American young lady speaks Chinese and Japanese

[NinjaTurtle]

Does anyone need a little motivation to learn Chinese? Here is an American young lady in Tokyo who speaks Chinese and Japanese. I got some inspiration out of watching this video, so maybe some people on this forum will too.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N22tH_cbMRY

[suMMit]

She really excels in the fluency department, just keeps going and going. With that first pair I was wondering is they were going to say anything at all to her other than "your chinese is really good". She did 95 percent of the talking.

[Flickserve]

Her pronunciation is good for shadowing. She must have a good ear for details. 

[PerpetualChange]

11 hours ago, suMMit said:

With that first pair I was wondering is they were going to say anything at all to her other than "your chinese is really good". She did 95 percent of the talking.

 

Heh, yeah. The best speakers I know are always this way - i.e., super extroverted types who are willing to just talk and talk and talk whether it's welcome or not. 

I've never been that courageous ?

 

It's nice to see a young person participating in this kind of cultural exchange these days, especially when it seems like more and more people I know have adopted more nationalistic attitudes. Good for her! 

[NinjaTurtle]

1 hour ago, PerpetualChange said:

willing to just talk and talk and talk whether it's welcome or not. 

I've never been that courageous

 

 

One of the biggest problems language learners have is a fear of making mistakes. This young lady is a good example of don't worry about it, just talk talk talk! (But the point about being introverted vs. extroverted is well taken.)

[PerpetualChange]

1 minute ago, NinjaTurtle said:

 

One of the biggest problems language learners have is a fear of making mistakes. This young lady is a good example of don't worry about it, just talk talk talk!

It's a little more than that. Not everyone is comfortable going up to a stranger and talking their ear off, like the vlogger here. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure having that kind of personality is helpful because language after all is a social construct. I tend to not volunteer information about myself randomly to strangers unless they ask, here the vlogger does the opposite. 

[markhavemann]

Wow, I doubt I could even make half as much that small talk with strangers in English, and it's my native language. 

 

30 minutes ago, PerpetualChange said:

Not everyone is comfortable going up to a stranger and talking their ear off

Not to mention that not everyone is comfortable with HAVING their ear talked off. I'm sure I could learn something from this girl about being a little more outgoing and active with talking to people, but I'm not sure I'd like to be on the receiving end of that torrent of small talk.

[abcdefg]

6 hours ago, PerpetualChange said:

Heh, yeah. The best speakers I know are always this way - i.e., super extroverted types who are willing to just talk and talk and talk whether it's welcome or not. 

 

Helps a whole lot that she's so friendly and outgoing. Not shy or guarded or worrying too much about whether she says everything perfectly. Willing to risk making mistakes. Plenty of them. Just lets it roll out and corrects on the fly if she's not understand.

 

It's the "model" I have always tried to follow on the streets of Kunming. It's more than just practicing a foreign language, it is adopting a new "interactive persona," a different mindset. Odd how that works. In the US I'm more reserved, careful and formal. 

[Jan Finster]

16 hours ago, NinjaTurtle said:

Does anyone need a little motivation to learn Chinese? Here is an American young lady in Tokyo who speaks Chinese and Japanese. I got some inspiration out of watching this video, so maybe some people on this forum will too.

 

I believe she grew up with bilingual classes in English and Chinese in Arizona. I posted a video about this recently. Here it is again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HJ7DS0coTI

 

 

[suMMit]

Holy cow that part where she is sitting with her niece talking, she's good

[carlo]

I think you can be an introvert yet unafraid of mistakes (the combination exists!) All that time spent reading and listening helps a lot. This being said, she sounds really keen to talk to a real human…. These days I bet she's not the only one ?

[道艺]

I usually avoid these videos on youtube and detest the 'entertainer'...I say that because it always seems like they are bothering poor locals just to tapdance for the camera and show off (laoshu, that european guy...etc)

 

But this chick seems nice and genuine. It's funny because some of her pronounciation is SO vally girl (来了，我的妈呀) and then others are SO northern Chinese (事儿，这儿). Cool vid, but yea idk I don't feel like it's a good habit to get caught up in these 'polyglot' video trends. Not sure what others think

[anonymoose]

I find the video rather irritating, to be honest. Her Chinese and Japanese are good, and the fact that she can speak both is impressive, but the videos are obviously aimed at showing off, and nothing more. It would be better if she used her linguistic abilities to engage with locals in a less self-serving manner, and let the viewer gain a deeper insight into the local culture rather than just her linguistic abilities.

 

For comparison, I don't know if anyone has seen the YouTube videos by "bald and bankrupt". This British guy speaks fairly good Russian and a bit of Hindi. His linguistic abilities are nothing outstanding, but his videos are entertaining because he takes the viewer on an unstaged trip, engaging with locals in places where most foreigners would not venture. This retains its appeal much longer than the gets-old-very-quickly, staged, ego-tripping videos that seem to be springing up on YouTube like bamboo shoots after a spring rainfall.

[Flickserve]

2 hours ago, 道艺黄帝 said:

Not sure what others think

 

 

47 minutes ago, anonymoose said:

It would be better if she used her linguistic abilities to engage with locals in a less self-serving manner, and let the viewer gain a deeper insight into the local culture rather than just her linguistic abilities.

 

I agree with both of you. She's good at speaking. Later on, she will have to alter her material to keep people watching her channel. 

[abcdefg]

12 hours ago, anonymoose said:

I find the video rather irritating, to be honest. Her Chinese and Japanese are good, and the fact that she can speak both is impressive, but the videos are obviously aimed at showing off, and nothing more.

 

Must confess it would drive me nuts to be around her for too long, even though her skills are impressive.