How to Improve to Capitalize on Spending 1 Month in Shanghai

[withcoffee]

Hey everyone,

 

I would absolutely love any and all advice for this question -- thank you so much in advance. I began learning Chinese a year ago, though I only studied for four months or so. I moved through NPCR 1 and 2 and can recognize about 500 characters. But for speaking and listening, I am so lost. When I hear Chinese, I still have to translate word for word and am nowhere near a fast speed. Moreover, because I am just now starting back studying after a 6-7 month hiatus, I know very little. My plan is to start back using Chinesepod, moving through a dialogue or two per day, with a focus on listening and speaking rather than on writing and character recognition, since I have the latter down more than the former. The point of my question is that I will be spending the month of July in Shanghai. I am a full time student and do not have time to spend all day learning Chinese, but any advice on how to get to a level where I can make the most of my 1 month in China is greatly needed. How can I get to a place where I can speak and listen without having to translate each word to English? 

 

Also, does anyone have any input on how far I can get in Chinese by spending 1 month in Shanghai? Could I make a rapid jump if I spend time solely in Chinese, living with a Chinese family, and spend several hours per day studying in addition on my own? I have a Chinese friend who I can use the language with every day currently, so in the next 3 months, I can totally improve by native help. 

[Tomsima]

Improve listening comprehension:

 

listen to a chinesepod dialogue. Make sure you understand 100%. If you don't, stop and study what you don't get until you do. Listen to it again. Sleep. Day two, listen to it again. Repeat it. Memorise it. Sleep (have fever dreams about that podcast). Day three, listen to it again. Repeat it. Recite it. Congratulations, you can now understand effortlessly a small slice of Chinese. Day four, start next podcast. Rinse and repeat. Every now and again go back and listen to the podcasts from before. Listen every day. Talk every day. Go to Shanghai, enjoy everyone telling you your chinese is awesome every day for a month. Go home, but don't give up the habit.

 

[edelweis]

36 minutes ago, withcoffee said:

How can I get to a place where I can speak and listen without having to translate each word to English? 

I am not sure it answers your question exactly, but you might want to try imandarinpod.

Their podcasts are 100% Chinese, spoken slowly and clearly, and the vocabulary explanations at the end of the podcast are also in Chinese.

So it may help you evaluate whether you are ready to attend a class all in Chinese and/or prepare for it...

http://www.imandarinpod.com

http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/component/taxonomy/Elementary 初级

 

[sailfortheorient]

I studied in Shanghai for a semester, and my Chinese improved a good amount. I spent more time alone or with westerners than I would have liked, but even so, I think being in a foreign language environment helps. How much it helps depends on how you use the time.

 

I think I got more out of Shanghai than some others on the program. Being in China will not magically make your chinese (much) better. Some people treated the time more as a vacation or focused more on finding an internship/networking in English (which of course is not a bad thing in of itself). Some of these students were so afraid to use their chinese though, that they avoided Chinese dining halls, never used Chinese outside of class hours and spent most of the trip drinking fake chinese alcohol with other westerners. 

 

On the other hand, If you do actually spend most of the month speaking Chinese with a chinese family, and spend your free time studying Chinese, you may find your chinese improves more in a month than some people do in a whole year!

[mtokudome]

@withcoffee I think it would be helpful for you to define what a "rapid jump" looks like for yourself. I think it's definitely possible to make big improvements in your Chinese in one month. But it may require hours of daily study and grind. Is that really how you want to spend your time? Whatever study routine you choose, make sure it's sustainable and that you don't burn out after the first week. Otherwise, you'll end up disappointed and discouraged.

 

Maybe start backward from what your goals are for the month you are in Shanghai. Is it your first time to China or Shanghai? Do you also want to learn more about the culture? Do you have particular interests in Chinese culture, like trying out a Chinese cooking class? Do you hope to make some meaningful relationships with some locals? Why do you want to learn the language in the first place?

 

If you can live with a Chinese family, that would be great. In the beginning, maybe its okay if your communication is a mix of Chinese and English. Over time, your conversation skills will improve. If you're able to make some long-term friendships, maybe the goal would be to continue chatting with them over WeChat even after you leave China. This way you can ensure you have some people that can continue to help you improve your Chinese beyond the one month.

 

I know your focus is speaking and listening, but I wouldn't totally discount reading. If you enjoy reading, I would also recommend getting some graded readers like Chinese Breeze and working through them. Reading is often a faster way to get language input. Chinese Breeze has examples of simple dialogue that is also really good input for you.

[DavyJonesLocker]

1 hour ago, mtokudome said:

 

I know your focus is speaking and listening, but I wouldn't totally discount reading. If you enjoy reading, I would also recommend getting some graded readers like Chinese Breeze and working through them. Reading is often a faster way to get language input. Chinese Breeze has examples of simple dialogue that is also really good input for you.

 

2nd this but I'd also consider Mandarin companion. Dearer than Chinese breeze but more interesting and had eformat, translation tips etc. Some Chinese breeze street stories seen like like they were written for a 14yo girl. 

[大块头]

I would prioritize improving your speaking/listening ability over your reading/writing ability, since that is realistically the only front you could make appreciable progress in over the next three months. If you want to improve your spoken Chinese, I recommend getting a set of Pimsleur CDs from your local library. Pimsleur is great for busy people like students because you can listen to the ~30 minute lessons anywhere, such as when you are walking to and from class. If you can get through all the lessons before you go you will be in good shape to capitalize on your learning environment in Shanghai.

 

When in Shanghai, take advantage of how you are surrounded by Chinese people who want to learn English. Consider skipping whatever silly sight-seeing group trips the program has scheduled in favor of finding native speakers to practice with - you'll have a lot more fun experiencing Chinese culture anyways if you have a local as your personal tour guide! When I studied in Beijing for a summer years ago I posted flyers all over campus advertising my interest in language exchange. There were a couple weekends where I parked myself in a cafe and met a dozen people in shifts over the day. Another good resource for finding locals when you are abroad is Couchsurfing.

 

Above all, have fun!

[NinjaTurtle]

Whenever I move to a new area in China, I always choose one local restaurant and go there everyday. Workers at these types of restaurants typically do NOT speak English, which is great for me. I get to know the workers, learn all about their families, their pets, etc. For the price of a meal, I get a Chinese lesson! (And I get the food too!) If money is a problem, a bowl of noodles is not that expensive.

 

One more thing: EVERY time they say something you do not understand, have them write it down. Go equipped with paper and pencil. The phrase 请写! ("Please write it down.") will become your good friend, as will the phrase 请写拼音! ("Please write the Pinyin.") (If anyone has more grammatically correct phrases for these Chinese phrases, feel free to contribute them.) After you leave the restaurant, figure out what the unknown sentences mean by asking a Chinese person who speaks some English, or use Google Translate. Then use that sentence the next time you go to that restaurant. This really is a great way to learn Chinese in the 'real world'.

 

In 30 days you will have had 30 Chinese lessons, along with a written text of the important phrases used, from native Chinese speakers in China. It just doesn't get better than this.