{"id":4809,"date":"2015-04-04T03:02:17","date_gmt":"2015-04-04T03:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?p=4809"},"modified":"2024-08-06T02:55:17","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T02:55:17","slug":"5-tips-to-full-immersion-with-mandarin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/5-tips-to-full-immersion-with-mandarin.html","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips to Full Immersion with Mandarin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over the years that I\u2019ve spent learning languages, I\u2019ve spent hundreds of dollars on Chinese apps<\/a>, books, courses<\/a> and anything else you might be able to imagine. Some were excellent tools, others ended up being just a fad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once I decided to move to China, though, I thought all my language learning woes would go away. Full immersion! I would learn the language in months, not years, I thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While most experts agree that the fastest way to acquire a language is through full immersion, what I\u2019ve learned is that doing so is not quite as easy as you may think. It is entirely possible to live in China and gain absolutely no linguistic benefit from the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re like me, that\u2019s unacceptable. Here are a few tips to make the most out of your full immersion experience with Mandarin.<\/p>\n\n\n

#1 Live off the Beaten Path<\/h2>\n\n\n

Some of the hardest places to learn Mandarin are in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. It\u2019s possible, of course, but with all of the opportunities to mingle with other expats it takes a certain level of determination to get away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The further inland that you decide to live, the fewer English-speaking expatriates you\u2019ll run into. The fewer expats, the easier it is to fully immerse yourself in language learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take my experience at a university in Xinjiang, for example. Out of 900 foreign students, I was the only native English speaker. When class was over, I had no choice but to use my Mandarin to communicate with my Tajik, Kazakh and Russian friends. We had no other common language!<\/p>\n\n\n

#2 Schedule \u201cNo English\u201d Days (or Weeks!)<\/h2>\n\n\n

This is easier to do if you\u2019re single but can still be a lot of fun with a partner. It can be done whether you live in China or anywhere else in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find a day when you know you won\u2019t be forced to speak English. If you\u2019re in China, make sure you can get away from any English-speaking opportunities. If you\u2019re in the US, see if you can schedule a day away at a nearby China town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During that day, set your mind to speak, read and listen to only Mandarin. I even go so far as to talk to myself in Mandarin while walking down the street to make sure my mind doesn\u2019t drift back into English!<\/p>\n\n\n

#3 Find a Chinese Roommate<\/h2>\n\n\n

Again, this can be done anywhere in the world. If you can\u2019t find a Chinese person near you, you\u2019re probably not looking hard enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since I\u2019m married to a native English speaker, I haven\u2019t really been able to take advantage of this trick. However, every single person I\u2019ve known who has either dated a Chinese person, married a Chinese person, or roomed with a Chinese person has experienced explosive growth in their language abilities. It\u2019s noticeable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boundaries will need to be set, of course \u2013 nobody likes giving free tutoring lessons \u2013 but the more you can live life in Mandarin, the better off you\u2019ll be.<\/p>\n\n\n

#4 Change the Language Settings on Your Devices<\/h2>\n\n\n

At first, this may seem trivial but in my experience it\u2019s been a challenge that has paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing the language settings on your phone, tablet computer, or other device will get you accustomed to seeing Mandarin characters in relevant settings. The more we can associate characters with real-world applications, the more likely we are to remember them\u2026or at least recognize them instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever I share this tip I also give this disclaimer: always make sure you know how to navigate back to the language settings menu before you make this drastic change. There\u2019s nothing worse than accidentally getting stuck in Mandarin because you don\u2019t know how to change it back to English!<\/p>\n\n\n

#5 Consume Your Media in Mandarin<\/h2>\n\n\n

This is another tip that is harder to do than you might expect. It\u2019s been a challenge for me to break the habits of reading the news in English every morning, listen to my regular podcasts and relax by watching my favorite TV show on Netflix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few ideas on how to change this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n