User Comments - user346951
user346951
Posted on: Saved by the Gong: History
March 10, 2008 at 9:09 PMI vote for great lesson. For those who didn't like it as much, I would add it is difficult to talk to Chinese without having some idea of the vocabulary of history. Suggestion on the characters - keep them the same, we can associate certain character traits if you keep them consistent. BTW, this level seems to me to be Upper Intermediate (UI). There has been too much a gap between UI and Advanced as to be gaping! This seems to be more halfway.
Posted on: 好莱坞大片
February 22, 2008 at 1:47 PMThanks Tsack, I scanned the entire discussion just to find your direct translations. BTW, Xiaohu, "computer" translation in Chinese depends whether you are in Taiwan or the mainland. Years ago, when I encountered people from the mainland, I couldn't figure out if they were saying calculator or computer.
Posted on: 橄榄球在中国
January 27, 2008 at 11:15 PMThanks for a lesson I did not expect to enjoy. (Not a football or professional sports fan). Just some notes others might wish to know: 火辣 - sexy, hot (as apposed to 泼辣 po1 - bad tempered woman.) 套近乎 - better translated as "kiss up to" 分一杯羹 - has a flavor of "get a cut of the action" I have a suggestion for subject matter. Take some of the current events and have two people discuss the key vocabulary. It would even be better if we had a short YouTube news clip.
Posted on: 八卦周刊：窃听门事件
January 6, 2008 at 5:50 PMChangye, As a Chinese and quite aware of China's past as a victim, there is a limit to which this issue can be pushed. The present media emphasis on Chinese victimization conveniently distracts the general populace from the growing economic inequality and corruption of local government. There is no comparison of the historic magnitude of injury inflicted by Chinese on Chinese versus Chinese by nonChinese.
Posted on: 城市的乞丐
December 12, 2007 at 3:22 AMI have a suggestion. You have several native English speakers on your staff, perhaps you might ask them for a more authentic translation. For example the following might more closely be translated as : 林子大了，什么鸟都有 "It takes all kinds (to make a world complete)" 好歹 "For better or worse" 人贩子 human trafficker
Posted on: Sydney, Australia
November 22, 2007 at 7:36 PMIs it only me? I haven't been able to access any pdf's for three days now. Can you give us an update on the status? Thanks
Posted on: Pushy Insurance Salesman
September 15, 2007 at 1:45 AMOne of the funniest times occurred to me when when a Mandarin-speaking long-distance telephone solicitor called my home. After listening to her pitch, I said I didn't understand Chinese. . . . . . of course that didn't work to get rid of her.
Posted on: Experiencing Agricultural Life
July 13, 2007 at 3:37 AMSorry guys, I have to vote no on this lesson format. It is too dilute. The learning value is not dense. I have to listen to too much fluffy stuff to learn just a few useful phrases. Given on one hand a less than authentic dialogue with many useful phrases, and a freewheeling discussion with only a few "diamonds in the rough," I choose the former. I only have some much time to spend and it better be spent well.
Posted on: Touring a Factory
July 12, 2007 at 3:58 AMSeriously now - Peter (or his company) is in China because of the renown excellent workmanship? facility of workers in English? Excellent environmental conditions? Please! Companies go to China because of the low prices. If Peter (or his company) cannot stand a little honest mirror gazing, pay more money and set up your business elsewhere. It is simply not right for a developed country to enforce their working standards and conditions upon the Third World. The US evolved through a period of child labor, environmental havoc and lasse faire capitalism. Only when the living standard rise sufficiently, will China outgrow this cheap production paradigm. Maybe Africa will be the next region and China will follow the path of Taiwan in development. (No longer producing cheap goods). Come on, a real "Peter" can't be this naive or as one previous poster "holier than thou." Peter cannot expect low costs AND high worker benefits, after all, he is footing the bill. Peter is presumably competing against other similar firms in Canada. There is no free economic lunch.
Posted on: Overseas Chinese
April 27, 2008 at 1:37 AMFor many years as an ABC, I felt somewhat in limbo. The term ABC is funny - as if no matter what your citizenship, one is always Chinese. There is an interesting book I'm reading by Thomas Sowell who relates that up until the mid 1990's, the 36 million overseas Chinese produced more goods and services than China itself. That makes me proud, giving me a sense of belonging to overseas Chinese as a legitimate accomplished group.