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Absolute Beginners - The Lost Generation
Aug 02, 2010
Show notes
We may be producing Chinese lessons, but we like to think of ourselves as inspired in our mission by great literature. So hats off to you Hemingway. As in your masterpiece The Sun Also Rises, our dialogue for today leaves it deliberately unclear whether an important character is simply having a bad day, or is in fact a member of the walking undead.We encourage you to think this question through as you listen to our Chinese podcast. And let us know what you decide. We've enabled our speaking practice hotline for this lesson, so if you're a premium subscriber, give us a call at the number listed on this lesson's text page and introduce yourself. Our teachers will get back to you in a day or so with mostly encouraging and constructive feedback, unless you happen to get Xiao Zhang, who is unrepentantly surly before noon.
Elementary - Your Phone Service is Terminated
Jul 31, 2010
Show notes
We've thrown a few difficult elementary lessons at you recently, so in this lesson we slow things down a bit. If you've just emerged from our Absolute Beginner level and are hitting the panic button at what is considered elementary Chinese hereabouts, this lesson is for you. It's dead easy, except for one line which... well... let's not spoil the fun. Just join Brendan and Echo and we hope to see you intact on the other side.
Intermediate - Harry Potter in Chinese
Jul 27, 2010
Show notes
And as the implications of his actions sank in, the boy wizard plunged into a paroxysm of self-doubt. Harry may not have started the fight, but he had ended it decisively. Seconds earlier, the burst of flame from his wand had exploded mid-air, incinerating the cult leader where he stood while throwing the rest of his followers back against the wall with bone-crushing force. "What have I become," Harry wept as his gaze swept over the carnage, the full weight of death at last upon the boy. It was then that Dumbledore emerged from the shadows. "It is true that blood will have blood," the old man sighed, "and we must be vigilant lest we become too much like those whose forces we oppose." The professor paused to let his words sink in. He placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder as if to say that this too will pass. "But splittists are an insidious threat to the sanctity of a harmonious state and it was fitting for you to treat them harshly."
Absolute Beginners - The Insincere Apology
Jul 26, 2010
Show notes
"I don't know if this is the most horrific lesson we've produced," Brendan said coming out of the studio, "but it has to be close." And so we feel torn. On the one hand, this lesson is pretty much ideal for anyone new to mandarin. Our dialogue and vocabulary are practical without being boring, and they teach one of the most useful things anyone new to China needs to know: the art of the insincere apology.That said, this lesson may be a bit too intense for a getting-to-know-you session. Or perhaps the word is traumatic. It's a bit like taking a first date to Apocalypse Now, then going home to watch the ending again on DVD. In slow motion. So we're torn, but that still won't stop us from publishing it. If you're a newcomer to the Chinese language, check out this lesson and let us know what you think. And if you have any questions or comments, feel free to write Echo anytime at echo@popupchinese.com.
Elementary - Girlfriend of Dubious Provenance
Jul 19, 2010
Show notes
Our office has recently been abuzz with the news that Marlin, one of our voice actors, has picked up a girlfriend of dubious provenance. Dubious here not meaning skeptical or suspicious, just highlighting the fact that no-one seems clear where exactly she's from, least of all Marlin himself. Echo's best guess was Lithuania. We'll report back with the specifics when we figure them out.
Advanced - Terror on the High Seas
Jul 15, 2010
Show notes
The rumbling explosion in the lower hold and increasingly acrid smoke on deck sent the captain's assistant scurrying into her master's cabin. But after closing and barring the door behind her, the young woman turned to the captain and froze in astonishment. Expecting to see him prepared for a fight in defense of command, the girl was shocked to find the man bent calmly over his desk examining the nautical charts with a pocket glass, his sword lying sheathed by the nightstand.Avast mateys! Our Chinese lesson for today is an advanced listening test designed for near-native speakers. If you think your mandarin is pushing towards fluency, try listening to our dialogue a single time before clicking through to our quiz and finding out how much you really understood. And if you have any questions? Either leave us a comment below, or click through to the text page to examine our word-by-word annotated transcript and find out what you missed.
Absolute Beginners - The Industrial Accident
Jul 13, 2010
Show notes
You wouldn't believe the number of times we've heard these complaints from newcomers. "I was just passing through Yangshuo," the victim usually starts, staring forlornly at the massive cast encasing their lower torso. "Who'd have thought there would be a freak industrial accident within minutes of my arrival?" And to be fair, for travellers with limited experience in southern China, the scenario does sound seductively implausible.Statistics do not lie though, and they tell us that you'll need this podcast sooner rather than later. Which is why we're happy to offer this safety-first lesson in Chinese that will teach you how to identify wounded limbs to would-be rescuers. Leaving aside any discussion of China's industrial safety record, we think you'll find this useful language even if you're never caught in a collapsing steel mill or exploding chemical plant. Because at the very least, learning to say what hurts and where it hurts will save you from embarrassing pantomime the next time you need to see a doctor in China.
Intermediate - A Life of Science
Jul 12, 2010
Show notes
Doctor Lu surveyed his workplace with a smile. Four months ago the prominent Chinese scientist had relocated to a world-famous university in southern California. And although it had taken him a few weeks to adjust to the rhythm of life in America, the professor had settled in quite well. There were still days he missed the bustle of life in Nanjing, but the United States had benefits China could still not offer, not the least of which was the new state-of-the-art bioinformatics laboratory his department chair had used to lure him across the Pacific.All in all, between his new research center and his exceptionally talented graduate students, the worst Professor Lu could say about his new position was the complex approval process required for even the most transparently harmless biochemical research. Fortunately, given that his lab bordered the edge of campus, this extra layer of administrative scrutiny had yet to frustrate him. And as long as he continued to publish and draw the department new grant money, his life promised to be as tranquil and productive as any man of science could reasonably expect.
Elementary - The Tremendous Inconvenience of Modern Life
Jul 08, 2010
Show notes
Brendan stepped gingerly past Echo's sleeping body. "Sorry about the time," he glanced at his watch. It was three in the afternoon, and our recording session had been scheduled to start at noon. "I had to go to the bank to pay my power bill and take out enough cash to cover the apartment management fee," he admitted sheepishly. There was not much else to be said. Such is life with the Bank of China.Incidentally, while this is somewhat offtopic, you more advanced speakers who forced Brendan to jump on his sword in our comment section earlier this week will be pleased to hear we recorded some more good intermediate and advanced dialogues earlier this week. So if you're ahead of the Elementary level and spinning your wheels looking for more intermediate and advanced lessons, be sure to check back early next week when they're scheduled for release.
Elementary - Baby Names and Severed Ears
Jul 05, 2010
Show notes
Before you write Steve Jobs to complain about this podcast, let us say a quick word in our defense. After all, it isn't as if we said to our voice actors, "write us a dialogue about baby names, but don't forget to stuff a few severed body parts in there." The ear worked its way in more naturally. "It's really the elephant in the room when it comes to this lesson," as Brendan said coming out of the studio. "How could we avoid the subject when the dialogue paints such a gruesome picture all on its own?"And it's true: one of the characters in today's Chinese dialogue is an ideograph of a human hand holding a severed ear. Once you know which character it is, we're fairly sure you won't forget it. In the meantime, if you think you can spot it, click through to our text page and try to pick out the culprit before Brendan and Echo identify it for you in the podcast.
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