Business & Innovation - 2012-05-04 - Research Interviews

RESEARCH INTERVIEWS:
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1) Chai (Student at SOAS, London) (mid 20s)

Q1. Why are you studying Mandarin Chinese? What do you hope to gain?
A1. I have been abroad for 2 years in China, in Shanghai, and am practising speaking and writing. I would say that I am learning for personal reasons. I haven't considered using it for business as a move to China or work with companies would be very far ahead in the future.

Q2. What software/device do you use for language learning: why do you use this device?
A2. With iPhone, I have Pleco and MDBG. I find that MDBG is a good dictionary, and I found it accidently as a popup on a website.

Q3. How much time do you devote to language learning: why do you devote only this much time?
A3. On my 4 year course, which is very intensive...I have 20 hours of lectures each week...plus I spend 20 hours of spare time.

Q4. How can the experience of language learning be improved; if you compare traditional learning and interactive learning?
A4. Learning can be improved with technology, although I rely alot on writing itself. With the iPhone I can write out the characters.

Q5. What is your ideal way to learn a language: how will an app help you?
A5. Not much to say. Learning Chinese is different to other languages, in that cannot easily input characters, and some apps do not always...what's the word...render the characters...on the first try. If I cannot find the word, I can usually find the root (radical), and usually then find it on the iphone.

Additional comments:
What will you do with the results? Ah, ok. I have to go now.

2) Fred (Student at SOAS, London) (early 20s)

Q1. Why are you studying Mandarin Chinese? What do you hope to gain?
A1. I want to engage with a new culture. I have been before to China, to Beijing, to Qinghai and Sichuan. I am primarily learning for personal reasons, business is a secondary reason.

Q2. What software/device do you use for language learning: why do you use this device?
A2. On my phone I use Hanping Pro Dictionary, though my phone does not support Pleco.
I can draw a character, and it can recognise the equivalent word. I have also used Skritter, learning to write, practice stroke order, make lists, and also has it's own flashcards which help you to remember, as you are prompted to write out characters.

Q3. How much time do you devote to language learning: why do you devote only this much time?
A3. I am on a 4 year course, studying for only 10 hours a week, as I have other commitments.

Q4. How can the experience of language learning be improved; if you compare traditional learning and interactive learning?
A4. Traditional needs to be more interactive. Interactive, Skritter has game-style interaction - every week you can be tested on how many characters you have learnt, and varies the method of scoring, one week you might have 10-50 characters, another week you might be tested on 2-4 hours of study time.

Q5. What is your ideal way to learn a language: how will an app help you?
A5. Ideal...mostly I enjoy reading the literature. Modern stories. There is a method called Laoshi-Lishi that is taught here, however the learning syllabus can concentrate too much on business rather than culture. Too much of the material on my syllabus is focused on the economy, which is created for the student, and dates back to a course structure from the 1970s, although I still think that it is still relevant for today.

Additional comments:
Eh, thanks and good luck.

3) Jim (Student at CityLit, London) (late 30s)

Q1. Why are you studying Mandarin Chinese? What do you hope to gain?
A1. I hope that it would be of interest for a future career. As I am a civil servant possibly it could involve work within government, possibly. It is a work opportunity and also a personal interest.

Q2. What software/device do you use for language learning: why do you use this device?
A2. Occasionally I have used a dictionary on mobile for reference. Sometimes sentences, words and characters.

Q3. How much time do you devote to language learning: why do you devote only this much time?
A3. I devote about one and a half hours class and one hour of own time. I don't have any more time.

Q4. How can the experience of language learning be improved; if you compare traditional learning and interactive learning?
A4. How do I think that traditional learning can be improved?..I make connections between characters, find a way to remember the look of a character.
How can interactive learning be improved?...There should be multimedia...it sounds a bit cliche! but it's still a useful aid. You hear it, you see it, read it in a sentence, see 'it' (a character, word or term) straight away in a simple way along with a few examples.

Q5. What is your ideal way to learn a language: how will an app help you?
A5. I usually prefer learning in a classroom, and see apps as a supplement for learning. For me face-to-face teaching, speaking and writing is what I am mainly used to.

Additional comments:
My pleasure. I might go and get a tea now (interviewed after a 1.5 hour mandarin lesson.).

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