Currently studying Japanese, but want to dabble in Chinese again. Need help regarding fears

[haley_usa]

My situation is kind of weird and needs some back story.

 

I've been studying Japanese for about 6 years and am conversational (not fluent), but initially never actually spoke Japanese to anyone until I was 2 years into studying because of crippling social anxiety. When I finally did get Italki tutors, I was already able to immediately start speaking due to practicing alone and writing a lot (and easy pronunciation). Now, I get tutoring for 2 hours a day almost every day and love talking, even though I'm not perfect. ("Tutoring" as in Skype sessions focusing on reading stories, translating, and telling stories that I picked. I hate structured classes.)

 

In the past, I probably got about 5 months of Mandarin study under my belt (only writing and reading alone, though). But I can't stop thinking about picking it up again. I really want to get an Italki tutor, but have some fears.

 

How can I start talking with a tutor if my pronunciation is horrible and I have a very low amount of vocab? Can I start getting tutored immediately (but mostly in English?) or should I wait like 6 months or something? I feel confused, because I haven't experienced a disadvantage like this before (starting a language from zero but wanting to do it with a tutor unlike Japanese at the time). I think I could at least take 30 minute lessons once a day to start out. Compared to Japanese, I would need to include pronunciation in my routine. (Basically, I know how to study and have fun in a language, but how/when do I start speaking at such a low level?) Can someone share how they started out talking with teachers in school or online? Or suggest a routine of what to do with the tutor at that low level?

[stapler]

Chinese pronunciation is infinitely difficult so I think it would be best to spend 6 years practising the tones by yourself so that when you do finally get a tutor they won't just laugh and laugh at you like they will as soon as you get a tone wrong. Add a few more years to make sure you have enough vocabulary and can talk about serious stuff like thermal dynamics or organic chemistry. Otherwise the tutor will get really bored of your conversation.

 

Or you could just start with a tutor, asking them how to say things like "what are you doing today?" and "is your leg itchy?" and having fun repeating, varying and riffing on these sentences (though this will be hard because Chinese are not well known for studying English and finding one who can understand English at a basic level will be very difficult)

[Flickserve]

You could tell the tutor to keep it simple and it's ok to use some English to bring a point over.

[lips]

[haley_usa]

stapler: I don't understand why your comment is half snarky, half helpful. I said I wanted to start getting a tutor as soon as possible, said I know I have to practice pronunciation, and said I enjoy conversation even if it isn't perfect. As for your real advice, thank you for the tips.

 

Flickserve: Thank you, I will do that.

 

lips: I actually have that logo hanging in my room. But in seriousness, I was asking how to get started with "just doing it". Whether or not I get good advice on this post, I am still going to go back to learning Chinese. s: Though, some actual, serious advice on how to deal with working with a tutor to improve on pronunciation and vocab amount in the beginner stages would have been much appreciated.

[stapler]

haley - it's not meant to be snarky. I was merely joking about some of the possible anxieties you may have about getting started with the hope that it would make you downplay those fears.

 

Also, if you're paying for a 'tutor' and not just a 'conversation partner' the onus on them to make it work with your ability, not you. So maybe you don't even need to worry about planning your lessons.

[LinZhenPu]

Haley, there's a popular app called Hellotalk which can be downloaded for free which runs on Android and iOS. Make a profile picture and write an introduction, and you will find it very easy to find people willing to help you practice speaking and writing Chinese. I would start with learning to pronounce romanized singular Chinese syllables using Pinyin (lots of free lessons online), then progress to asking and answering very simple questions like your age, your nationality, what the time is and what day it is today with an emphasis on speaking. I really cannot stress the importance of speaking practice along with reading and writing practice enough.

And most importantly:

[haley_usa]

stapler: Thanks for explaining, I didn't understand what you were getting at. You're right, maybe in the beginning it would be a good to let the tutor choose what to do first. Then later on I could start picking my own topics. Learning Chinese is going to need a different approach than Japanese did.

 

LinZhenPu: I have heard good things about that app, but unfortunately, I do not have a smart phone or tablet. ^^; I think I'll have to stick with Skype. I know how to write stuff like "I am Haley. I live in America," but since I've never spoken to anyone, I will definitely need to do as you said and master remembering/pronouncing those basics with a teacher.

[LinZhenPu]

An Android tablet more than good enough to use Hellotalk can be had for very cheap on eBay.

In the meantime, just use bluestacks (Android emulator) on your computer to run the app.