Aarjan is from Canada and has been studying Chinese at Mandarin Inn for three months. He thinks that learning a new language is a very rewarding process. It takes time, effort, and patience. It requires you to step outside of your comfort zone and take risks. You might find yourself changing for the better in unexpected ways as you learn a language. Let’s see what he has said about his Chinese learning journey!
Aarjan来自加拿大，在Mandarin Inn学习了有3个月的汉语。他觉得学习一门新的语言是一个非常有意义的过程。它需要时间、努力和耐心。它要求你走出你的舒适区并承担风险。在学习语言的过程中，你可能会发现自己会以意想不到的方式改变。一起来听听他是怎么说的吧！
Q: Please tell us how long you have stayed in China, how long you have studied at Mandarin Inn, what course you are learning, and what your current Chinese level is.
请告诉我们你在中国待了多久，在Mandarin Inn学习了多久，你正在学习的课程是什么，以及你目前的汉语水平等级。
A: My name is Aarjan and I’m originally from Canada. Now I’m working here, in Shanghai, as an English teacher. I teach very young students who are just beginning to learn English, so I think I can often relate to them. This is the first Chinese course I’ve ever taken, and I feel all the common feelings that come with learning a new language: frustrations, struggles, and embarrassments. But eventually, you will have the satisfaction when you get something right. I’m sure my 4-year-old students must feel the same. And learning a new language in a unique way has been very instructive to me and it allows me to strike a chord with my students.
我叫Aarjan，我来自加拿大，目前在上海工作，是一名英语老师。我教的学生都是小孩子，他们刚刚开始学习英语，所以我觉得我经常能与他们产生共鸣。这是我上的第一堂中文课，我感受到了学习一门新语言时的所有常见感受：挫折感、挣扎感、尴尬感，但最终，当你做对一件事的时候，会得到很大的的满足感。我相信我4岁的学生一定也有这种感觉，而且以一种不同寻常的方式学习一种新的语言对我非常有启发，这让我和我的学生们产生了共鸣。
Q: Why did you come to China?
你为什么来中国?
A: My dad lived in China for some years in the 80s. He did his schooling here and graduated with degrees in business and medicine. He worked and lived in Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou for all the 80s and most of the 90s but left around the time when I was born. I grew up with these fascinating stories about what happened in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Beijing in the 80s. I was intrigued and have always wanted to see what it was like in real life.
我父亲在80年代在中国生活了一段时间。他在这里接受了教育，毕业时获得了商业和医学学位。在整个80年代和90年代的大部分时间里，他在上海、北京和广州交替工作和生活，但在我出生的时候就离开了。我是在听着这些关于80年代上海、香港和北京的趣事中长大。我很着迷，真的想看看现实生活是什么样子。
Q: Do you think it is helpful for foreigners to learn Mandarin? Why? And what makes you want to learn Mandarin?
你认为外国人学习中文有用吗，为什么? 你为什么想学中文?
A: If you live in China, learning Chinese is not a bad idea. It’s very useful actually. Just recently I found out you can use coupons on delivery apps. It can be something small like that or maybe something bigger like knowing the difference between “it’s raining outside” and “it’s pouring fish outside”. I know that speaking Chinese is a requirement for a lot of job opportunities in China, so if you wanted to work here knowing Chinese is a huge advantage. Moreover, learning a new language is a very rewarding process. Although It takes time, effort, and patience; it requires you to step outside of your comfort zone and take risks, but you might find yourself changing for the better in unexpected ways in this wonderful journey.
如果你生活在中国，学习中文并不是一个坏主意。它实际上是非常有用的。就在最近，我发现你可以在快递应用程序上使用优惠券。学习中文对生活很有帮助，可以是这样的小事，也可能是更大的事，比如知道 “外面下雨了 “和 “外面下鱼了 “之间的区别。我知道在中国，懂中文是很多工作的先决条件，所以如果你想在这里工作，会中文是一项重要的条件。但不仅如此，学习一种新的语言是一个非常有意义的过程。它需要时间、努力和耐心。它要求你走出你的舒适区并承担风险。在学习语言的过程中，你可能会发现自己会以意想不到的方式改变。
Q: As a good student, how do you learn Mandarin? Would you like to share your tips? How do you encourage yourself during daily learning?
作为一名好学生，你是如何学习中文的? 你想分享一下自己的学习建议吗? 你学中文的时候是怎样激励自己的?
A: I got a lot of Chinese practice with my students. They are my first Chinese teachers. One learning tip I can share is “practice makes perfect.” I heard someone says:“language learning is all about input”. It is true that you need a good teacher to teach and guide you, but the best way to improve is just to do it. In terms of motivation, I’m very lucky to have my instructor. She keeps me motivated to learn Chinese. I think reading Chinese stories or watching Chinese movies can also be very good motivations. Someone around the office told me White Snake (2019) is a good movie.
我的很多普通话练习是和我的学生一起进行的。他们是我的第一个中文老师。我有一个建议，那就是：练习、练习、练习。我听到有人说，”语言学习都是输入”，我认为这有点道理。的确，你需要一个好的老师来教你指导你，但要想进步，最好的办法就是去做。就动力而言，我非常幸运，因为我遇到了我的老师。她让我有动力去学习中文。我认为阅读中国故事或看中国电影也是很好的动力。我的办公室有人告诉我《白蛇传》（2019）是一部好电影。
Q: Would you like to talk about your teacher, do you like him/her? And what kind of teacher’s behavior will encourage you to learn Mandarin?
想谈谈你的老师吗，你喜欢他/她吗? 老师什么样的行为会鼓励你学习中文?
A: Elaine, my teacher, is wonderful. She is patient and caring and seldom gets angry about my mistakes even though she can. What makes her a great teacher is that she’s an interesting person. She’s passionate about Chinese history and culture so she always mentions something fascinating that happened a thousand years ago or something like that. If your learning partner is fun to talk to, practice is not so painful.
我的老师Elaine非常好。她很有耐心和细心，很少因为我的错误而生气。她之所以是个好老师，是因为她很有趣。她对中国历史和文化充满热情，所以她总是提到一千年前发生的一些迷人的事情，或者类似的事情。如果你的谈话伙伴很有趣，练习就不会那么痛苦了。
Q: Would you happen to have any suggestions about Mandarin Inn online class and our management?
你对Mandarin Inn的线上课程和我们的管理有什么建议吗?
A: Doing online classes is not as fun as doing face-to-face classes, but during this epidemic period, I’m just happy that we can even continue to have lessons. Being a teacher myself I know how frustrating it can be on the other side, so I’m grateful that my teachers have the patience to organize the online classes.
在线课程并不像做现场课程那样有趣，但特殊情况下我们能有课程就很好了。我自己也是一名教师，我知道作为屏幕的另一方可能会令人沮丧，所以我很感谢我的老师有足够的耐心来上网课。
Q: Recently, we are having free online open classes, do you have any suggestions? What subject would you be interested in?
我们最近在做免费的在线公开课，你对此有什么建议呢，或者你有什么感兴趣的方面吗?
A: The public online classes look fun, but I’ve never attended one. Maybe the calligraphy open class could be interesting.
公共在线课程看起来很有趣，但我从来没有参加过。也许关于书法的公开在线课程会很有趣。
Q: Final question, please say a Chinese sentence that you like, and tell us why.
最后，请说出一个你最喜欢的汉语句子，并说明原因。
A: 千里之行，始于足下。（完）
The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.
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