Lessons in Learning Chinese: Pete Jackson
This week in our Lessons in Learning Chinese series, we feature Pete Jackson. In his own words:
Hi, my name is Pete Jackson. I’m originally from Warwickshire in the UK, and I currently live in Shanghai, where I edit Shanghai247.net [no longer available], a website bringing artists together and providing news on the music and arts scene in Shanghai. I first came to China in 2006, just before starting a Chinese Studies degree at Oxford University. I studied in Beijing for 6 months in 2008 and came to Shanghai in 2010 as soon as I graduated, and have been here ever since.
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How long have you been studying Chinese? In what context? For what purpose?
I began studying Chinese 6 years ago when I began my undergraduate degree in Chinese Studies. To this day I’m not entirely sure why I picked that course, having never been to China and not knowing anything about the country. I think I just wanted to study a third of the world – that and I liked Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Luckily, it’s worked out and learning Chinese has given me access to a whole range of new knowledge and experiences.
I’ve lived in Shanghai for the past two years and used Chinese a lot in my work. I worked as a translator in a marketing department for a school, and some months ago I began editing shanghai247.net, an alternative music and arts website for Shanghai. We’re starting to publish more articles in Chinese and getting involved more on Chinese social media, which is really pushing me to start using my language more.
Do you have a certain philosophy for how you approach learning Chinese? Do you have any grand 想法 s about it all?
I think you’ve got to accept that mastering Chinese is a task that could take decades, and don’t get put off if you don’t think you’re making progress. If you don’t break up the task into manageable bits, you will go crazy.
Find things that you want to read and people you want to talk to in Chinese. I made the most progress when I was reading texts I liked and when I found people I wanted to communicate with more, people with similar interests to myself.
What aspects of studying Chinese do you enjoy the most? (this can be specific study resources, methods, activities, social aspects etc.)
I actually really enjoyed studying classical Chinese, which a lot of my classmates hated. Translating it was like solving a really interesting puzzle, and the texts were fascinating. Reading the Shiji was like reading a cool manga, and Zhuangzi was a mind-expanding trip.
These days, I just enjoy meeting new people in Shanghai, especially when the conversation is fuelled by copious amounts of good food and Qingdao.
What mistakes do you see other language learners make? What should people NOT do when studying Chinese?
I think it’s a false economy when people say they don’t want to learn characters. Being literate is surprisingly useful, and there’s only so far you can go with pinyin before it becomes super confusing. Also, never think that tones aren’t important. If you don’t get it right at the beginning, you’ll have to relearn everything all over again. I’m discovering that now because I learned most of my vocab visually, without remembering the tones. Big mistake.
Any favorite words or phrases? (loads don’t have equivalents in English)
Recently a friend told me that she was going to play badminton and that she would turn into a lemon. This is because when you get cramp in Chinese you call it 酸痛 , and lemons are sour, 酸 . That’s a recent favorite.
I also love how numbers are insults for no particular reason (not one that I have found out yet, anyway). Calling someone 二 is really funny to me, and saying 你十三点啦！ (you’re thirteen o’clock!) is a really satisfying insult, especially in Shanghainese.
Funny stories from your experience? Embarrassing language mistakes, misunderstandings, surreal moments etc.
I tried to learn a bit of Shanghainese a while back. Turns out that in Shanghainese saying 我吃饱了 (I’m full) sounds awfully similar to 我赤膊了 (I’m naked [give or take]). I made that mistake whilst eating dinner with the family of a 9-year-old I tutored. They found it pretty funny though, luckily. That was the day I decided Shanghainese was too difficult.
Also, no one will ever let me forget the time I ordered silkworms by mistake. We were at a seafood restaurant, and I assumed that even though some of these things on the menu had the insect radical in the name, they would be some sort of shellfish. Ended up having to eat a plate of silkworms and pretend that I enjoyed it. Not making that mistake again.
Any memorable milestones? Any, “Aha!”, or eureka moments?
I stayed with a Chinese family for 2 months and when I left, I realized that I was really going to miss them, and that I had made a genuine friendship with people who didn’t speak my language at all. That was a nice feeling.
How do you keep yourself motivated while studying Chinese?
Playing music and rehearsing with Chinese musicians has been the most rewarding thing for me. When you share interests with people, you’re motivated to do things that you enjoy together, and the language progress comes more naturally. It’s less artificial than a language exchange, as you automatically have projects and goals in common.
Absolute, hands down, favorite Chinese dish?
Don’t make me choose! Maybe 东坡肉 in Hangzhou, really nice meat with a big thick layer of fat. Mmmmmm. Also, tofu kebabs at 3am.
Do you have one last tip for something that our readers can do TODAY to improve their Chinese?
Invite a Chinese friend to dinner, preferably somewhere with the aforementioned quantities of cheap Qingdao. Also, a bit of a plug, but read some cool articles in Chinese here [link no longer available]!
Thanks Pete for the great advice, as well as some cool resources for all those music & arts lovers to check out! I’d just add one more resource to that list: FluentU. FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app. P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
If you’re interested in being featured in our Lessons in Learning Chinese series, please let us know.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
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And One More Thing...
FluentU at ACTFL
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