新年快乐 Happy new years!

Celebrating lunar new years is something i've wanted to do, but it seems like I never have time to. This year was different.  I spent some time at a local college and learned some interesting things.

• When we arrived we made a two types of dumplings; vegetarian and pork.
•  we "learned" how to dance… well we started to learn, but then we ended up playing with the ribbon that was tied around our waists.
• we ate plenty of food. Besides the dumplings (饺子 jiao zi) we had some oranges ( 桔子 ju zi)  a glutinous cake with red bean filling, an assortment of candies and some nuts and seeds.
• there were also several musical performances, some were of poplar songs and some more traditional. The live music was phenomenal the games were really interactive.

I think I enjoyed going with one of my classmates (同学 tongxuue) most of all. Learning a new language is always more fun when you do it with someone you get along with. 

Staying motivated, and resources.

It's been a couple of weeks since I've started taking this Chinese class, and I have to say staying motivated is just as hard as learning. I realized I would be better  off incorporating a tactic that not only focusses on the language but also some cultural aspects. I've just finished a report on mando-pop and canto-popular music. If you're looking for things to keep you motivated here a re a few things that I've found

• Watch Your Dramas!!!:  If you want to kern new phrases quickly, watch some dramas. I'm in the middle of watching love at first fight, and rewaching the Taiwanese version of Hanakimi. I prefer comedies, and action ones to historical dramas because I'm more likely to use the terminology.
•  Listen to music!: Now, Chinese is a tonal language so it's important to keep that in mind while blasting your favorite tunes. (they may not always be the right tone) This will, however, inspire to look things up for yourself, learn new slang words, and help you communicate better.
• FOOD! Try learning a new recipe in chinese, or translate one of your favorite recipes and write about that. Food is a great motivator for learning a new language. You could try new candies, and it's easy to get others involved too!
• Practice speaking! AS… said "You will always get what you've always gotten if you always do what you've always done." If you practice using your voice you will become more confident (Even if you get embarrassed, you'll learn more than never trying)
• Learn on the go! Apps, youtube channels, books podcasts. Grab something and learn on the go! You don't have to sit still and bore yourself to death if you don't want to
• find a partner to learn with you
• make connection/get involved. Go to a local event that may have native speakers there. 

Day 2 of chinese class

I've started taking Chinese classes at a community college and I believe that I may have over estimated my ability of speaking in Mandirne prior to that class. We focused most of our time on the four tones.
{When speking in Manderine, four tones are usually used. The first tone, represented by one horizontal line above the pinyin (romanization of chances characters), is a medium length flat tone. It is in the higher pitch range of one's voice (which brings me to point two, but I can save that for later.)
Tone two, the rising tone, starts from a lower end of the vocal range and ends at a higher pitch
Tone three, the"U", Starts high thane lowers and ends back at a high pitch.
Tone four, "the commander", Its short and starts high and ends low.( Like when a commander shouts an order.


Change in your voice.
When speaking english I've noticed my voice remains within a short range of pitches. When I speak in french my voice gets deeper. I think my deeper voice helps me make that nasally sound that comes with speaking french. When I need to do a lot of vocal manipulation, like in Chinese or Japanese, I start off higher so I won't have to over compensate. That being said, I hear a lot of complaints about how annoying an "otaku/weeaboo/squirrel voice can be.Once you begin to learn different languages you will notice that your voice changes naturally. This will help, but I feel my self stumbling over tones and I find my self getting embarrassed. Even if no one is around, I still feel embarrassed.


Feeling embarrassed.
Learning can only be done with the accompaniment of mistakes. I know that the uncomfortable feeling means I'm growing, but I wish the feeling wasn't so strong.

One Day At A Time! 加油！

A long road ahead

I'm not sure where to start when it comes to being a translator. Almost major and job description is written out step by step except the ones I'm interested in. I've decided to jot down the things I've learned just incase anyone else is interested in becoming a translator/interpreter.
I know I will make a lot of mistakes, butI suppose that's what I like about learning new things. It's perfectly okay, expectable, expected. I chose this major, because I don't ever want to stop learning.

Where do I go from here?
I'm not really sure, I'm still feeling my way around, but I do know fluency in your target language is mandatory  . Certifications are preferred, and experience is a bonus. (for now anyway)

对不i起我的中文不好 and other things I find myself thinking

对不i起我的中文不好 (dui buqi wo de zhongwen bu hao) or I'm sorry my chinese is bad.

[direct translation: sorry I particle word for possession chinese language no good] 

I find learning a new language can be daunting to say the least. Trying new things is a great way to being a well rounded individual, however the fact that other people will have to hear you potentially botch their mother tough lingers in the forefront of my mind when speaking. This in itself causes more problems than being slightly nervous. In English, a person raises their tone of voice when questioning something. This would usually be harmless because it doesn't change the meaning of what's being conveyed. This is not the case when learning Mandarin. This habit, if left unchecked, will leave you sounding like you have never composed a sentence in your life. 别担心（don't worry) Practice makes perfect. The more you speak the easier it'll become. 加油！ 

今天几月几号？ And other frequently regurgitated phrases

今天几月几号？ (jin tian ji yue ji hao ?) or basically asking what the date is in mandarin chinese.
[Direct translation: today measure word month measure word number/today month's number date number?]
After studying Mandarin religiously, and falling off the track just as frequently some phrases pop into my head randomly. I used to find this irritating, especially when i knew how to say it in Chinese, but not the english definition. Lately, however, I've come to appreciate these random sports of recollection and used them as inspiration to get back to studying. I've also realized the phrases I've studied the most come back the easiest, so when you have those memory regurgitation fits don't worry, it means you actually learned something.

别担心！！

WHY START ANOTHER BLOG? (Introduction post)

I've been interested in languages since the seventh grade, but loose motivation while studying. I decided to create this blog to keep (and explore more) interests.


So what languages are interested in?
Mandarin Chinese
French
Japanese
and Korean.

I will be posting things not only related with language, but also culture. This will probably include things like t.v shows, movies, art, etc…

So, let's begin!