Country Girl Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 We are contemplating a possible move to China within the next 3-12 months. If we move, I plan to invest the time and money into getting a language tutor for the kids and probably myself once we get there. However, in the meantime I'd like to get a jump on learning the language. We haven't really started a formal foreign language program with the kids yet (we have dabbled a bit in Spanish using the free Elementary Spanish videos on Discovery Streaming) partly because we were still trying to decide what language to focus on... Spanish, German, or Mandarin. Well, this possible move is kind of making the decision for us! So I'm looking for something that we could use this summer as a family to start learning Mandarin. I'd like something that covers the basics/necessities/survival language to help us out while we get our footing when we move but I also want something that sets us up for a more formal and proper study of the language later. Also, I'm mostly interested in the spoken language at this point since that is a more immediate need but I want to be able to add the written component later. I really don't know what is out there other than Rosetta Stone? Is this a quality program? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillary in KS Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 You need to get in touch with Laura Corin. She and her family lived there for several years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 (edited) I'm not much good on curriculum - as my boys learned by immersion, we have used very boring curricula just to catch up on characters. Whatever curriculum you choose, I would highly recommend getting a local native Mandarin speaker to help you with tones - if you are not saying the tones right, then you are not giving the right meaning. The words for mother, hemp, to scold and horse all transliterate as 'ma'. If you don't use the right tone, then you are saying the wrong word. It's near impossible just to 'pick up' the tones (except by immersion at a young age) and bad habits are really hard to get out of. I hope others can come in with curriculum suggestions. Laura Edited June 1, 2010 by Laura Corin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted June 1, 2010 Author Share Posted June 1, 2010 I'm not much good on curriculum - as my boys learned by immersion, we have used very boring curricula just to catch up on characters. Whatever curriculum you choose, I would highly recommend getting a local native Mandarin speaker to help you with tones - if you are not saying the tones right, then you are not giving the right meaning. The words for mother, hemp, to scold and horse all transliterate as 'ma'. If you don't use the right tone, then you are saying the wrong word. It's near impossible just to 'pick up' the tones (except by immersion at a young age) and bad habits are really hard to get out of. I hope others can come in with curriculum suggestions. Laura Thanks Laura, Do you think it may be better to wait until we get there to start studying the language.... at least for the kids??? I'm pretty sure we won't be able to find a native Mandarin speaker nearby. However, dh's company usually sends expat employees to a week or so intense language training session before they leave. So dh and I may be able to take advantage of that before we go just to get our footings. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 Thanks Laura, Do you think it may be better to wait until we get there to start studying the language.... at least for the kids??? I'm pretty sure we won't be able to find a native Mandarin speaker nearby. However, dh's company usually sends expat employees to a week or so intense language training session before they leave. So dh and I may be able to take advantage of that before we go just to get our footings. Thanks! Getting a good tutor in China will be cheap, so you can get lots of tuition when you are there. In addition, I highly recommend getting a household helper who will help with shopping - difficult at first, as in some places much is done in markets where you need to use language, rather than in self-serve supermarkets - and bureaucracy. Our household helper also provided the immersion experience for the boys - playing games with them and generally chatting. Someone in your husband's company might be able to help you with interviewing candidates: you want to get someone who is fluent in standard Mandarin, rather than a dialect. Where are you likely to be living? Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted June 1, 2010 Author Share Posted June 1, 2010 Getting a good tutor in China will be cheap, so you can get lots of tuition when you are there. In addition, I highly recommend getting a household helper who will help with shopping - difficult at first, as in some places much is done in markets where you need to use language, rather than in self-serve supermarkets - and bureaucracy. Our household helper also provided the immersion experience for the boys - playing games with them and generally chatting. Someone in your husband's company might be able to help you with interviewing candidates: you want to get someone who is fluent in standard Mandarin, rather than a dialect. Where are you likely to be living? Laura In a "smaller" :lol: town called Ningbo. I have to laugh everytime I think smaller because I live in a town of 150 people and here I am calling a metropolis with a popoulation of over 2 million smaller just because people keep comparing it to Shanghai, the nearest large city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 In a "smaller" :lol: town called Ningbo. I have to laugh everytime I think smaller because I live in a town of 150 people and here I am calling a metropolis with a popoulation of over 2 million smaller just because people keep comparing it to Shanghai, the nearest large city. I've not been there. I'm assuming that the dialect would be similar to that of Shanghai, which is strong, so definitely seek out a helper and a tutor with good Mandarin. For comparison - I'm a fluent Mandarin speaker, but I don't understand Shanghainese. It really is a dialect, not an accent. How are you all feeling about a big international move? Have you looked into resources/ideas for helping you and your children to adapt? It's worth putting some preparation into this - ask if you need ideas. Best wishes Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted June 1, 2010 Author Share Posted June 1, 2010 Thanks Laura, Do we still want to learn Mandarin or should we be considering Shanghainese? I'm thinking from what I've read that Shanghainese is pretty much isolated to Shanghai....am I right? And that Mandarin would serve us better overall? This actually would be our 3rd international move (Canada and Finland being the other two). While we have experience with international moves.... this would be quite different! The first move was without kids, the second was with a 1 year old, and the one back home was with a 9mos old and a 3yr old. This move would be moving with 3 kids and to a culture that is vastly different, much more so than the differences between the US and Europe. If you have any resources to suggest to help with adapting to the Chinese culture I am all ears (especially for the kids). I have seen some suggest the book Third Culture Kids and I have requested our library to get it so I can read that. You may not remember but I pm'd you a couple of months ago to ask some questions about China and you were extremely helpful! Unfortunately, the company works slowly and we are still in limbo about the whole thing. We have been told by the higher ups that it is definitely an opportunity we will be presented with in the near future.... it is just that the timing is completely up in the air. We were originally thinking it would happen by the end of the summer but now we are thinking the end of the year may be a more realistic timeline. I am sure I will have more questions once we have more answer and will definitely be in touch again. In the meantime, I figured that starting to learn Mandarin would be beneficial whether we end up moving or not. My dh sees the influence of the Chinese market in the workplace as being extremely prevalent and the proficiency of Mandarin as a huge boost to our kids in their future careers. Thanks again for all of your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 Yes - I'd go with Mandarin, rather than Shanghainese. Best of luck! Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifra Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 You may want to check out www.asiaforkids.com. They have a lot of videos in Mandarin videos to get you started. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted June 2, 2010 Author Share Posted June 2, 2010 You may want to check out www.asiaforkids.com. They have a lot of videos in Mandarin videos to get you started. Good luck! Thanks for the suggestion.... I'll check them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4littleones Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 Yes, Third culture Kids is definitely a must read. And allow yourself to have a major culture shock. Homeschooling the children helps, I have found, as it gives you a sense of mission AND accomplishment. And don't leave anything behind!! Take with you as much as you can! We came to the Phillipines with just our clothes and it was very hard to start from scratch. Not bringing our stuff (read kitchen paraphernalia and books/toys) was a grave mistake. All the best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted June 2, 2010 Author Share Posted June 2, 2010 Yes, Third culture Kids is definitely a must read. And allow yourself to have a major culture shock. Homeschooling the children helps, I have found, as it gives you a sense of mission AND accomplishment. And don't leave anything behind!! Take with you as much as you can! We came to the Phillipines with just our clothes and it was very hard to start from scratch. Not bringing our stuff (read kitchen paraphernalia and books/toys) was a grave mistake. All the best! I'm glad to hear homeschooling helps. I figured it would help the kids have a more smooth transition but hadn't really thought about the ways it would benefit me to also have the constant in our lives. We will definitely take as much with us as we can. I know when we moved to Finland the company gave us a great re-location package and we really took most of our things with us. Hopefully we will have a similar situation this time around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makita Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 How exciting for you and your family. My DD would be insanely jealous - she desperately wants to go to China. I created a Squidoo lens some time ago that pulls together the resources I've found for learning Mandarin. My daughter started learning Mandarin 2 yrs ago. http://www.squidoo.com/funwithmandarin You might find something useful there. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted June 23, 2010 Author Share Posted June 23, 2010 How exciting for you and your family. My DD would be insanely jealous - she desperately wants to go to China. I created a Squidoo lens some time ago that pulls together the resources I've found for learning Mandarin. My daughter started learning Mandarin 2 yrs ago. http://www.squidoo.com/funwithmandarin You might find something useful there. :) Thank you, I'll check out the link! Is there anything on your list that you would consider must haves or that have particularly helpful? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makita Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 Is there anything on your list that you would consider must haves or that have particularly helpful? We really like the Better Chinese curriculum. It is what we use at home. http://www.squidoo.com/better-chinese We also have an iPhone so there are several Mandarin language apps that we enjoy. http://www.squidoo.com/mandarin-language-iphone-apps :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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