User Comments - chris

Posted on: Lesson Preview, New Team Member

Bababardwan,

On the "Me" homepage, the second tab (next to "my lessons" is "Vocabulary".  Click on it.  Then on the righthand side of the screen, scroll down a little and you should see a box titled "Resources" with "Export vocabulary" in it.  Click on this.

On the next screen you will see 2 steps.  The first step requires you to select which of your personal vocab lists you want to export.  The second step asks you whether you want "cmv" format or "xml".  Click on "Export to xml".

When the next prompt screen pops us, select "save" and save it to somewhere convenient on your computer.

Finally, you need to open the xml file inside excel.  You'll get a prompt screen asking you how you want to open the file, select the first option "As an XML list".

Hey presto.

[I should caveat that this method has been working fine for me for last couple of months, but I've just tried to do it again now with my latest vocab list and I'm getting an error message after the final step above.....I'm going to try and reboot now to see if it helps!]

Chris

Posted on: Lesson Preview, New Team Member

Pete and Light487,

Sounds like a great idea, the "column method".  I should think that CPod's excel extraction tool in the Vocabulary section would be very useful in this regard.  If you know how to manipulate excel, I would think it would be very easy to set up the 6 column method, print-off your vocab list and get started!

I am about to try it now!

Chris

Posted on: Street Food Buffet

Siyao

Make sure you have selected both audio AND video for synchronsation within itunes.  I had the same problem when cpod first started this video series and it was driving me crazy.  I think itunes' default setting is just to sync audio files to your ipod, so you have to make sure you also tell it to sync video files.

Hope this helps!

chris

Posted on: Checking Baggage

Newbie888, thanks, great link.  I haven't studied that lesson yet.

Thanks, Chris

Posted on: Checking Baggage

Hi Bill, yes that makes sense.  I guess the only purpose the "in" really serves is to make the distinction between "checking", e.g. "checking the baggage (for any sharp objects)" and "checking-in".

However, in an airport environment the context is of course obvious.  I've said it before on these comment boards, but I do love the way learning Chinese frequently makes me ask questions about my own language!

Anyway, enough digression, back to the Chinese studying!

Thanks, Chris

Posted on: Checking Baggage

I think there is an American English vs English English difference here.  For fellow Englishmen out there, correct me if I'm wrong, but we would more frequently use the terms "checking-in" or "check-in" rather than simply "checking" or "check".

For example, "I am checking-in my luggage" or "I am at the check-in desk".  There were a number of the expansion sentences where the "in" was omitted in the translation.

On a related topic, I remember a Kiwi friend of mine thoroughly confusing me when talking about the airport check-in desk.  With a kiwi accent, "check-in" sounds very much like "chicken".  Why she would be interested in chickens at an airport was beyond me.  hehe.

Chris

Posted on: Checking Baggage

Thanks Amber and Jenny, Regarding Calkins' question, this is also a related area where I have a lot of questions. In particular, I think the word "kan4" does similar things, e.g. "kan4dao4", "kan4de5dao4", "kan4kan4", "kan4jian4", "kan4le5", "kan4de5dao4le5", "kan4qilai" etc. I REALLY struggle with the distinctions between all these variants. Perhaps a topic for Qing Wen (apologies if there already is a Qing Wen on this)! Thanks, Chris!

Posted on: Checking Baggage

Ken,

Your final recommendation about studying Chinese in-flight certainly rung true with me.  My standard in-flight entertainment for my frequent SH-BJ hops is to fire up the laptop, open a few CPod pdf transcripts and listen to the lessons.  Given the in-flight time of about 2 hours, I can usually get through 6-7 lessons quite comfortably.

The added bonus is that the flight attendants invariably spot the laptop screen as they walk past, and if it's a quiet flight will often strike up conversation and help with my Chinese (although I did get some bemused looks when I was studying one of the recent beauty pageant lessons!)

Thanks, Chris

Posted on: Checking Baggage

Cpod,

Please could you also provide the word for "aisle seat".  I was expecting to see it in the supplementary vocab.

I fly within China frequently and I find it's the check-in person who often gets the question in before I can ask for a window or aisle seat, i.e. I get the question "Would you like a window or aisle seat?".  Would be useful if somebody could give the Chinese for that question.

Thanks! Chris

Posted on: Making Negative Comparisons

Hi Light,

It's strange - my company has recently put a "warning" on CPod, i.e. every time I access it, a warning screen comes up saying that use of this website may contravene the firm's IT rules.  Fortunately, it still let's me click-through to access the site.  But very annoying that everytime I go to Cpod I have to keep clicking through the warning screen.

I spoke with our IT department and apparently it's because there is a "pod" in the URL address.  Happens with any such site - I guess it's just an effort to stop us employees chatting online all day (msn, qq, facebook, etc are all also blocked).

Thanks, Chris