User Comments - podster

Posted on: Focus and Specialization

哈哈，that is impressive. 20 bottles for just the two of you, already opened no less. Were you sitting at a really large table? I just had an idea for a new elementary lesson: "I didn't order this" Or perhaps "I'm not paying for your mistake." Thanks for sharing, I'm sure most of us have similar stories.

Posted on: Focus and Specialization

Regarding other resources, I would like to see podcasts by CPod that are "infomercials" for Skritter and Pleco, since these are two great resources that are not only complementary to CPod, they also integrate well on the technology side.  Skritter in particular has all the CPod vocabulary lists.  Exporting lists to Pleco is a bit complex and less user friendly, but definitely worth learning how to do as it makes flashcard review portable, even without Internet acess.  I think CPod, Skritter, and Pleco are all best-in-class at what they do, and make a great combination.

To add to what  others have said here, when I recommend CPod to people I usually say its great because when you find a lesson that is at the intersection of your topic of interest and your abilitiy level (or slightly above) it is a very powerful motivator and makes it meaningful and memorable.  There are a lot of things I would change about CPod, but the basic methodology and curriculum is absolutely not one of them.

Posted on: Do You Like Shanghai?

我 喜欢 上海。

wǒ xǐhuan Shànghǎi.

也 喜欢 香港.

yě xǐhuān Xiānggǎng.

Posted on: An Improved Understanding of Improve

Interesting. So how would you say "get a better price" if you are the buyer and therefore want the price to be lower?

Posted on: Do You Like Shanghai?

With all respect to Di Lu, I'm fairly sure the comment about the woman being a "smart ass" was a joke. I can infer that the woman in the dialog either does not like Shanghai or likes Hong Kong better, even though she does not directly offer an opinion about Shanghai.  Maybe this is because the other speaker said that he likes Shanghai.  Maybe I am off base, but this seems like a very Chinese way to avoid seeming confrontational.  

Or maybe modern Chinese (Di Lu and her fellow Shanghai natives) don't have patience for people "beating around the bush"? 

The written introduction to the lesson seemed to allude to the issues of subtlety and Shanghai pride, but it was not discussed in the lesson.

And for the record, 我喜欢上海。 wǒ xǐhuan shànghǎi

Posted on: Self-Taught Degrees in China

Thanks. I cut that part out ( 国企和事业单位如果是已经被录用的话，. . .)

but is the "on site training certification" the same as a 自考文凭？ I thought the former would be provided by the company, whereas the latter would come from a 3rd party at the employee's initiative.

Posted on: Self-Taught Degrees in China

Old codgers roaming the streets; scary. Can I retire to China and get a degree in English, or some such?

Anyway, I thought the whole point of the dialog was that these alternative institutions do not offer credentials that are widely accepted. I wonder what kind of accreditation system China has. (" 国家也是承认自考学历的 ")I'm familiar with some of the more reputable companies, such as Raffles and New Oriental Education, but like pretzellogic I had not heard that one could get a baccalaureate by going somewhere other than a 正规院校.

Posted on: Self-Taught Degrees in China

Re: " . . . 连在职进修的文凭都有用，加工资评职称都不受影响"

I'm having a bit of trouble understanding this in context, as it seems to be a non-sequitur. The translation is "even on-site training certification would be useful; wage increases and job titles wouldn't be affected."

I'm having trouble understanding how this follows from an observation that public companies and institutions wouldn't hire somebody (or at least not give credit for somebody) with a 自考文凭.

Posted on: Self-Taught Degrees in China

timely:  US based for-profit universities have recently been investiaged, apparently for generating lots  of student loans but not so many graduates, in addition to having questionable standards in some cases.

Posted on: The Seven Year Itch 2: Facing Divorce

CPod staff,

Thanks for provinding the link to the original part of the series in the introduction.   I was just thinking what a big oversight this had been on previoius series.