Introduction:

In a world of cultural diversity, the pursuit of language proficiency opens doors to new experiences and understanding. Meet Martin, a scholar from Denmark, whose journey led him from the historic halls of Cambridge to the bustling streets of Shanghai. His quest for linguistic mastery brought him to Mandarin Inn, where he delved into the intricacies of Mandarin Chinese. Join us as we explore Martin’s insights and experiences in his pursuit of mastering Mandarin.

在一个多元文化的世界里，语言技能的追求打开了通往新体验和理解的大门。让我们认识一下马丁，他是来自丹麦的学者，他的旅程将他从剑桥的历史大厅带到了繁华的上海街头。他对语言技能的追求将他带到了中文学校Mandarin Inn，在那里他深入探究了汉语的复杂性。让我们一起探索马丁在掌握汉语过程中的见解和经历。

Interview Transcript:

Embracing Cultural Immersion 拥抱文化融合

MI: Martin, could you share a bit about your background and what brought you to China? 

马丁，能否稍微介绍一下你的背景以及是什么带你来到中国的？

Martin: I’m Martin from Denmark, Copenhagen, but I left. I’ve lived and worked in Cambridge for almost twenty years now and I went to China for work. Then, after I completed a tour around many different cities, I embarked on this one-month study stay in Shanghai to improve my Mandarin. 

我是来自丹麦哥本哈根的马丁，但我已经离开那里了。我在剑桥生活和工作了将近二十年，然后我为了工作来到了中国。在我完成了对许多不同城市的参观后，我开始了在上海的一个月的学习生活，以提高我的中文水平。

The Value of Learning Mandarin 学习汉语的价值

MI: Do you think it is useful for foreigners to learn Mandarin? Why? And why do you want to learn Mandarin?

你认为外国人学习汉语有用吗？为什么？你为什么想学汉语？

Martin: As a graduate tutor at the University of Cambridge, I’ve had many Chinese students over the years, and I’ve always been impressed by the discipline of my Chinese students. Now, Wolfson College in Cambridge, where I work, has always been relatively popular with international students, including Chinese students. So, over the years, I gradually developed an interest in Chinese education, culture, and Chinese culture more generally. And I think learning the language is a great way to understand the culture and to learn a culture.

作为剑桥大学的研究生导师，多年来我接触了许多中国学生，我一直对我的中国学生的纪律感印象深刻。现在，我工作的剑桥大学沃尔夫森学院一直相对受到国际学生的欢迎，包括中国学生。因此，多年来，我逐渐对中国的教育、文化和中国文化产生了兴趣。我认为学习语言是了解文化和学习文化的好方法。

Navigating the Learning Process 学习过程中的导航

MI: As a good student, how do you learn Mandarin? Would you like to share your tips? 

作为一个好学生，你是如何学习汉语的？你想分享一些学习的技巧吗？

Martin: Am I a good student? I don’t know. Like most students, I should probably practice more. I’ve always enjoyed learning grammar concepts because grammar is something that we can understand. You can learn the rules and you can understand the rules. And then I find that very interesting. Whereas vocabulary is much more difficult to absorb because there’s nothing to understand. You just have to learn it by heart and memorize it. And I find that much more difficult.

我是一个好学生吗？我不知道。像大多数学生一样，我可能应该多练习。我一直很喜欢学习语法概念，因为语法是我们能理解的东西。你可以学习规则并理解规则。我觉得那很有趣。而词汇则更难吸收，因为没有什么可以理解的。你只能死记硬背。我觉得这困难得多。

The Role of Teachers 教师的角色

MI: Would you like to talk about your teacher? Do you like him/her? And what kinds of teacher’s behavior will encourage you to learn Mandarin?

你想谈谈你的老师吗？你喜欢他/她吗？什么样的教师行为会鼓励你学习汉语？

Martin: My teachers were great. I had two teachers, as you know, and they were very generous to answer my many questions when I approached the learning process in a very academic way, probably because I am an academic myself. But they were great and they also included lots of cultural background and contextual knowledge, and that made the sessions very interesting, especially these three-hour sessions, you know, they were very long. So, it was nice to have this sort of cultural background added in.

我的老师们都很棒。我有两位老师，正如你所知，当我可能以一种非常学术的方式接近学习过程时，他们非常慷慨地回答了我的许多问题，可能因为我本身就是一个学术男。但他们很棒，他们还讲了许多文化背景知识，这使得这些课程非常有趣，尤其是这些三小时的课程，你知道的，它们非常长。所以，能有这样的文化背景是很好的。

Immersive Learning Experiences 沉浸式学习体验

MI: In addition to regular courses, we also have a lot of online resources. Have you used them before? Do you find them helpful?

除了常规课程外，我们还有很多在线资源。你以前用过吗？你觉得它们有用吗？

Martin: I have to say I don’t enjoy online learning at all. It may be a generational difference, but I’m much more motivated by the personal contact that characterizes in-person teaching. And that’s also why I chose to take the intensive course in Mandarin Inn while I was in Shanghai. So I wanted to immerse myself in Chinese culture and the Chinese language, and you just cannot get that kind of immersion experience online.

我必须说我根本不喜欢在线学习。可能是因为代沟的缘故，但我更受到个人接触的激励，这是个人教学的特点。这也是为什么我选择在上海的时候在Mandarin Inn上学强化课程的原因。所以我想要沉浸在中国文化和中文语言中，而你在网上是无法得到这样的沉浸体验的。

Discovering Shanghai 探索上海

MI: Is this your first time in Shanghai? How do you find the city?

这是你第一次来上海吗？你觉得这个城市怎么样？

Martin: Shanghai is great. It was my first time there and as I said before, on my work trip before I came to Shanghai, I had also visited schools and universities in Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Dongguan, etc., and one of the many aspects of Shanghai that makes it, that makes the city very livable is the very well-developed transportation infrastructure. This was really great. I was never concerned about how I would get from a to b or how expensive it would be or how long it would take because both the metro and DiDi are so efficient and cheap.

上海很棒。这是我第一次去那里，就像我之前所说的，在我来上海之前的工作之旅上，我也访问了北京、南京、苏州、广州、东莞等地的学校和大学，上海让人觉得很宜居的一个方面是非常发达的交通基础设施。这真的很棒。我从来没有担心过如何从a到b，或者花多少钱，或者需要多长时间，因为地铁和滴滴都非常高效和便宜。

Impressions of Mandarin Inn 对汉吟的印象

MI: We are honored to have you studying at our school. How do you find Mandarin Inn? Could you provide us with some suggestions?

我们很荣幸能有你来我们学校学习。你觉得Mandarin Inn怎么样？你能提供一些建议吗？

Martin: I was referred to Mandarin Inn by a friend of a friend of mine who had taken her own training as a Chinese teacher at Mandarin Inn. In fact, we initially discussed whether she would be my teacher, but it didn’t work out because I wanted so many hours every day. That’s how I ended up at Mandarin Inn.

我是通过一个朋友的朋友介绍去的Mandarin Inn，她曾经在那里接受过自己的汉语教师培训。事实上，我们最初讨论过她是否会成为我的老师，但由于我每天想要这么多小时的课程，事情并没有成。所以我最后来到了Mandarin Inn。

Challenges and Rewards 挑战与回报

MI: Do you have any interesting things during your Mandarin study or the problems (details should be good) you meet in your daily life as the language to share to us?

你在学习汉语期间有什么有趣的事情或者你在日常生活中遇到的问题（细节应该很好），想和我们分享吗？

Martin: A real issue is just how difficult pronunciation really is. You know, all my Chinese teachers, I’ve had one in Cambridge and two in Shanghai. They have, of course, all been very generous in the sense that they understand what I say when I get the tones wrong. That’s acceptable for one because it’s in a learning context. And, but secondly, probably because Mandarin teachers themselves are probably more tolerant than normal people in real life.

一个真正的问题就是发音有多难。你知道，我所有的中文老师，我在剑桥有一个，上海有两个。当我发音不对时，他们都非常宽容，因为他们理解我在说什么。在学习环境中，这是可以接受的。但其次，可能是因为汉语老师本身可能比现实生活中的普通人更容忍。

Favorite Chinese Phrase 最喜欢的中文短语

MI: Finally, could you share with us your favorite Chinese sentence?

最后，你能和我们分享一下你最喜欢的中文句子吗？

Martin: I could say: 我来自剑桥的上海朋友的朋友在Mandarin Inn学习当中文老师。(语法上可以理解.）

Martin’s journey in learning Mandarin reflects the dedication and passion many language learners bring to their studies. His experience at Mandarin Inn highlights the importance of immersive learning environments and the role of dedicated teachers in facilitating language acquisition. As Martin continues to navigate the challenges of mastering Mandarin, his story serves as an inspiration to others embarking on their own language learning journeys.

马丁学习汉语的旅程反映了许多语言学习者在学习过程中带来的专注和激情。他在Mandarin Inn的经历突显了沉浸式学习环境的重要性以及专注教师在促进语言习得中的作用。随着马丁继续应对掌握汉语的挑战，他的故事成为其他人踏上语言学习之旅的启示。

Are you inspired by Martin’s story and eager to embark on your own language learning adventure? Visit Mandarin Inn Chinese School or check our courses to learn more about our courses and start your journey towards linguistic and cultural fluency today!