User Comments - John

Posted on: Welcome to ChinesePod

gamezila1987,

Thanks for the nice comment! Keep working hard, and you'll get there.

Posted on: Counterfeit Money

matthewfelgate,

Our search index needs to be regenerated from time to time. It now includes this lesson.

Thanks!

Posted on: Buying a Plasma TV

changye,

I think this is definitely a case of words being used imprecisely in different cultures. In China, you hear 液晶电视, but 等离子电视 is not at all common unless you're in a technical discussion with those in the know. In the U.S., I have heard "plasma TV" a lot, but rarely ever "LCD TV" (and other Americans, please correct me if I'm wrong). What you hear a lot is "flatscreen TV," which seems to encompass both plasma and LCD, but in fact refers to the outward appearance of the screen rather than the display technologies at work inside the screen.

So you're all definitely correct in pointing out some imprecision in our terminology, but I think this imprecision stems from corresponding imprecision in both Chinese and (American) English.

If other native speakers feel that LCD TV is a more natural translation, we can definitely change it, although I'm afraid it's a bit late to change the words we used in the podcast...

Translation issues aside, though, in Chinese, you're definitely best off using 液晶电视!

Posted on: Buying a Plasma TV

cassie,

哈哈，我就是这么绝对！ :P

其实我比较珍惜时间，欣赏自由，想看什么就看什么。我不会觉得无聊而看电视。无聊的话，肯定会上网！

Posted on: Buying a Plasma TV

mark,

I have a big-screen TV in my 1-year-old home (Chinese style), but my wife and I only use it for watching DVDs and playing PS2.

看电视的确就是浪费时间！

Posted on: This Week's Lessons and Introducing Sarah

Yes, that's 芜湖, not whoo-hoo.

Posted on: My Foreign teacher

Thanks, RJ. I fixed it.

Posted on: My Foreign teacher

ancalagon,

This isn't going to come as any great revelation, but you just need practice. The way I did it was to move to China and talk to people a lot, even when I didn't totally understand them. I had to ask them to repeat again and again. Eventually, it started clicking.

If you can't talk to native speakers, then you can listen to recorded material over and over again. I did some of that too, and I feel that listening to the same thing 20 times until I get it on my own (instead of listening 3 times and then checking the transcript) helps a lot.

You need input, and you've got to struggle.

Posted on: My Foreign teacher

artkho,

But after reading the transcript, I hope you listened to the actual audio again. Listening is key!

Posted on: My Foreign teacher

RJ,

Just doing my job! (I do accept free beers, though...)