Chinese Learner Interview Series: Ryan Glassett

This week on our Chinese Learner Interview Series, we feature Ryan Glassett. Through our previous experience teaching English in Shenzhen, I've come to find that Ryan has one of the best and most 标准发音 I've heard. He's definitely got some great tips and insights, see for yourself!

In his own words:

I'm a typical directionless twenty-something who came down with a moderate case of wanderlust after getting degrees in Chinese and Biology. I've been in Shenzhen for the past year and change, previously teaching primary schoolers and currently working on a software localization team. I like to dabble in lots of different activities, sports, games, and fields of study, and China has been a good place for that.

 

How long have you been studying Chinese? In what context? For what purpose?

I studied Chinese for three years in college. While I still speak Chinese regularly, I would say I haven't really "studied" in the time since. Nowadays I just pick up what I can through conversation, TV, movies, news media, and so on. I got started with Chinese because I was craving a new language in college, but I wanted to get away from the Romance languages. Now that I'm living here, Chinese is just a basic necessity.

Do you have a certain philosophy for how you approach learning Chinese? Do you have any grand 想法s about it all?

Philosophy? Grand 想法s? I'm no sage. All I can really say is that, at least for me, nothing "sticks" quite as well with the textbook approach. At some point you have to just buy that plane ticket to China and dive in. If you can't do that, chat with Chinese friends locally, or on Skype. Anything to practice expressing yourself in a real-life conversations.

What aspects of studying Chinese do you enjoy the most? (this can be specific study resources, methods, activities, social aspects etc)

This might be sort of an oddball answer, but I find Chinese linguistics absolutely captivating. In a lot of ways it's like a math or logic puzzle. There are five tones, twenty-one initial phonemes, and thirty-five final phonemes— but they only fit together in certain ways. The same goes for characters, with their semantic and phonetic radicals, and the (sometimes) systematic transformation from traditional to simplified script. And don't even get me started on regional dialects.

What mistakes do you see other language learners make? What should people NOT do when studying Chinese?

Many (maybe most) people never really nail down the fundamentals. The biggest problems I've seen in high level classes were not vocabulary or grammar, but basic pronunciation. I'm not sure there's a single "don't" rule that will help you avoid this, except maybe: "don't assume you're speaking correctly." Always pay attention when native speakers are talking, and constantly adjust your dictionary based on what you hear.

Any favorite words or phrases? (there are loads which don't have equivalents in English)

My favorites change from day to day. Currently it's the fairly boring word 真相, which means something like "the actual state of affairs" or "what's really going on." Far less boring, however, is the homophonous variant 真象, which can be read literally as "the real elephant". The word comes up a lot in police dramas and I get a kick out of imagining these hard-boiled detectives going after an elephant.

Funny stories from your experience? Embarrassing language mistakes, misunderstandings, surreal moments etc.

Being a white guy who can speak Chinese is usually pretty good for the ego–"your Chinese is amazing!" seems to be a standard greeting for foreigners. Every once in a while you hit a rough patch, though. One day I wanted to make pancakes but didn't have measuring spoons in my kitchen. I was looking for them at a Shenzhen WalMart when I realized I didn't know how to say "measuring spoons." I kept trying to explain myself to this guy working there, asking for "a set of differently-sized spoons. You know, tablespoons, teaspoons…?" He looked at me with a dead stare that made it clear he had no idea what I was talking about. Eventually he sighed, threw his hands in the air, and said, "well, if you can't speak Chinese, I can't help you."

 

Any memorable milestones? Any, "Aha!", or eureka moments?

Signing the language pledge at Princeton in Beijing was a great moment. Knowing that, for two months, I would have to express myself in Chinese both in and out of class. You really do learn so much faster when you don't have anything else to fall back on.

 

How do you keep yourself motivated while studying Chinese?

Take some time away from book learning and do something fun. Go sing Chinese karaoke, watch a fun TV show, or just go to a bar with some Chinese friends. You can get a surprising amount through osmosis, and you'll probably hear something you want to look up and use later on.

 

Absolute, hands down, favorite Chinese dish? 

Can't I pick one from each region? There's so much amazing Chinese food. If I had to choose, though, I'd say 小笼包. I could eat those forever and not get tired of them.

 

Do you have one last tip for something that our readers can do TODAY to improve their Chinese? 

Take a scene from your favorite movie and write down everything that gets said. Record yourself reading it aloud, then compare it to the original. Listen really carefully to each recording, maybe four or five times. Find a native-speaking friend to help, if you can. Do stuff like this to develop an ear for how the language SHOULD sound, and how YOU sound. It's surprisingly important.

 

Thank you Ryan for those stories, insights and tips from your experience. I couldn't agree more with the pronunciation and how important it is to get the tones right, otherwise, you'll make some mistakes that might be embarrassing. Ryan's also got one of the funniest favorite phrases so far, haha!

If you're intrested to be featured on our Chinese Language Learner Interview Series, please contact me at christina@fluentu.com.

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