We'll admit that your debut in China didn't go over so well. Everyone knows the tones are tough, but when Jackie Chan saved your life and you told him to... no... no... let's not dwell on obscenities. I was surprised the audience hounded you out of the theater with pitchforks though (and where did those torches come from?). At least your publicist is happy at your making the front page of Xinhua!

But it's not the end of the world. We just want you to listen to this podcast, since maybe you need a little grounding from the pros. Acting in China is hard work: voice training, limericks, memorization and sweat, sweat, sweat. But the good news is that there's no need for you to enroll in the Central Drama Academy: today we're bringing its voice training secrets right to you.
 said on
October 5, 2008
Good job publishing on the weekend. This is when I actually have the most time to buckle down and study.

I'd guess I understood about 70% of that though. Which is probably about right for intermediate?
 said on
October 5, 2008
There appears to be a transcription error in the text. 拿着鳎目的喇叭急了 should surely be 拿着鳎目的喇嘛急了.
 said on
October 5, 2008
"太多喇嘛,喇叭啦..." Echo just muttered. Thanks for the catch Imron, fixed. :)

--dave
 said on
October 5, 2008
I like to pretend I spotted the difference while reading along as the guy was saying it :-) Alas it took a good few times listening before I was even able to find the line in the podcast :-)

Also, in the vocab section, I'm not sure if "dumb person" is a good translations for 哑巴, as people might think of "dumb as in stupid", rather than "dumb as in mute". And while I'm being picky, limerick is more of a rhyme/poem with a reasonably fixed form, which is quite different from a 绕口令 - perhaps tongue-twister would be a better word?
 said on
October 5, 2008
"扁担长,板凳宽,扁担比板凳长,板凳比扁担宽,扁担要绑在板凳上,板凳不让扁担绑在板凳上,扁担偏要绑在板凳上。"

--That's my favorite one from when I was 5! Although someone says everyone knows it...

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
 said on
October 5, 2008
My suggestions it seems have been taken,

Rather than left as forsaken.

What a pity however

That despite best endeavour

I can't seem to think of a good way to end this limerick ;-)

 said on
October 5, 2008
@imron - we'll meet your bad rhyme and raise you some bad meter:

Higgeldy-piggedly

Imron and company

Better Chinese than their

外国同胞

Helpfully fix-up our

Sineducational

Podcasts and popups and

值得自豪
 said on
October 5, 2008
I'm very impressed you can all understand this. I knew it was above my level, but tried listening anyway. If I can get to 70% comprehension I'll be very happy.
 said on
October 5, 2008
@jim.veseley,

加油,我们都相信你能行!

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
 said on
October 27, 2008
in the text, the popup for 喇嘛 is lāma, but the vocab list says lǎma. and my dictionary says it's both!
 said on
October 27, 2008
@weijin - I believe both are correct but one is dominant. We should be using the dominant form everywhere - will check with Echo and report back.
 said on
October 27, 2008
@weijin,

"喇" 在字典上有两个音, la1 和 la3,一般人们用三声的,在“喇嘛”这个词里,是三声的。我们已经把text里边的popup改过了。

非常感谢啊!

另外,能不能跟我们分享一下你的中文名字?weijin--围巾?:)

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com

 said on
October 28, 2008
哈哈当然不是围巾了吧;P 我叫维瑾。
 said on
October 28, 2008
@weijin,

......好有文化的名字,惭愧惭愧 #. #

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com