User Comments - bodawei

Posted on: Checking out at a Hotel

Hi cinnamonfern

I love your story of success, thanks - yes, it is such a high when you can see improvement yourself. (And ChinesePod podcasts have definitely improved through time.)

Hee hee - they won't think much of HK dollars here any more - there was a time when they were worth the same. On the other hand I see shops in HK that say that they will accept RMB - very kind of them. :)

Posted on: Buying High Quality DVDs

听写第二个句子的回答不对。 

(The recording of the second dictation sentence is different to the answer given.)

Posted on: Diet Coke

There are two approaches to a 'caffeine-free' experience in China. First, check the labels of what you are buying to see that caffeine is not an ingredient. You would need to learn the characters: 咖啡因 kāfēiyīn (caffeine) - a transliteration of caffeine. Labelling on most products is similar to labelling in the West, but I am not sure that caffeine is always identified as an ingredient in food products, unless it is added, You would need to apply the same logic as you do when outside China: check what foods contain caffeine. Eg. if you know certain cola drinks contain caffeine don't buy them. Incidentally in checking this I read that a chocolate bar contains about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of de-caffeinated coffee! (That is, almost none.)

A second approach is when ordering something like coffee and you want it decaffeinated: ask for 脱咖啡因的.. tuō kāfēiyīn de (decaffeinated).

You are lucky that all of the characters are 1st tone, except de (no tone).

Hope that helps.

Posted on: Getting Satellite TV

I have been told that the direction for the dish for Chinese satellites and foreign satellites is different (I realise I am sounding naive.) Mine does face south, but a nearby one in our 小区 faces sort of west, maybe south-west. Actually because there is half an attempt to hide these things by some people in the city (perhaps because the owners are public servants), I have seen them inside the house, facing a window.

Posted on: Getting Satellite TV

’喜羊羊与灰太狼‘。。哦，很可爱 ..:)

One day my wife and I watched an Australian cartoon film Blinky Bill's Christmas (??) here in China - all dubbed except for the songs which were left in the original.

The bizarre thing is that the station called it a German film. (The country of origin stays on bottom right of the screen for the whole film.)

Posted on: A Chinese Take on Language Learning

Baba

Thanks for your take on that - and let me say you have a very sharp ear.

When I get some free time I will have another listen to the interview as you suggest. I thought I knew a Kiwi accent and clearly I have a lot to learn. (And it is not only Kiwi rugby league footballers I listen to; I talk to Kiwis here every other day.) I don't think she'd be mistaken for a NATIVE Kiwi, eh? :)

Posted on: A Chinese Take on Language Learning

I believe the German school system uses British texts when learning English (for some states if not the whole country.) Some Germans I meet say it the right way. :)

Posted on: Car Crash

Hi zhong_bide

'I still think the Chinese cops are much more visible than at home'

I did ponder above on some of the reasons why this is so. The data suggests that Australia has around a factor of 10 times the police force in China on a per capita basis. I can't personally vouch for the data but it is probably about as reliable as comparable data in Australia - it is found in peer-reviewed academic journals published in the West. If you are interested I can point you to some of the reading. But leaving data aside it just makes sense: China ranks what around 150 in GDP per capita - it is still a poor country - it does not have the resources that we have. Beyond this there are cultural reasons why China can get away with a smaller force (self-policing has a long history.) Finally, China is considerably bigger and the population is more dispersed; the cost of policing is significantly higher per skm.

Posted on: A Chinese Take on Language Learning

Hi Baba

'it's quite clearly a Kiwi accent'

I can hear that it is not American, not Canadian, not English, not South African but I can't hear a 'clear' Kiwi accent - to my ear she could have lived in Sydney for 10 years, hence my Trans-Tasman comment (yes, there are almost more Kiwis there than in Auckland.) Can you explain what exactly makes it Kiwi? Do you mean 'clearly' on a couple of words after listening for two or three minutes, or every word? (Serious question.) I need to improve my Kiwi radar.

Also, if we weren't given the pointer (she lived in Auckland for 10 years) do you think you would still describe it as 'clearly' Kiwi?

Please don't tell me you think she has a strong Kiwi accent. :)

Posted on: A Chinese Take on Language Learning

'So instead of zebra you say zedbra?'

Hi RJ - you know I have never thought about that before, I guess we do. With a silent 'd'. We don't say zeeeebra.