Learn Chinese Insights Podcast Episode 010: Cheryl Robbins

Cheryl has been in Taiwan for 26 years and has worked as a tour guide, translator and author.

Listen to this episode to find out:

– What brought Cheryl to Taiwan in the first place
– Why she recommends Taiwan as a place to learn Mandarin
– The advantage to learning phonetic symbols (zhuyin) along with characters
– How she was able to transition from teaching English to translation and then as a tour guide / translator.
– How she got her first job at a museum
– Why she thinks the demand for translation services will continue to increase
– How to create your own path in your own niche / specialty in Taiwan
– The importance of networking to find opportunities
– What types of projects she would like to do in the future
– The difference in working at a Taiwanese company versus a foreign company
– How to get your ideas through, when working at a local company
– The process of registering your own company here
– How her kids fared with bilingual education

The post Learn Chinese Insights Podcast Episode 010: Cheryl Robbins appeared first on Chinese Learn Online.

Learn Chinese Insights Podcast Episode 012: Priya Lalwani Purswaney

Priya is originally from India, but has now lived in Taiwan for 27 years. She works as a simultaneous interpreter. Listen to this episode to find out:

– What brought Priya to Taiwan in the first place
– Her initial impressions of Taiwan
– How she began learning Chinese and what approach they took
– Why she recommends an intensive approach to learning Chinese
– Why she thinks knowing Indian languages like Hindi helps in learning Mandarin
– Which sounds in Chinese she finds many English speakers have trouble pronouncing
– How she transitioned into working as a translator / interpreter
– Why she prefers interpreting over translating work
– How preparation for interpreting works
– The various types of translating options available, and the skills required for each
– Consecutive, whispering / simultaneous without equipment, simultaneous with equipment
– How interpreting is done for more niche languages (relay interpreting)
– The process that goes through translating sentence by sentence
– Why she recommends putting kids through the local education system up to Grade 3 or so before switching to an international system
– When she recommends learning to write characters and when it isn’t
– Why she recommends Hindi speakers (Indians) learn using zhuyin (bo po mo fo) over pinyin

The post Learn Chinese Insights Podcast Episode 012: Priya Lalwani Purswaney appeared first on Chinese Learn Online.

Learn Chinese Insights Podcast Episode 011: Jason Schuurman

Jason has lived in Taichung, Taiwan for the past 4 years, after previously doing a stint in China. Listen to this episode to find out:

– What brought Jason to China in the first place.

– How he practiced learning Chinese before moving to China.

– The benefits of learning Chinese from a native English speaker, and what to look for

– How he compares interacting in Chinese in China versus Taiwan

– How he compared living in Nanjing versus Shanghai

– What prompted him to move from China to Taiwan

– His thoughts on traditional classroom learning versus modern methods

– His thoughts on learning to type versus learning to read.

– His approach to learning to read while learning to speak

– How he received a scholarship to learn Chinese in Taiwan (and what key approach he used)

– The differences between Chinese and Taiwanese people

– His communication approach with his Taiwanese wife

 

Resources and links mentioned: Anki flashcard program, Taiwan Ministry of Education Scholarship information

 

The post Learn Chinese Insights Podcast Episode 011: Jason Schuurman appeared first on Chinese Learn Online.

Learn Chinese Insights Podcast Episode 018: Ethan Feig

In this episode, I interview Ethan Feig, an American now working in a trade company in Taichung, Taiwan.

Listen to this episode to find out:

– What brought Ethan to Taiwan at age 18
– How Taiwan differed from his prior expectations
– How he learned Chinese from a fellow expat, and how that approach compared to his Taiwanese teacher
– How he maintained his Chinese listening and comprehension skills while back in the US for 2 years
– How he transitioned from teaching English into other work
–  About the work culture at his current company
– What advice he has for others wanting to work in non teaching careers in Taiwan

The post Learn Chinese Insights Podcast Episode 018: Ethan Feig appeared first on Chinese Learn Online.