dramas. 

 

I don't even like them that much. The plots are awful, characters verge on annoying, and "melodrama" would be more suitable than "drama." Soap operas. Blech. 

 

Ok but:

 

-With Chinese subtitles, it is easy to know what is being said (reduced confusion compared to podcasts).

-Unknown words are mostly simple to figure out from context (everyone is scheming to take over a company, break up a relationship, or dying from a car accident or suicide attempt--one gets used to the vocabulary quickly).

-Actors are very dramatic compared to textbook dialogues, so dialogues stick in your head. I probably looked like a crazy person driving to work, reciting dialogues to myself.

 

I did not add vocabulary to Anki decks, I did not review transcripts, and I never watched the same episode twice. This wasn't studying for me -- it was something I did to relax after a long day of work while drinking tea (wine) and eating moon cakes (kidding). 

 

After more than a year "off" from studying Chinese, last week I decided to study again. I conducted some independent level testing to see where I should start:

 

-I watched the NCPR 4 youtube video series and I understood it easily. A few phrases were unfamiliar but I guessed based on context with 75% accuracy. 

-I blasted through decks I found online for NCPR 2, 3, and 4.

-I printed and read three news articles. This was more difficult -- the ISIS issue introduced unfamiliar vocabulary. However, I got the "gist" and could summarize verbally. I added the unknown words to Anki decks.

-I had coffee with a Chinese friend, struggled a bit to "access" certain phrases buried somewhere in my brain, but kept the conversation to 95% Chinese. 

 

Most importantly for me, I dreamed in Chinese twice this week. (I speak French and German, too, so I know when I dream in the language, it is in my brain somewhere). 

 

Ironically, this period off from Chinese study, I think, has improved some of my Chinese and, more importantly, re-invigorated my desire to conquer the language. Obviously, unused vocabulary has been forgotten, along with certain grammatical structures. 

 

My bragging is this: I didn't forget all my Chinese!

 

If you've made it this far, perhaps you could help me with the following request for advice:

 

I would like to conquer Chinese, at least to a level where I could comfortably work and live in the language. I don't particularly care about reading high literature, but newspapers, magazines, and some books would be perfect. I want to be able to watch TV and movies (beyond dramas) comfortably. I want to comfortably converse in Chinese on pretty much any topic, and present in Chinese (in a meeting, for example). 

 

I've started my own company and can't afford lessons anymore. So that's out. 

 

I considered buying NPCR 4 to start where I left off, but I think it might be too easy. Instead, I'm considering NPCR 5 + Boya. 

 

I've combed these forums for general advice, which seems to consist of:

 

-You want to understand Chinese TV? Watch Chinese TV.

-You want to read Chinese newspapers? Read Chinese newspapers.

-Add vocabulary to Anki decks. 

-Repeat. etc.

 

Is that the best advice in this situation? How does one get to the point of being able to do the following Chinese:

 

-Present at a conference.

-Be interviewed by media.

-Pick up and read a newspaper or magazine as in-flight reading.

-Go shopping with friends and comfortably catch up.

 

etc.

 

I speak native English, but I don't read Shakespeare every day. I can do the above, though. So how do I get to that point in Chinese? 

 

Oh, and in 6 months. 

 

;) kidding. 

 

But not in ten years, either.

 

Any advice is appreciated.