Teaching in China on GigaDial Public: Recent Episodes
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This station will compile useful podcasts about China and learning Chinese that will help us get ready for our placement in China
In today's podcast, I answer a listener question about the game mahjongg here in China. Yeah, they play it. Shanghai, the computer game that uses the same types of tiles, I'm not so sure about.Oh, and the next edition of 'hip hop in Shanghai' is coming soon. I'm working on it.More ideas from listeners about show topics would be greatly appreciated. Don't be shy.tek.
Will you get where you want to go if you take a taxi in Shanghai? I spend a few minutes addressing just that issue in today's show.I'm pretty sure there are some Shanghai residents who will disagree with some of the statements I make in today's episode. If you do, I'd like to hear from you. Send email, or what'd be great would be audio feedback. I think that might be fun to play around with. Let me know what you think.This is the first time I've used GarageBand to record my show. In the end, I'm pretty dissatisfied with the GarageBand experience, at least for recording a podcast. I was much happier with Audacity, but despite the help of the Griffin tech support staff, I can't get it to work with my Griffin iMic on my iBook. So right now, I've got no adequate podcasting solution. I can use Audacity on my old Powerbook, and deal with the deadly-slow processing time, or I can record with GarageBand on my iBook, and deal with... well... what turns out to be a pretty crappy audio-editing solution. It may be great for recording songs, but it's pretty bad for recording simple voice.Oh, and I've been spending far too much time watching DVDs of The Shield this week... that show is addictive.tek.
Going to the cinema in Shanghai. What's that like? Today I take about three minutes to answer that question.Overall, the experience isn't too different from what you're used to in the States. Perhaps a few more obnoxious theatre-goers having noisy conversations, but otherwise pretty similar. Nice screens, nice environment. Sweet popcorn.Wish I could see something other than Harry Potter, though.tek.
99.9% of us eat Chinese food before ever coming to China (of course, here we just say ?food?). So it should come as no surprise that everything revolves around a meal. In this Beginner?s lesson, Ken and Jenny bake up a tasty session on how to invite someone, and also how to turn down politely. LINK [...]
You?re more than welcome to visit and eat rice to your hearts content?but there comes a point where if one more thing came from a paddy, you might go mad in the head. In this Intermediate lesson, Ken and Jenny spare you from the monotony by teaching you how to ask for a local supermarket [...]
After our beginner lesson yesterday on ?useful phrases? we had quite a stern ?what about us higher level student?!? emails (not to mention names, but his initials are Jamie Stillson from Canada) so we decided to put some common Elementary phrases for you as well?now, stop with the phone calls to Ken?s house, you?re really [...]
So you?ve moved up into the Basic Level and you?re feeling pretty good about yourself?so good, you ask your non-English speaking Chinese friend how they?re doing. ?Well?, they answer in Mandarin, ?horse-horse, tiger-tiger?. Make sense to you? Fortunately, it does to Ken and Jenny. In this lesson, they?ll explain that aforementioned phrase, along with many [...]
You put in for the transfer to China and you got it. So now, you have to decide on which office. Is Harbin warm? Is Guilin cold? Instead of telling you the answers, Ken and Jenny teach you how to ask about locations and their descriptions. LINK TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE (right-click, save as) : chinesepod095_B6_20060106.mp3
Now, back home, an open liquor bottle on your desk might get you a one-way ticket to Palookaville, but in China, a little ?bai jiu? at the end of the meeting is aces. In this Intermediate lesson, Ken and Jenny chat about how things get done. LINK TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE (right-click, save as) : chinesepod094_C16_20060105.mp3
It?s not that we don?t have faith in you, we do?really. But just in case a ?friend? of yours occasionally has a few minor problems in understanding spoken Chinese and this ?pal? would like a few ways to say ?Slow down?, ?You?re speaking too fast? or ?Please repeat yourself?, we?ll help this ?acquaintance? of yours [...]
With these basic sentences you?ll be able to sound like a pro even if you only started studying Chinese five minutes ago. Careful with W? lái fù qián though ? showing off could get you into trouble? LINK TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE (right-click, save as) : chinesepod085_A57_20051227.mp3
Now we get down to the really useful stuff ? how to go shopping. Essential if you want to make the most of China?s thousands of markets. Shopper?s heaven! chinesepod009_A9_20050929.mp3
Wow! You?re now ready to listen to your first story in Chinese. Well done! Find out what Mr Li did yesterday and today, and then you?ll be able to describe the same things for yourself. chinesepod008_A8_20050928.mp3
The first thing you are likely to hear when you step off the plane is ?can you speak Mandarin??Listen to this podcast and you?ll be able to make a good first impression, and even if you can?t say much more in Chinese, you may find that your new friend speaks English. chinesepod006_A6_20050926.mp3
Right, so you?ve said ?ni hao ma? and ?xie xie? so many times you?re repeating in your sleep?and the guy on the subway next to you thinks you?re mad. So, where are you going? I mean not in a existential type of way, but where? School? Let?s hope so, that?s what we?re teaching you today! [...]